A federal grand jury has returned a six-count indictment against former ICE agent Castro, accusing him of making false statements related to the shooting of a Venezuelan national. According to CBS, the indictment was issued on Wednesday and is expected to be made public once Castro is taken into custody.
The federal charges emerged after Texas officials refused to extradite Castro to Minnesota. In that state, Castro faces separate allegations of assault and filing a false police report regarding the same incident. He was arrested in Texas in May and held in jail for three months.
Castro was among thousands of federal immigration officers deployed to Minnesota as part of Operation Metro Surge, a heightened enforcement initiative that drew intense protests and resulted in the deaths of two U.S. citizens during confrontations with agents.
Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who survived being shot in the leg, were originally charged with forcibly assaulting or impeding federal officers. However, the charges against the migrants were subsequently dismissed by prosecutors, who cited “newly discovered evidence” after surveillance footage cast doubt on the initial account of events.
In February, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that an internal review suggested two immigration agents may have provided untruthful statements about the shooting. As a result, they were placed on administrative leave while the investigation proceeded.
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