ICE agent re-arrested after being charged with lying over Minnesota shooting

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Christian Castro was re-arrested in Texas on Thursday night, following his indictment by a federal grand jury on charges of lying about a shooting incident involving a Venezuelan man, Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, in Minnesota. The indictment, which includes six counts of lying to investigators, marks an unprecedented move by the federal government to prosecute a federal law enforcement officer.

According to Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, Castro was arrested in Texas after being released from jail a week earlier.

The incident occurred during the height of the Trump administration's deportation campaign in Minnesota, which sparked widespread protests. Castro was initially charged with assault in Minnesota for shooting and wounding Sosa-Celis in the leg on January 14. The state arrest warrant against Castro remains active, though a federal judge in Texas denied Minnesota's request to compel Castro's extradition.

In addition to the federal charges, Castro faces state charges for falsely reporting a crime. He allegedly told superiors at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that Sosa-Celis and others attacked him with a snow shovel and broom, a claim disproved by video evidence. The DHS has suspended Castro, and an ongoing civil rights investigation is being conducted.

Former federal prosecutor Matt Evans, who was working on the case, resigned following reports that he sent an email to Sosa-Celis' lawyers stating that DOJ attorneys had stopped his efforts to bring federal charges. Evans is now under investigation for obstruction of a grand jury investigation.

Sosa-Celis' lawyer, Robin Wolpert, expressed her client's desire for Castro to be held fully accountable with stronger civil rights charges. The Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota has announced it will represent Sosa-Celis in a potential lawsuit against the Trump administration.