RismadarVoice Reporters
September 18, 2026
A United States immigration enforcement agent has pleaded not guilty to federal charges accusing him of falsely telling the FBI that he was attacked before shooting a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis during a major immigration enforcement operation earlier this year.
Christian Castro, a suspended US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, entered the plea on Friday in federal court in St. Paul, Minnesota. He faces federal charges of making false statements to investigators.
The case stems from a January incident involving Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis during a federal immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota.
Federal prosecutors allege that Castro told FBI investigators that Sosa-Celis and others attacked him with a broom and snow shovel before he fired his weapon, injuring Sosa-Celis in the leg.
Prosecutors contend that surveillance footage contradicted parts of the agent’s account.
Castro has pleaded not guilty, and the allegations against him have not been determined by a court.
SEPARATE STATE CHARGES
Castro also faces separate Minnesota state charges arising from the same encounter, including allegations of assault and falsely reporting a crime.
Those charges are separate from the federal prosecution, which focuses on statements Castro allegedly made to FBI investigators after the shooting.
Castro has contested the allegations against him.
ICE has suspended him without pay while the legal proceedings continue.
The federal and state cases will separately examine Castro’s alleged conduct during the encounter and the accuracy of his subsequent account to investigators.
He remains presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
