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A federal immigration agent accused of wounding a Venezuelan man in a January shooting and lying to investigators about the circumstances was due to appear before a Minnesota judge on Thursday, after state authorities arrested him ahead of a separate hearing in federal court.
The agent from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Christian Castro, faces state and federal charges stemming from the shooting of Julio Ceasar Sosa-Celis during a federal immigration crackdown in the Minneapolis area. According to the indictment, Castro falsely told investigators that he had been attacked with a broom and a shovel.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension reported in a social media post that it arrested Castro on Wednesday in downtown Minneapolis under a pending arrest warrant accusing him of assault and filing a false report of a crime. The arrest followed a dispute between Minnesota authorities and the governor of Texas over Minnesota's attempts to extradite Castro from his home state to face the state charges.
Castro remained jailed without bond in Hennepin County on Thursday, awaiting an afternoon hearing in state court.
Castro is also scheduled to appear in federal district court in Minneapolis on Friday for the separate federal case, in which he is accused of making false statements to investigators regarding the same shooting.
Defense attorneys for Castro in the federal case have indicated that he plans to plead not guilty. Daniel Gerdts, who is listed in court records as Castro's defense attorney in the state case, has not responded to phone calls or emails requesting comment.
This is the Justice Department's first prosecution of a federal agent for actions taken during the massive operation that brought thousands of agents to Minneapolis and St. Paul, which resulted in protests, arrests, and the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens at the hands of federal agents.
In both the federal and state cases, prosecutors claim that Castro shot 24-year-old Sosa-Celis in the leg through the front door of a home in Minneapolis. According to the indictment, Castro then falsely reported that he had been attacked with a broomstick and a snow shovel before firing his weapon.
Minnesota authorities have clashed with President Donald Trump's administration over who should handle the prosecution against Castro. The Department of Homeland Security has called Minnesota's prosecution of Castro “unlawful and a simple political maneuver,” claiming that only federal authorities have jurisdiction.
Minnesota charged Castro months before his federal indictment. He was arrested in Texas in May on the Minnesota charges. However, Texas Governor Greg Abbott refused to sign an extradition warrant last month to turn him over to the other state's authorities. He was released in Texas and shortly thereafter was charged with federal crimes. He then turned himself in to federal authorities and returned to Minnesota on his own.
[Publicidad]