Federal False-Statement Indictment Marks First-On-Duty Charge Against ICE Officer in Immigration Enforcement
Goldlaner.com – The Department of Justice has indicted an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on multiple counts of making false statements, a move that represents the first time the federal government has pursued criminal charges against an agent for conduct carried out while on duty during the wave of high-profile immigration operations sweeping the country. The accused, ICE officer Christian Castro, surrendered to authorities on Thursday and was scheduled to make his initial court appearance the following Friday.
The indictment, which had not yet been made publicly available at the time of reporting, carries several counts tied to statements Castro made under oath about the circumstances surrounding his shooting of 24-year-old Venezuelan immigrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis earlier in the year. While the federal case focuses on the deception, the Justice Department has separately indicated it is still weighing whether to file civil rights charges connected to the shooting itself.
What Happened at the Apartment Door
State prosecutors in Minnesota, who charged Castro in May with second-degree assault and making a false report, laid out a sequence of events that places the shooting squarely inside a private residence. Officers attempted to pull over a truck registered to an undocumented immigrant named Joffre Barrera. Behind the wheel sat Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, a DoorDash delivery driver and cousin of Sosa-Celis, who drove away from the agents. Aljorna then ran from the vehicle and was tackled by an ICE officer a short distance from Sosa-Celis’ apartment building.
Sosa-Celis, hearing the commotion, called for his cousin to come inside. Once both men were behind the apartment door, a single shot rang out. Sosa-Celis described the moment in a Facebook livestream recorded from a hospital bed:
“I closed the door and as I was locking it, I heard the shot, and that’s when I realized I had been shot in the leg.”
Minnesota authorities allege the bullet struck Sosa-Celis in the back of the leg, passing through the closed door of his apartment. The state case remains pending alongside the new federal indictment.
Charges Dropped After Footage Contradicted Agent’s Account
In the weeks following the shooting, federal prosecutors had charged Sosa-Celis and a second man with attacking an ICE officer using a snow shovel and a broom stick. Those charges were subsequently withdrawn once investigators examined surveillance video and other evidence from the scene that conflicted with the narrative Castro had provided. Shortly afterward, Castro and a second agent involved in the incident were placed on administrative leave.
Federal prosecutors informed the judge overseeing the now-dismissed case that the agents had made “false statements” under oath. Former ICE Director Todd Lyons later confirmed publicly that the Justice Department was investigating what he described as “untruthful statements” by the officers.
Extradition Standoff and Texas Detention
Castro’s path to Minnesota court was complicated by a jurisdictional dispute. He was held in a Texas jail until the state governor declined to grant immediate extradition to Minnesota, where the state charges awaited. A federal judge declined to intervene in the extradition fight, leaving the matter to state-level channels. Castro was released from the Texas facility the week before his voluntary surrender to federal authorities.
Civil Rights Question and Internal Friction
The most consequential unresolved question is whether the Justice Department will pursue a federal civil rights prosecution for the shooting itself. A federal prosecutor assigned to the matter told lawyers representing Sosa-Celis and other affected parties that department officials had blocked an effort to bring a more serious civil rights charge against Castro. That prosecutor, Matthew Evans, was subsequently fired and placed under investigation for alleged obstruction of a grand jury probe. An automated reply from his departmental email indicated he was “on leave,” and further attempts to reach him went unanswered.
A person familiar with internal deliberations confirmed that no formal decision on civil rights charges had been finalized as of the latest reporting.
Historical Context for Color-of-Law Prosecutions
Federal civil rights cases involving officers acting under color of law are notoriously protracted. The department spent nearly a year assembling its case against Derek Chauvin in connection with the death of George Floyd, and more than two years before charging officers from the Louisiana Metro Police Department linked to the killing of Breonna Taylor. Those timelines underscore why advocates watching the Castro matter are focused on whether the current administration will move decisively or allow the question to languish.
Defense and Victim-Side Response
Attorney Robin M. Wolpert, representing Sosa-Celis, issued a statement addressing the federal indictment directly:
“Mr. Castro has been indicted for making false statements. But he made them to cover up the fact that he shot my client through the door of an occupied house without a self-defense justification.”
“Although the evidence strongly supports civil rights charges, the federal government has grossly undercharged this case. Mr. Sosa Celis wants Mr. Castro to be held fully accountable for his crimes.”
Attempts to reach a representative for Castro for comment were unsuccessful at the time of publication. The Minnesota state charges, the federal false-statement counts, and the pending civil rights question now run in parallel, creating a layered legal landscape in which the same underlying incident generates proceedings at three distinct levels of government.
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