ICE Agent Arrested in Minneapolis Over Venezuelan Man Shooting

A federal immigration officer accused of shooting and wounding a Venezuelan man during a Minneapolis immigration operation was arrested Wednesday, eight months after the incident became a focal point of controversy surrounding President Donald Trump’s deportation crackdown.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Christian Castro was taken into custody by Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension officers in downtown Minneapolis and booked into the Hennepin County jail on an outstanding warrant.

Castro faces Minnesota assault charges related to the January 14 shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national. Prosecutors allege Castro fired through the door of Sosa-Celis’ apartment, striking him in the leg while children were inside.

He is also accused of falsely reporting that Sosa-Celis and others attacked him with a snow shovel and broom. Authorities say video evidence contradicted that account.

The case emerged from Operation Metro Surge, a large-scale ICE deployment in Minneapolis that formed part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration enforcement campaign. The operation sparked weeks of protests and confrontations between federal agents and demonstrators.

Castro returned to Texas after the shooting, complicating Minnesota authorities’ efforts to arrest him. Texas Governor Greg Abbott declined an extradition request from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, questioning whether Castro qualified as a fugitive because the Department of Homeland Security had reassigned him to Texas.

Castro later spent 90 days in a Texas county jail before being released on August 27. He was subsequently arrested again after a federal grand jury indicted him in September for allegedly making false statements to investigators about the Minneapolis shooting.

His attorneys say Castro intended to surrender voluntarily in Minnesota and wants to contest the allegations in court.

DHS has suspended Castro from ICE, while a civil rights investigation into the shooting has also reportedly been opened.

Castro is expected to appear in Minnesota state court on Thursday. He is scheduled to appear Friday in U.S. District Court in St. Paul on the separate federal charges.