Minnesota prosecutors announce charges against ICE agent
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Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Monday charged an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in the January shooting of a Venezuelan man in north Minneapolis during wintertime immigration enforcement operations in the Twin Cities. Julio Sosa-Celis suffered a leg wound after the agent opened fire.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said ICE agent Christian Castro fired through the front door of a duplex, striking Julio Sosa-Celis in the leg while people, including children, were inside the home.
Castro faces four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime.
Moriarty said Castro was not under physical threat when he fired his weapon, contradicting earlier claims from the Department of Homeland Security that agents had been attacked with shovels and broomsticks.
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Castro faces four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime.
According to the criminal complaint, Sosa-Celis and another man had already run inside the home when Castro allegedly fired through the closed door, striking Sosa-Celis in the leg while other adults and children were inside. Prosecutors say surveillance video and ShotSpotter audio contradict Castro’s account that he fired in self-defense.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says Castro was never in any danger and had no reason to shoot.
“Mr. Castro fired his service weapon at the front door of the home knowing that there were people who had just run inside that presented absolutely no threat to him or anyone else.” said Moriarty. “The bullet punched through the front door and struck Mr. Sosa Celis’s leg before traveling through a closet and lodging in the wall of a child’s bedroom.”
Federal prosecutors initially charged Sosa-Celis with assaulting a federal agent with a shovel, but the case soon fell apart. Minnesota U.S. Attorney Dan Rosen dropped the charges against Sosa-Celis and his friend Alfredo Aljorna after determining that newly discovered evidence is “materially inconsistent with the allegations” outlined in an FBI affidavit.
State authorities say they do not know Castro’s whereabouts and that federal authorities are not cooperating with the investigation. But Moriarty said there is a nationwide warrant for Castro’s arrest and expressed confidence he would be returned to Minnesota.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson criticized the charges as politically motivated and said the agency is investigating whether agents involved in the case made false statements. DHS said the agents could face disciplinary action, including termination or criminal prosecution, if wrongdoing is confirmed.
Castro is the second ICE agent to face state charges tied to the federal immigration enforcement surge. Last month, Moriarty charged ICE agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. with pointing a gun at two people during a February road rage incident. Morgan also has an active warrant, though Moriarty said the state has made substantial progress toward extraditing him to Minnesota.
Moriarty did not say whether prosecutors are nearing charging decisions in the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
