ICE Agent Hit With Criminal Charges as Minnesota Issues Arrest Warrant in Shooting Case

An ICE agent has been charged and an arrest warrant issued in Minnesota after prosecutors alleged he fired his weapon during a January encounter in Minneapolis involving a Venezuelan man. Officials say the case raises questions over whether the use of force crossed the line of lawful authority.

The decision was announced on Monday by Hennepin County authorities, who confirmed that criminal charges had been filed against the federal officer and that a warrant had been issued for his arrest.

The case stems from a shooting on 14 January in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an operation in which officers were pursuing a man into a residential property, with several individuals inside the building at the time.

Minnesota Issues Arrest Warrant

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the officer, identified as 52-year-old Christian Castro, has been charged with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime. Newsweek reported that a warrant has now been issued for his arrest, meaning he can be taken into custody if located in Minnesota or in another jurisdiction that agrees to enforce it.

'There's no modern precedent for what happened to the people here in Minnesota,' Moriarty said during a press conference. 'So it requires a lot of us to dig in and look at ways to hold people accountable that we probably never thought we would be looking at in our careers.'

Prosecutors say the incident took place during a chaotic enforcement action in Minneapolis on 14 January, when ICE agents and another officer pursued a man into a duplex apartment. Authorities said both the man being pursued and another individual inside the home had legal status in the United States.

According to an affidavit referenced by investigators, officers initially claimed that one of the men being pursued resisted arrest and that others inside the home attempted to intervene using makeshift weapons, including a shovel and broom handle. During the confrontation, one man, identified as Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, was shot in the leg by a federal agent. He later fled into a nearby apartment and was detained.

Moriarty's office disputes aspects of that account. In a press release, she said Castro fired his weapon while outside the home and not under immediate threat.

'Mr. Castro fired his weapon through the front door of the home while standing alone in the front yard, under no physical threat or duress, and knowing there were people who had just run inside,' she said. 'Mr. Castro is an ICE agent. But his federal badge does not make him immune from state charges for his criminal conduct in Minnesota.'

The shooting did not happen in isolation. It came between two other fatal incidents in Minnesota involving federal immigration enforcement officers earlier in January, which have intensified scrutiny of use-of-force decisions in the state.

ICE Pushes Back

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has rejected the charges, describing the move by prosecutors as politically motivated. A spokesperson for ICE said that Moriarty's decision was 'unlawful and nothing more than a political stunt.'

'Lying under oath is a serious federal offense. The U.S. Attorney's Office is actively investigating these statements,' the spokesperson said. 'Upon conclusion of the investigation, the officers may face disciplinary action, including termination of employment, as well as potential criminal prosecution.'

The agency added that its personnel are held to 'the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethical conduct' and that any violation of that standard would not be tolerated.

Separate reporting referenced in court documents also indicates that officers involved in the series of incidents are now under investigation over allegations of inconsistent or misleading statements about what happened during enforcement actions in Minneapolis. Video footage released in April is said to have raised further questions about the original official account, according to investigators.

Minnesota Prosecutors Face Legal Hurdles

While Minnesota prosecutors have moved ahead with charges, the case is expected to face significant legal resistance. Under the US Constitution's Supremacy Clause, federal officers can argue they are immune from state prosecution if they were carrying out official duties and using force considered 'necessary and proper.'

That legal standard has historically created a high bar for state-level convictions involving federal agents. Courts typically determine whether immunity applies before a case reaches a jury, meaning early motions could decide whether the prosecution proceeds at all.

State officials, however, have indicated they intend to continue regardless of anticipated legal challenges. They argue that the facts, as they see them, show the officer was outside the home and not under attack at the time the shot was fired, a detail they say undermines any claim of justified force.

For now, Castro remains charged but not yet in custody, with the warrant outstanding as the case moves into its next legal stage.