ICE Agent Charged with Lying About Minneapolis Shooting

Castro surrendered to federal authorities on Thursday. A federal grand jury in Minnesota indicted Castro on Wednesday.

Prosecutors had initially planned to charge Castro with deprivation of rights under color of law, a charge similar to those leveled against officers in George Floyd's killing, but were reportedly blocked by Department of Justice leaders in Washington, D.C. Instead, Castro is charged with "False Statements," which carries a less severe punishment if convicted. Castro, 52, allegedly shot Sosa-Celis in the leg during Operation Metro Surge, an immigration initiative.

This incident was one of three shootings by immigration agents in Minneapolis, two of which were fatal. Federal prosecutors in Minnesota had objected in the strongest possible terms to the decision to pursue only the false statements charge. Castro had previously been charged by Hennepin County officials with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime, but was released from detention in Texas.