An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who state prosecutors say shot a Venezuelan immigrant in Minneapolis this winter made his first appearance in state court Thursday after being taken into custody here following a months-long jurisdictional dispute.
Arrest ends months of legal wrangling
Christian Castro, 52, was booked into a Minnesota jail after authorities brought him from Texas. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension arrested Castro on Wednesday in Minneapolis, closing out a protracted fight between state and federal officials over how and when he should be placed in state custody.
Castro appeared in court wearing an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs and spoke little during the brief hearing. Court filings show he signed a pre-waiver of extradition, committing to return to Minnesota immediately if he violates any release conditions.
"You do not get to dictate how you are taken into custody,"
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty told reporters following the court appearance, underscoring the county’s position that Minnesota’s process would not be bypassed.
Charges tied to January shooting
State prosecutors have charged Castro with multiple counts, including assault and making a false report, in connection with the Jan. 14 incident that wounded Julio Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan immigrant. Authorities say the officer fired a bullet through the front door of a house entered by Sosa-Celis as he fled; the round struck Sosa-Celis’ leg and ended up lodged in the wall of a child's bedroom.
The shooting unfolded during a period when thousands of federal agents deployed to the Twin Cities area amid an immigration surge. In the aftermath, the Justice Department initially charged Sosa-Celis and another man with assault but later dropped those charges after determining that officers involved had provided inaccurate statements about the incident.
"The state of Minnesota certainly has an interest in not being back in the frustrating situation we were in last month,"
Senior Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Joshua Larson told the court, referring to the recent dispute over custody and the process for bringing Castro to Minnesota.
How the custody dispute unfolded
Courtroom statements and public comments from prosecutors and Castro’s attorney show competing versions of events about how Castro came to be in Minnesota. Defense lawyer Daniel Gerdts said Castro intended to surrender voluntarily at his lawyer’s downtown Minneapolis office, but that he was arrested before he could do so.
Federal authorities had custody of Castro earlier in the year. He was released from a Texas jail in August and later traveled to Minnesota, where the BCA ultimately took him into custody Wednesday.
Local impact and next steps
The case has drawn attention locally because it involves a federal officer accused of criminal conduct while operating in Minnesota and because the shooting occurred in a home, with a child’s room struck by the same bullet. Prosecutors will now proceed through the state charging process; Castro’s initial appearance begins that formal sequence but does not resolve whether he will be tried in state or federal court on corresponding counts.
Legal observers note the case raises questions that could affect future interactions between state prosecutors and federal law enforcement. The Justice Department’s earlier decision to drop charges against the shooting victims after finding inaccuracies in officers’ statements has already complicated how the matter will be litigated and reviewed.
- Defendant: Christian Castro, 52, former/acting ICE officer
- Victim named in state case: Julio Sosa-Celis
- Incident date: Jan. 14 (shooting at a Minneapolis residence)
- Latest development: Arrest in Minneapolis and first state court appearance
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Jan. 14 | Shooting in Minneapolis; bullet struck victim's leg and lodged in child's bedroom wall |
| Aug. (2026) | Castro released from a Texas jail |
| Sept. (2026) | Minnesota BCA arrests Castro in Minneapolis; first state court appearance |
What to watch next
Prosecutors will determine whether to seek pretrial detention or conditions of release as the case moves forward. Any parallel federal inquiries or discipline within Immigration and Customs Enforcement could proceed independently of the state criminal case. Defense counsel may press challenges to jurisdiction and the circumstances of the arrest, and the public can expect additional hearings to address bail, discovery and scheduling.
The case remains a focal point for communities and advocates concerned about officer accountability during large-scale federal operations in Minnesota. Local leaders and residents who followed the initial incident have said they will watch the state proceedings closely as the legal process unfolds.
(Reporting from courtroom statements and public records summarized by WE NEWS.)
