Federal prosecutors have reportedly charged an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent accused of shooting a Venezuelan immigrant during the Trump administration’s January immigration crackdown in Minnesota.
Christian Castro, who is accused of shooting Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the thigh during the Jan. 14 incident, has reportedly been charged with making false statements to federal investigators, according to the Associated Press. The charges remain under seal.
Castro is separately facing state charges in Minnesota of four counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime in connection with the shooting.
The federal case comes after a prosecutor handling the matter reportedly told attorneys for Sosa-Celis and other victims earlier this week that Justice Department officials had blocked an effort to charge Castro related to federal civil rights, according to ProPublica.
Castro had been held in a Texas prison after Minnesota prosecutors charged him in connection with the shooting in May. He was released last week after Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) failed to sign an extradition request from Minnesota within 90 days.
Abbott refused to sign the extradition request, arguing that Castro returned to Texas for work rather than attempt to escape criminal prosecution in Minnesota.
The federal charges are the latest development in a saga that has become a bitter showdown between a red and blue state.
Under Texas law, defendants arrested on out-of-state warrants must be released after 90 days if the state has not completed the extradition process.
Abbott also pointed to the Minnesota fraud case in his reasoning. “I don’t trust [Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN)] on anything, let alone something like this,” he said as the litigation was ongoing.
Meanwhile, Minnesota officials argued that Castro should face justice for his crimes.
ICE officer extradition fight sparks rare constitutional test
“In Minnesota, we believe in equal justice under the law. That means nobody is above the law, including agents of the federal government,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, a Democrat, said.
Ellison sued Abbott to force an extradition, arguing that the governor’s failure to sign the document was preventing Minnesota from prosecuting Castro. But a federal judge ruled that Minnesota’s lawsuit was premature, allowing Castro to walk free on Aug. 27.