Federal ICE Agent Arrested in Minneapolis After Months‑Long Legal Standoff

A federal immigration officer wanted on assault charges for shooting and wounding a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis was arrested on Wednesday, eight months after an encounter that became a flashpoint during President Donald Trump’s deportation sweeps.

Christian Castro, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, was taken into custody in downtown Minneapolis by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and booked into the Hennepin County jail on an outstanding warrant. Earlier this month, Castro had been released on bond following a federal court appearance in McAllen, Texas, where he was charged with lying to investigators about the January 14 shooting.

Castro had agreed to return to Minnesota and surrender to state authorities at his attorney’s office. According to his lawyer, Daniel Gerdts, Castro drove from Texas to Minneapolis for that purpose but was arrested minutes before he arrived. Another attorney, Rolando Cantu, said Castro always intended to face the charges and disputed prosecutors’ claims that he might flee to Mexico, insisting Castro wanted his day in court.

The case is tied to Operation Metro Surge, a large ICE deployment in Minneapolis that drew weeks of protests and confrontations between federal agents and demonstrators. The federal indictment accusing Castro of making false statements is the first Justice Department prosecution of a federal officer connected to that operation. The surge was part of Trump’s broader immigration crackdown and coincided with two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by federal agents.

Castro already faced state assault charges for shooting Julio Cesar Sosa‑Celis, a Venezuelan national, through the door of Sosa‑Celis’s apartment while children were inside. State prosecutors also charged Castro with falsely reporting a crime after he told Department of Homeland Security officials that Sosa‑Celis and others attacked him with a snow shovel and broom — a claim disproved by video evidence.

Attempts to arrest Castro earlier in the year stalled when he returned to Texas, prompting Minnesota authorities to issue a warrant. Texas Rangers eventually apprehended him, but Texas Governor Greg Abbott declined to sign extradition papers requested by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Abbott questioned whether Castro qualified as a fugitive, noting DHS had reassigned him to Texas after the shooting.

Castro spent 90 days in a Texas jail before being released on August 27, after a federal judge rejected Minnesota’s request for immediate extradition. He was later re‑arrested in Texas following a federal grand jury indictment in early September. DHS has suspended him, and a civil rights investigation into the shooting has been opened.

Castro is expected to make his first state court appearance in Minneapolis on Thursday, followed by an initial federal court appearance in St. Paul on Friday.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, who brought the state charges, said in a statement that efforts to shield Castro from accountability had failed and that her office looked forward to moving forward with the prosecution.