05/31/2026
An ICE agent who shot an unarmed Venezuelan immigrant through the front door of a Minneapolis home — and then allegedly fabricated a story to justify it — has been arrested in Texas.
Christian Castro, 52, was taken into custody Friday by Texas Rangers and agents from the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General. Minnesota investigators had tracked him down in Texas after charging him earlier this month in Hennepin County District Court.
Castro faces four counts of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime. The shooting happened on January 14 during Operation Metro Surge — described by the Trump administration as the largest immigration enforcement operation in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area to date. Castro fired his weapon through the front door of a home while standing alone in the front yard, striking Julio Sosa-Celis in the leg. Investigators say Castro was not under physical threat when he pulled the trigger.
Here's where it gets damning: Castro claimed the men inside assaulted him with a broom and a shovel. But video evidence directly contradicted that account, and a medical examination found no significant injuries to Castro's body — just a single abrasion on his left hand. Investigators concluded he was standing and in no danger when he fired.
Castro is the second ICE agent to face charges out of Operation Metro Surge. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said it plainly: "His federal badge does not make him immune from state charges for his criminal conduct in Minnesota." The case is already reigniting a fierce national debate about accountability, use of force, and whether immigration enforcement has been operating without adequate oversight.
