The Justice Department is weighing federal charges against ICE agent Christian Castro over a January shooting in Minneapolis, with federal prosecutors potentially moving as soon as Tuesday as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison battle over extradition.
The Justice Department is considering federal charges against an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent accused of shooting a Venezuelan immigrant in Minneapolis this winter, and the clock is ticking on a heated extradition fight between Texas and Minnesota that lands in federal court Tuesday.
Federal prosecutors could move forward with charges against 52-year-old ICE agent Christian Castro as soon as Tuesday, according to a source familiar with the deliberations. The move would mark a significant step in a case that has already produced stunning reversals, with the administration admitting its own agents made false statements under oath.
Castro was arrested in May after Minnesota state prosecutors charged him with second-degree assault and falsely reporting a crime in connection with the January 14 shooting of 24-year-old Julio Sosa-Celis. Castro is being held in Cameron County, Texas, after being taken into custody there with the help of Texas Rangers.
The Justice Department told CNN that prosecutors have not yet decided whether to charge Castro federally, and a federal case would not automatically stop the Minnesota case from proceeding at the same time. The department's civil rights division has been consulting with local prosecutors in Minnesota as part of the review, a standard step in any investigation that may implicate civil rights charges.
The tight timeline is what makes this week so significant. According to a lawsuit filed by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison seeking Castro's extradition, Castro could be released from custody in Texas as soon as Wednesday. The 90-day limit for holding someone pending extradition expires Thursday.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has declined to send Castro back to Minnesota, and Ellison has sued him over the refusal. A federal judge in Texas will hold a hearing Tuesday on Minnesota's request that Abbott hand Castro over immediately.
Abbott responded Monday by expressing serious concerns about the legality of Minnesota's request, arguing he doubts Castro is really a fugitive since the agent returned to Texas for his job obligations. Abbott has also tied the case to Minnesota's sprawling social-services fraud scandal, which prompted the Trump administration to launch Operation Metro Surge, one of the largest immigration crackdowns in modern history.
The January 14 shooting unfolded during an explosive stretch in Minneapolis, one week after an ICE officer fatally shot protester Renee Nicole Good. Protester Alex Pretti was also fatally shot by agents later that month, triggering a winter of violent clashes between protesters and federal agents.
According to court filings, Castro allegedly shot Sosa-Celis in the back of the leg through the door of his apartment. The chain of events began when agents tried to pull over a car belonging to an undocumented immigrant, but the driver was actually Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, a DoorDash driver and Sosa-Celis' cousin, who led agents on a chase and crashed into a snowbank.
In the immediate aftermath, the Department of Homeland Security charged both men, with then-Secretary Kristi Noem describing their actions as attempted murder of federal law enforcement. But the federal case unraveled. Witness accounts and video footage contradicted the original story, and in February the Justice Department moved to drop the charges, saying federal prosecutors had provided incorrect information to the court.
ICE later admitted its agents made false statements under oath, and both agents involved were placed on administrative leave while the department investigates. Sosa-Celis, who entered the country in 2023, and Aljorna, who arrived in 2021, were both granted Temporary Protected Status in 2024.
DHS officials have called the state charges against Castro a political stunt, insisting the case is a federal issue that must be handled at the federal level. The administration has shown it is willing to hold its own agents accountable, admitting false statements and dropping charges when the evidence demanded it.
The hearing Tuesday in Texas will determine whether Castro stays in custody while the extradition fight plays out. If federal prosecutors move this week, the case could take on a new dimension entirely, with the Justice Department pursuing its own charges against an agent at the center of one of the most contentious immigration enforcement incidents of the year.
The Justice Department is weighing federal charges against ICE agent Christian Castro over a January shooting in Minneapolis, with federal prosecutors potentially moving as soon as Tuesday as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison battle over extradition.
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