Christian Castro, an ICE agent, is charged with four counts of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime related to the shooting of a Venezuelan man during the Trump administration's deadly anti-immigrant crackdown in the Twin Cities area.
'Lying ICE Goon' Charged for Shooting Venezuelan Man in Minnesota Christian Castro "is an ICE agent, but his federal badge does not make him immune from state charges for his criminal conduct in Minnesota," said Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty.and Customs Enforcement officer in connection with the shooting of a Venezuelan man during the Trump administration's deadly anti-immigrant crackdown in the Twin Cities area.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office charged 52-year-old ICE agent Christian Castro with four counts of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime after Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis was shot in the leg on January 14.
“Mr. Castro is an ICE agent, but his federal badge does not make him immune from state charges for his criminal conduct in Minnesota,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a video announcing the move. “There is no such thing as absolute immunity for federal officers who commit crimes in this state or any other.
” Federal authorities initially charged Sosa-Celis and his roommate, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, with assaulting an officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel that day. Then-US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claimed that Sosa-Celis and Aljorna “began to resist and violently assault" Castro, who fired his gun while on the ground out of fear for his life. Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Sosa-Celis and Aljorna of “attempted murder.
" However, US District Judge Paul Magnuson subsequently dropped the charges after video evidence directly contradicted the administration's claims, prompting Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey toMoriarty said Monday that Castro's"narrative about what he said happened before, like he was hit with a shovel and broom and all of that, in the head multiple times," was disproven by"a thorough examination, including X-rays. " “There’s no demonstrable trauma to his body, except for an abrasion to his left hand at the base of the thumb," she added.
Last month, the city of Minneapolis released surveillance footage that its cameras captured near the duplex where Sosa-Celis and Aljorna live with their partners. Aljorna, who was making a DoorDash delivery, called home in the middle of a car chase after he fled a traffic stop by Castro and another ICE agent in an unmarked vehicle. The federal agents believed they were stopping an immigration enforcement target, but it ended up being a case of mistaken identity.
One of the adults in the duplex called 911 to report what was happening and Moriarty said an emergency dispatcher turned the camera to face the duplex. The video evidence showed Aljorna racing to the house after he crashed his car into a light pole. Castro pursued him. Sosa-Celis was waiting outside.
There was a brief scramble in the yard as the three men were entangled. A shovel and broom were present near the area, but there was no indication they were used as weapons.
A Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigation showed that the shot Castro fired passed through Sosa-Celis' leg and then penetrated a nearby home, lodging in the wall of a bedroom where several small ICE agents then broke down the home's door and arrested Sosa-Celis, Aljorna, and three other people. Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez-Ledezma, who had nothing to do with the incident, was accused of attacking Castro and jailed for two weeks without charges in.
Two women—who had no criminal records and were also not involved in the incident—were separated from their young children and also detained in Texas for two weeks before being released without charge. Castro is the second ICE agent that Moriarty's office has charged in connection with Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration's 70-day Twin Cities blitz.
Last month, Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. waswith two counts of felony second-degree assault after he allegedly pulled a gun on two local residents during a February traffic dispute. Minneapolis mother Renee Good in January, or Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez in connection with the“I have really a lot of empathy for everybody who has said, ‘You have the videos, why haven’t you charged? ’ We get that,” she said.
“From the inside, we are doing a lot of work. These are unusual cases. It’s just a very unique scenario.
" “We obviously are trying to be very thoughtful and intentional," Moriarty added. "While I understand people really want accountability, and they saw what they saw in the videos, this is incredibly complex. The last thing we want to do is make a mistake if we feel something is appropriately charged and get dismissed out of federal court.
”Moriarty's announcement was hailed by immigrant rights advocates and opponents of Trump's sweeping crackdown, with one popular progressive account on Blueskyon X."These are the first charges relating to an incident that occurred during an enforcement operation. The officers involved lied under oath about this shooting, as the Trump admitted.
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Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we.and Customs Enforcement officer in connection with the shooting of a Venezuelan man during the Trump administration's deadly anti-immigrant crackdown in the Twin Cities area.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office charged 52-year-old ICE agent Christian Castro with four counts of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime after Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis was shot in the leg on January 14.
“Mr. Castro is an ICE agent, but his federal badge does not make him immune from state charges for his criminal conduct in Minnesota,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a video announcing the move. “There is no such thing as absolute immunity for federal officers who commit crimes in this state or any other.
” Federal authorities initially charged Sosa-Celis and his roommate, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, with assaulting an officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel that day. Then-US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claimed that Sosa-Celis and Aljorna “began to resist and violently assault" Castro, who fired his gun while on the ground out of fear for his life. Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Sosa-Celis and Aljorna of “attempted murder.
" However, US District Judge Paul Magnuson subsequently dropped the charges after video evidence directly contradicted the administration's claims, prompting Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey toMoriarty said Monday that Castro's"narrative about what he said happened before, like he was hit with a shovel and broom and all of that, in the head multiple times," was disproven by"a thorough examination, including X-rays. " “There’s no demonstrable trauma to his body, except for an abrasion to his left hand at the base of the thumb," she added.
Last month, the city of Minneapolis released surveillance footage that its cameras captured near the duplex where Sosa-Celis and Aljorna live with their partners. Aljorna, who was making a DoorDash delivery, called home in the middle of a car chase after he fled a traffic stop by Castro and another ICE agent in an unmarked vehicle. The federal agents believed they were stopping an immigration enforcement target, but it ended up being a case of mistaken identity.
