Daijiworld Media Network – Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Sep 18: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer Christian Castro, charged in connection with the shooting of a Venezuelan man during an immigration crackdown in Minneapolis earlier this year, made his first appearance before a Minnesota judge on Thursday.
Castro, 52, appeared in a Minneapolis jail courtroom in handcuffs and an orange jumpsuit. Judge Paul Scoggin set bail at $400,000, or $200,000 subject to conditions, including a requirement that Castro sign a waiver agreeing not to contest extradition to Minnesota if he leaves the state while released on bail.
Castro signed the waiver but remained in county jail as of Thursday afternoon.
He was arrested Wednesday in downtown Minneapolis by officers from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension on state charges of assault and false reporting of a crime related to the January shooting of 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis.
Prosecutors allege Castro shot Sosa-Celis in the leg while firing through the front door of a Minneapolis home. They further allege that Castro later falsely told investigators that he had been attacked with a broom handle and a snow shovel before firing his weapon.
Minnesota prosecutors filed charges against Castro in May, but efforts to bring him from Texas were delayed by a dispute over extradition. Castro was arrested in Texas after Minnesota authorities obtained a nationwide warrant, but Texas Governor Greg Abbott later declined to sign an extradition warrant.
Castro was subsequently released in Texas. He later surrendered to federal authorities and returned to Minnesota on his own after being indicted on separate federal charges.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said Castro had fabricated an account to justify firing through the front door of a house where several people were present.
Castro is also due to appear in U.S. District Court in St. Paul on Friday in a separate federal case in which he is accused of making false statements to investigators about the shooting. His attorneys have indicated that he plans to plead not guilty.
The case marks the first Justice Department prosecution of a federal officer over conduct during this year's Operation Metro Surge, which brought thousands of federal immigration agents to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and triggered widespread protests and arrests.
The Trump administration has opposed Minnesota's prosecution, with the Department of Homeland Security arguing that only federal authorities have jurisdiction and describing the state case as unlawful.