Mary Moriarty, District Attorney of Hennepin, Minnesota charged Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Christian Castro was convicted Monday of four counts of second-degree assault and one count of false report of a crime. The charges are in response to a Jan. 14 incident involving Castro and Minneapolis resident Julio Sosa-Celis.
In a press conference, Moriarty claims that Castro pursued Sosa-Celis and shot him in the leg after Sosa-Celis and Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna retreated into a house and closed the door. The bullet went through a cupboard and lodged in the wall of a child’s room. Moriarty said Castro faced “absolutely no physical threat” when he opened fire. She added that federal officers in Minnesota do not enjoy immunity from state criminal charges.
In a press release on January 15, ICE said accused Sosa-Celis and Aljorna struck an officer with a broomstick and a snow shovel, triggering the incident. Moriarty maintained that these claims were false. A federal judge has dismissed the charges against Sosa-Celis and Aljorna, noting that there was new evidence that was “substantially contradictory to the allegations.” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is reportedly investigating whether Castro and another ICE agent lied under oath about the incident.
The shooting incident occurred during Operation Metro Surge, the large-scale deployment of ICE agents and associated federal officers to Minnesota from December 2025 to February 2026. ICE agents also killed Alex Pretti and Renee Good during Metro Surge, according to DHS called Shooting in self-defense.
In March, Minnesota sued DHS for refusing to provide it Proof in all three shootings. Moriarty updated Reporters at Monday’s conference said the federal government had not yet provided any evidence to state or local authorities.
Castro is the second ICE agent to be charged by Moriarty’s office Relationship to Metro Surge. Hennepin County charged Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. was assaulted last month. He allegedly pointed his gun at two drivers as he drove to the side of the road.
Hennepin County prosecutors continue to investigate the murders of Good and Pretti. The office published a video on YouTube and explains to citizens how the office can prosecute ICE agents on state charges.