One of the adults in the duplex called 911 to report what was happening and Moriarty said an emergency dispatcher turned the camera to face the duplex. The video evidence showed Aljorna racing to the house after he crashed his car into a light pole. Castro pursued him. Sosa-Celis was waiting outside.
There was a brief scramble in the yard as the three men were entangled. A shovel and broom were present near the area, but there was no indication they were used as weapons.
A Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigation showed that the shot Castro fired passed through Sosa-Celis' leg and then penetrated a nearby home, lodging in the wall of a bedroom where several small ICE agents then broke down the home's door and arrested Sosa-Celis, Aljorna, and three other people. Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez-Ledezma, who had nothing to do with the incident, was accused of attacking Castro and jailed for two weeks without charges in.
Two women—who had no criminal records and were also not involved in the incident—were separated from their young children and also detained in Texas for two weeks before being released without charge. Castro is the second ICE agent that Moriarty's office has charged in connection with Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration's 70-day Twin Cities blitz.
Last month, Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. waswith two counts of felony second-degree assault after he allegedly pulled a gun on two local residents during a February traffic dispute. Minneapolis mother Renee Good in January, or Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez in connection with the“I have really a lot of empathy for everybody who has said, ‘You have the videos, why haven’t you charged? ’ We get that,” she said.
“From the inside, we are doing a lot of work. These are unusual cases. It’s just a very unique scenario.
" “We obviously are trying to be very thoughtful and intentional," Moriarty added. "While I understand people really want accountability, and they saw what they saw in the videos, this is incredibly complex. The last thing we want to do is make a mistake if we feel something is appropriately charged and get dismissed out of federal court.
”Moriarty's announcement was hailed by immigrant rights advocates and opponents of Trump's sweeping crackdown, with one popular progressive account on Blueskyon X."These are the first charges relating to an incident that occurred during an enforcement operation. The officers involved lied under oath about this shooting, as the Trump admitted.
"and Customs Enforcement officer in connection with the shooting of a Venezuelan man during the Trump administration's deadly anti-immigrant crackdown in the Twin Cities area. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office charged 52-year-old ICE agent Christian Castro with four counts of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime after Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis was shot in the leg on January 14.
“Mr. Castro is an ICE agent, but his federal badge does not make him immune from state charges for his criminal conduct in Minnesota,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a video announcing the move. “There is no such thing as absolute immunity for federal officers who commit crimes in this state or any other.
” Federal authorities initially charged Sosa-Celis and his roommate, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, with assaulting an officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel that day. Then-US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claimed that Sosa-Celis and Aljorna “began to resist and violently assault" Castro, who fired his gun while on the ground out of fear for his life. Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Sosa-Celis and Aljorna of “attempted murder.
" However, US District Judge Paul Magnuson subsequently dropped the charges after video evidence directly contradicted the administration's claims, prompting Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey toMoriarty said Monday that Castro's"narrative about what he said happened before, like he was hit with a shovel and broom and all of that, in the head multiple times," was disproven by"a thorough examination, including X-rays. " “There’s no demonstrable trauma to his body, except for an abrasion to his left hand at the base of the thumb," she added.
Last month, the city of Minneapolis released surveillance footage that its cameras captured near the duplex where Sosa-Celis and Aljorna live with their partners. Aljorna, who was making a DoorDash delivery, called home in the middle of a car chase after he fled a traffic stop by Castro and another ICE agent in an unmarked vehicle. The federal agents believed they were stopping an immigration enforcement target, but it ended up being a case of mistaken identity.
One of the adults in the duplex called 911 to report what was happening and Moriarty said an emergency dispatcher turned the camera to face the duplex. The video evidence showed Aljorna racing to the house after he crashed his car into a light pole. Castro pursued him. Sosa-Celis was waiting outside.
There was a brief scramble in the yard as the three men were entangled. A shovel and broom were present near the area, but there was no indication they were used as weapons.
A Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigation showed that the shot Castro fired passed through Sosa-Celis' leg and then penetrated a nearby home, lodging in the wall of a bedroom where several small ICE agents then broke down the home's door and arrested Sosa-Celis, Aljorna, and three other people. Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez-Ledezma, who had nothing to do with the incident, was accused of attacking Castro and jailed for two weeks without charges in.
Two women—who had no criminal records and were also not involved in the incident—were separated from their young children and also detained in Texas for two weeks before being released without charge. Castro is the second ICE agent that Moriarty's office has charged in connection with Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration's 70-day Twin Cities blitz.
Last month, Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. waswith two counts of felony second-degree assault after he allegedly pulled a gun on two local residents during a February traffic dispute. Minneapolis mother Renee Good in January, or Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez in connection with the“I have really a lot of empathy for everybody who has said, ‘You have the videos, why haven’t you charged? ’ We get that,” she said.
“From the inside, we are doing a lot of work. These are unusual cases. It’s just a very unique scenario.
" “We obviously are trying to be very thoughtful and intentional," Moriarty added. "While I understand people really want accountability, and they saw what they saw in the videos, this is incredibly complex. The last thing we want to do is make a mistake if we feel something is appropriately charged and get dismissed out of federal court.
”Moriarty's announcement was hailed by immigrant rights advocates and opponents of Trump's sweeping crackdown, with one popular progressive account on Blueskyon X."These are the first charges relating to an incident that occurred during an enforcement operation. The officers involved lied under oath about this shooting, as the Trump admitted.
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ICE Agent Christian Castro Shooting Of A Venezuelan Man Assault With A Deadly Weapon Trump Administration Anti-Immigrant Crackdown Hennepin County Kristi Noem Operation Metro Surge Raymundo Gutierrez Operation Metro Surge Immigrant Rights Advocates
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