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ICE Agent Christian Castro Arrested in Minneapolis on Assault and False‑Statement Charges

The case will test whether state and federal systems can secure accountability for a federal officer.

Overview

  • Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agents arrested and booked Christian Castro on Wednesday on a Hennepin County warrant charging four counts of second‑degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime.
  • Castro faces a separate federal indictment that accuses him of six counts of making materially false statements to investigators and he has been suspended from DHS without pay while a civil‑rights review remains open.
  • The criminal allegations stem from a Jan. 14 Operation Metro Surge encounter in north Minneapolis in which Castro fired through a closed door and wounded Julio Cesar Sosa‑Celis in the leg while children were inside the home.
  • City surveillance video and witness accounts contradicted Castro’s initial claim that he was attacked with a shovel and broom, and those contradictions led prosecutors to drop earlier assault charges against the two men Castro had blamed.
  • An extended extradition fight with Texas, including Gov. Greg Abbott’s refusal to sign a rendition warrant and a 90‑day detention limit that led to Castro’s temporary release, delayed state prosecution and shaped the timing of his return to Minnesota where a judge set bond and conditions.