Minnesota Charges ICE Agent with Assault in Minneapolis Shooting

A Minnesota county prosecutor has charged ICE agent Christian Castro with four counts of assault and false reporting.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced charges against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Christian Castro on May 18, 2026, marking the second time county prosecutors have targeted federal agents for conduct during aggressive immigration operations in Minnesota.

• Castro, 52, stands accused of four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime after a January 14, 2026, shooting in north Minneapolis. Prosecutors say he shot Julio Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan man legally residing in the U.S., through a front door, hitting him in the leg.
• The incident was part of Operation Metro Surge, a large-scale ICE initiative running from December 2025 to February 2026 that brought dozens of federal agents to the Twin Cities.
• Initial federal charges against Sosa-Celis and his roommate, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, accused them of assaulting federal officers, but those charges were dismissed after a federal judge cited inconsistencies in witness testimony and evidence. (Washington Post)
• Moriarty said, "Mr. Castro is an ICE agent, but his federal badge does not make him immune from state charges for his criminal conduct in Minnesota. There is no such thing as absolute immunity for federal officers who commit crimes."
• In April 2026, Hennepin County charged another ICE agent, Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., with two counts of assault for allegedly pointing a gun at motorists in a separate Operation Metro Surge incident.

Officials at the Department of Homeland Security have emphasized the seriousness of federal agents lying under oath, though disciplinary and investigative outcomes remain unclear.

Yes, but: It is not yet clear what, if any, internal discipline Castro faces from ICE or if federal investigations will proceed.