An ICE agent has been indicted on six federal counts for allegedly lying about the non-fatal shooting of a Venezuelan migrant in Minnesota, a development that could intensify scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement. Christian Castro, who is not in custody, is accused in connection with a 14 January incident that left a man wounded in the leg.
Minnesota investigators contend Castro fired a round through the front door of a home after people had run inside, striking a man and lodging the bullet in the wall of a child’s room. The Department of Homeland Security initially said Castro acted in self-defence after being attacked by three Venezuelan migrants armed with a shovel and a broom handle. State officials say the evidence points to an officer discharging his weapon through a closed door.
Castro faces separate state charges of assault and false reporting tied to the same shooting. He was arrested in Texas in May and detained for three months; Minnesota’s top prosecutor sought his extradition but Governor Greg Abbott declined to approve the request, saying he had "serious doubts" Castro qualified as a fugitive. Castro was released from Texas custody last week and remains at large as the federal case proceeds.
The case is part of a wider controversy over Operation Metro Surge, the wave deployment of thousands of federal immigration officers to the Midwest that ignited protests and, during confrontations, resulted in the deaths of two US citizens. Early surveillance footage of the Minnesota episode prompted prosecutors to reopen questions about agents’ accounts. ICE later said two officers might have made "untruthful statements" and placed them on administrative leave. Prosecutors dropped charges against two migrants after citing "newly discovered evidence."
The federal indictment is an unusual move, given how rarely the Justice Department brings criminal charges against on-duty federal agents. Minnesota officials have detailed the path of the bullet and the circumstances in which it was fired. Minnesota’s top prosecutor’s office was approached for comment on the indictment.
The next steps include attempts to secure custody of Castro and the unfolding federal prosecution, a process that could take months and will test how criminal accountability for immigration agents is handled after Operation Metro Surge.
