The charges stem from the shooting of Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa Celis in his home on January 14, while ICE agents were pursuing his roommate, another Venezuelan immigrant named Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna.
According to The New York Times, it was Castro Arrested on Friday after investigators from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) tracked him down. Texas Rangers and agents with the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General Sold out According to the Minnesota-based Sahan Journal.
“Today’s arrest is a critical step forward in our prosecution of Mr. Castro,” Moriarty said. “BCA’s investigative work was instrumental in this process, and we are grateful for their cooperation as we pursue accountability for this incident on behalf of Mr. Sosa-Selis, his family, and our community.”
The U.S. Department of Justice initially charged Sosa-Celis and Aljorna after Castro claimed he fired in self-defense when the men assaulted him with a broom and shovel, allegations echoed by then-Domeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and department spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin.
But the charges were later dropped after a video of the incident was recorded and an examination of X-ray evidence showed Castro’s claims were false. Castro and another agent were subsequently placed on administrative leave by DHS while they were investigated internally for lying under oath.
“In Minnesota, we believe in equal justice under the law. That means no one is above the law, including federal government agents,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said following news of Castro’s arrest on Friday. “I am pleased to hear that Christian Castro has been taken into custody and will be tried for the crimes he allegedly committed in Minnesota. Justice demands nothing less.”
Castro is the second ICE agent charged by Moriarty’s office for his role in Operation Metro Surge, which civil rights groups and Minnesota officials have described as an illegal immigration crackdown involving racial profiling, warrantless arrests, violent raids and multiple shootings by federal agents.
Another agent, Gregory Morgan Jr., was charged last month with two counts of felony second-degree assault after he pulled a gun on two local residents during a traffic stop. Morgan He turned himself in To the local authorities last week and he was released on bail.
Ellison also filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in March for its refusal to cooperate with the government investigation into the shooting of Sosa-Sillis, and other investigations into the shooting deaths of American citizens.
Moriarty’s office has not yet filed charges against ICE Officer Jonathan Ross, who shot Minneapolis mother Renee Goode in January, or Border Patrol Agent Jesus Ochoa and CBP Officer Raymundo Gutierrez in connection with the fatal shooting of VA nurse Alex Peretti later that month.
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