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What comes next in the Christian Castro case?
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison react after former ICE agent Christian Castro made his first appearance in Hennepin County Court.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - ICE agent Christian Castro appeared in federal court Friday to face charges in connection with the shooting of a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis in January during the federal immigration surge. The federal court comes one day after Castro made his first appearance before a Minnesota judge to face charges in the state case against him.
ICE agent facing federal charges
Christian Castro leaving the federal courthouse in St. Paul, Minnesota on September 18, 2026.
Big picture view:
Castro, 52, was federally indicted earlier this month on six counts of providing false statements to investigators in connection to a botched immigration enforcement back in January that sparked a night of chaotic protests. He has pleaded not guilty to all six counts.
The case has officially been designated as "complex." Federal prosecutors are not asking for Castro to be detained at this time, but he has travel restrictions that prohibit him from traveling to Mexico and a curfew that says he needs to be home between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.
He declined comment upon arriving at the federal courthouse in St. Paul on Friday morning.
Julio Sosa-Celis shooting
The backstory:
In May, Castro was charged in Hennepin County with four counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime in connection with the Jan. 14 shooting that happened during Operation Metro Surge.
Castro is accused of shooting into a home with children inside, hitting Sosa-Celis. Sosa-Celis was struck in the leg but survived his injuries.
Castro claimed that he fired his service weapon after being attacked by a suspect with a broom and shovel. However, prosecutors said Castro's claims were contradicted by surveillance video, witness statements and physical evidence.
Due to Castro's statements, Sosa-Celis, whose family says is in the country legally, was initially arrested and charged with a crime. The charges against Sosa-Celis were ultimately dismissed.
The shooting of Sosa-Celis came just a week after the shooting of Renee Good, ten days before the shooting of Alex Pretti and sparked a night of unrest in north Minneapolis.
Timeline:
Castro was charged via a nationwide warrant and arrested in Texas in late May. Castro was held in a Brownsville, Texas jail for weeks as his extradition was dragged out by Texas authorities. Ultimately, he was released on Aug. 27 as he hit a detainment limit under Texas law.
Shortly after, on Sept. 4, he was federally indicted by a grand jury.
Castro drove to Minnesota on Wednesday, where he was arrested by agents from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. His attorney told FOX 9 he arranged to turn himself in, but prosecutors said he didn’t follow instructions, leading to his arrest.
A senior Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told FOX 9 in August that Casto has been suspended without pay amid the ongoing investigation into the shooting.
Castro faces Hennepin County judge
What we know:
Four months after being charged with assault, Castro finally appeared before a Hennepin County judge on Thursday afternoon.
What happened in court:
Despite concerns that Castro was a flight risk, the judge set bail at $200,000 with conditions, including surrendering his passport, electronic monitoring and a pre-signed waiver of extradition.
He was released from jail Thursday after posting bond.
The Source: Information in this story comes from federal court documents, Hennepin County court documents and previous FOX 9 reporting.