ICE agent pleads not guilty to making false statements about Minneapolis shooting
ICE agent due in court after recent federal indictment
ICE agent Christian Castro is back in custody after being federally indicted for allegedly making false statements about a January shooting during Operation Metro Surge. Castro turned himself in Thursday night in Texas and is scheduled to make his first federal court appearance Friday morning. FOX 9’s Bill Keller reports.
McALLEN, Texas (FOX 9) - Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Christian Castro appeared in Texas federal court Friday, and pleaded not guilty to lying about a January shooting in Minneapolis during Operation Metro Surge, The Associated Press reports.
ICE agent indicted on federal charges
What we know:
Castro has been indicted on six counts of making false statements to investigators, according to federal court documents that were unsealed Friday.
The Associated Press reports that Castro appeared in Texas federal court and pleaded not guilty to the counts. This comes after he turned himself in to federal authorities Thursday evening.
A judge has ordered Castro to be released on a $75,000 unsecured bond and he must wear a GPS ankle monitor.
What the indictment alleges
What they're saying:
The federal indictment shares similar allegations to the charges against Castro brought by Minnesota officials.
The indictment states that Castro told an FBI agent that he was attacked with a broom and a shovel as he was trying to detain a man outside a Minneapolis home, and that he fired his gun on the ground as the two men involved ran away.
Federal court documents say that Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis and another man had a short physical interaction as the other man was trying to free himself from the grasp of Castro. The other man eventually got free, and Sosa-Celis, and he ran to a residence, and as they went inside and began closing the door, Castro fired his gun once through the door, striking Sosa-Celis in the leg.
There were two 1-year-old children and two women inside the home as Castro fired his gun into the home.
The indictment alleges that Castro lied about being hit with a broom and shovel, and about a third man being involved in the altercation. Prosecutors say those events never happened.
Castro charged in Minnesota
The backstory:
The shooting came in the midst of the massive federal immigration operation in Minnesota. Sosa-Celis was shot one week after Renee Good and 10 days before Alex Pretti.
READ MORE: ICE agent charged in MN suspended without pay after being released from Texas jail
The shooting led to a night of unrest in north Minneapolis, including the raiding of several federal vehicles left at the shooting scene.
Castro was charged with crimes in Hennepin County and arrested in Texas on a warrant in late May. However, Minnesota officials have been locked in a battle with Texas Governor Greg Abbott to force Castro's extradition. Ultimately, Castro was released last month after hitting a detention limit.
Minnesota sued Abbott, asking a judge to keep Castro detained while they fought to force the extradition. A judge ultimately ruled that Castro could be released because Abbott hadn't officially rejected the extradition. Abbott had told Minnesota he was awaiting a determination from his Secretary of State on whether Castro fit the legal definition of a fugitive.
According to the Texas governor, he wasn't sure Castro was a "fugitive" under the law because he was ordered to leave Minnesota by the Department of Homeland Security – he didn't leave the state to escape prosecution.
ProPublica reported on Wednesday that federal prosecutors in Minnesota were weighing civil rights charges against Castro, but the pursuit was quashed by officials in Washington. In a statement, DOJ officials said: "any charging decisions that come out of such investigations are collaborative and deliberative and adhere to the facts and law of that specific case and controversy." However, a person familiar with the case told The Associated Press on Thursday that the civil rights probe is continuing, and more charges could still be brought against Castro.
The Source: Federal court documents, reporting from The Associated Press and past FOX 9 reporting.