ICE agent charged with lying about shooting Venezuelan man during crackdown

Christian Castro, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, has been charged with perjury in connection with the non-fatal shooting of a Venezuelan migrant in Minnesota, according to a six-count federal indictment, as reported by CBS News. Initially, the Department of Homeland Security claimed Castro fired in self-defense after being attacked by three Venezuelan illegal migrants using a shovel and a broom handle.

However, Minnesota investigators allege that Castro fired through a closed door, striking the man in the leg. Castro faces additional charges of assault and false reporting of a crime related to the incident. This is an unusual case for the current justice department to accuse a federal agent of wrongdoing on duty. Castro, one of thousands of federal immigration officers deployed to Minnesota during Operation Metro Surge, was arrested in Texas in May and detained for three months.

After his release, Minnesota's top prosecutor, Keith Ellison, welcomed the federal charges but emphasized that the indictment does not capture the full gravity of the alleged violent crimes in Minnesota. The state's case against Castro will proceed regardless of the federal prosecution.