ICE agent charged with lying about shooting Venezuelan man during crackdown

A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, Christian Castro, has been charged with lying about the shooting of a Venezuelan migrant in Minnesota, according to a six-count federal indictment reported by CBS. Castro, who was not yet in custody, allegedly fired through a closed door, injuring the man in the leg. Minnesota investigators contend Castro opened fire after being attacked by three Venezuelan illegal migrants who wielded a shovel and a broom handle.

This is unusual for the current Justice Department to accuse a federal agent of breaking the law on duty. Castro was one of many federal immigration officers deployed to Minnesota during Operation Metro Surge, which led to two US citizens being killed and fierce protests. The case against Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who were initially charged with assault and resisting federal officers, was dismissed due to "newly discovered evidence."

Castro was arrested in Texas in May, detained for three months, and later released. Minnesota's top prosecutor, Keith Ellison, expressed welcome for the federal charges but emphasized that the indictment does not fully encapsulate the gravity of the alleged violent crimes in Minnesota. The state's case against Castro will proceed, regardless of the federal prosecution.