An agent with federal immigration law enforcement has been indicted for delivering false statements following an intervention in Minneapolis during which a Venezuelan migrant was wounded by gunfire.
The case embarrasses federal authorities. Christian Castro, a 52-year-old ICE agent who remains suspended from his duties, faced a federal indictment for making false statements after an intervention that occurred last January in Minneapolis. The man was already facing state prosecution in Minnesota on assault and perjury counts.
The indictment stands out as unusual in a context where the Trump administration pursues an extraordinarily aggressive immigration agenda. According to multiple American media outlets, the federal indictment had not yet been made public initially.
The events trace back to January 14. During an operation targeting an alleged undocumented Venezuelan migrant, ICE officers opened fire, wounding one of the pursued men in the leg. Originally, the Department of Homeland Security asserted that an officer was attacked using a snow shovel and a broom handle, firing to protect his life. However, surveillance footage subsequently refuted this narrative. Charges pressed against two Venezuelan migrants were ultimately dismissed.
Christian Castro is also sought by Minnesota judicial authorities, who issued a nationwide arrest warrant. Texas, where he resides, has so far refused to surrender him to that state’s authorities. Detained for 90 days, he was released Friday following a judicial ruling.
Investigative outlet ProPublica reports furthermore that a federal prosecutor sought to bring heavier charges against him for civil rights violations. That initiative reportedly met resistance and refusal from the Justice Department in Washington.
The incident unfolded during Operation “Metro Surge,” a massive migrant arrest campaign executed across Minneapolis from late December through mid-February. The federal government maintains it yielded the arrest of 4,000 undocumented foreign nationals.