Christian Castro, a 52-year-old Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, appeared in a Minneapolis court Thursday for his first hearing since being booked into a local jail on Wednesday. He faces multiple state and federal charges stemming from a shooting incident involving Julio Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan immigrant, during an immigration surge that brought thousands of federal agents to the Twin Cities area last January.
Castro, dressed in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs, spoke minimally during the proceedings. He signed a pre-waiver of extradition, agreeing to return to Minnesota immediately if he violates the conditions of his release. Joshua Larson, a senior assistant Hennepin County attorney, stated that Minnesota has a strong interest in avoiding the”frustrating situation”that arose the previous month regarding the agent’s custody.
The arrest followed a prolonged legal standoff between Minnesota and Texas. After being released from jail in Cameron County, Texas, in August, Castro traveled to Minnesota. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension arrested him Wednesday afternoon, ending months of dispute. Minnesota had charged Castro with several counts of assault and falsely reporting a crime in connection with the shooting of Sosa-Celis.
During a press conference following the court appearance, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty addressed Castro’s legal team, who claimed the officer intended to surrender voluntarily at a downtown office. “You do not get to dictate how you are taken into custody,”Moriarty said.
On January 14, 2025, Castro allegedly shot through the front door of a house that Sosa-Celis had entered while fleeing. According to state authorities, the bullet passed through Sosa-Celis’ leg and became embedded in the wall of a child’s bedroom.
In the immediate aftermath, the Justice Department initially charged Sosa-Celis and another man with assault but later dropped those charges after acknowledging that officers, including Castro, had provided false statements regarding the incident. Castro subsequently became the focus of a months-long extradition battle. Minnesota issued a nationwide warrant not knowing his whereabouts, and in May, Texas Rangers and DHS agents arrested him in Texas.
Castro remained in a Texas jail for three months as Texas Governor Greg Abbott delayed signing an extradition warrant. In August, Minnesota officials sued Texas, alleging that the refusal to extradite Castro at the request of Governor Tim Walz was illegal. A federal judge declined to intervene, and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced that the lawsuit had been dismissed following Thursday’s court appearance.
Federal prosecutors have also charged Castro with lying to investigators about the shooting, although no civil rights charges were brought regarding the shooting itself. Castro is scheduled to appear in federal court on Friday.
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