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Christian Castro faces federal charges for making false statements after shooting a Venezuelan immigrant in Minneapolis

Christian Castro, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, has been federally charged with six counts of making false statements regarding the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis. The incident occurred in January during a nationwide immigration crackdown led by the administration. While Castro allegedly shot Sosa-Celis in the leg through the front door of an occupied home, he initially claimed he was beaten with a shovel and a broomstick for several minutes, necessitating a self-defense shot. However, video evidence and an FBI affidavit revealed that the altercation lasted much less than three minutes and that Sosa-Celis was not the one who fled the traffic stop. The administration eventually dropped charges against Sosa-Celis and Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, who were initially accused of assaulting the officers. Former ICE Director Todd Lyons stated that the agents made untruthful statements in sworn testimony. The federal prosecutor who pushed for civil rights charges, Matthew Evans, was fired and is under investigation for alleged leaking. The administration announced that the false statement charges were directed by Main Justice, while the administration's civil rights division continues to deliberations on whether to bring more serious civil rights charges.

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