ICE Officer Charged With Lying About Minneapolis Shooting

Federal prosecutors have charged a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer with making false statements about a shooting in Minneapolis earlier this year, marking a rare federal case against an agent for on-duty conduct during immigration operations. The officer, Christian Castro, is accused of lying to investigators about the events leading up to the January 14 shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan immigrant, who was wounded in the leg. The federal indictment, which remains under seal, was reported by multiple news outlets on September 3, 2026, citing sources familiar with the matter. The charge of making false statements to federal investigators follows Castro's release from a Texas jail on August 27. His release came after Texas Governor Greg Abbott declined to immediately approve an extradition warrant to return him to Minnesota, where he faces separate state charges of second-degree assault and falsely reporting a crime. The incident began when ICE officers attempted to stop a truck driven by Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, Sosa-Celis's cousin. According to state allegations, Aljorna fled and was tackled near Sosa-Celis's apartment.