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Charges Filed Against ICE Officer Who Shot a Venezuelan Immigrant in Minneapolis

HeadlineMay 19, 2026

In Minnesota, prosecutors have filed criminal charges against an ICE officer who allegedly shot a Venezuelan immigrant in north Minneapolis during an immigration raid in January — and then lied about what happened. On Monday, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced that federal agent Christian Castro will face four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime.

Mary Moriarty: “The four counts of assault are a result of Mr. Castro shooting through the front door of a residence with the intent to cause fear of immediate bodily harm or death to the four adults who were just inside the door. These charges have activated a nationwide warrant for his arrest.”

Venezuelan immigrant Julio Sosa-Celis suffered a leg wound when Castro allegedly shot him through the door. The Trump administration initially claimed Castro fired in self-defense after accusing Sosa-Celis and another man of beating an officer with a broom handle and snow shovel. A federal judge later dismissed those charges after video evidence clearly contradicted it. This comes as Hennepin County prosecutors continue to investigate the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents during the Trump administration’s violent immigration enforcement campaign known as Operation Metro Surge. We’ll go to Minneapolis later in the broadcast.

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