ICE Agent Arrested for Shooting Venezuelan Man Through a Front Door — Then Lying About It

On May 29, 2026, ICE agent Christian Castro, 52, was arrested in Texas on charges stemming from the shooting of a Venezuelan man during a Minneapolis immigration raid in January. He is the second federal officer charged in connection with Operation Metro Surge — an unprecedented step that reflects how far out of control Trump's immigration crackdown became.

What happened on January 14

During Operation Metro Surge — described as the largest DHS operation in U.S. history — ICE agents approached a home in north Minneapolis. Prosecutors allege that Castro discharged his weapon through the front door of the home knowing there were people who had just run inside.

The bullet:

• Traveled through the front door
• Struck Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg
• Continued through multiple interior walls
• Lodged in the wall of a child's bedroom

Four adults and two children were inside the home at the time.

After the shooting, ICE agents surrounded the home and deployed tear gas. Paramedics were not allowed access to Sosa-Celis for nearly an hour after he was shot. Agents then entered the residence and took four adults into custody.

The lie

Federal authorities initially claimed that Sosa-Celis and another man had assaulted the ICE officer with a snow shovel and broom. Based on this account, the Justice Department charged Sosa-Celis — the man who had just been shot through a door — with assault on a federal officer.

Then the video emerged.

Footage obtained by prosecutors and later released by the city of Minneapolis showed no evidence of a shovel attack at the time Castro fired his weapon. The agents' account was fabricated. DHS later acknowledged that officers involved "had provided false information about the shooting."

Prosecutors dropped all charges against Sosa-Celis and his housemate Alfredo Aljorna. The victim became a defendant, and then the defendant was proven to have been a victim all along.

The charges against Castro

• Four counts of second-degree assault
• One count of falsely reporting a crime

Minnesota investigators tracked Castro to Texas, where he was arrested with assistance from the Texas Rangers and the DHS Inspector General's office. Even DHS's own inspector general helped arrest the agent.

ICE's response

Through a spokesperson, ICE called Castro's arrest "unlawful" and "a political stunt," arguing the agent's actions should be handled at the federal level, not by state prosecutors.

An ICE agent shot a man through a closed door in front of children, lied about it, had the victim charged with a crime, and was caught on video. And ICE's official position is that arresting him is a political stunt.

Outgoing ICE director Todd Lyons indicated a federal investigation was also under way, acknowledging: "Lying under oath is a serious federal offense."

Minnesota's response

Attorney General Keith Ellison:

"In Minnesota, we believe in equal justice under the law. That means nobody is above the law, including agents of the federal government. Christian Castro's alleged shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis appears unwarranted, as evidenced by the lies Castro told his ICE supervisors to justify his unlawful actions."

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty is pursuing investigations into additional incidents linked to Operation Metro Surge.

Operation Metro Surge: the toll

Castro is the second federal officer charged in connection with Operation Metro Surge. The operation — launched in December 2025 with hundreds of federal agents deployed across Minneapolis-St. Paul — produced a cascade of violence against the people it was supposedly protecting:

• January 7: Renee Good, 33, a mother of three and a U.S. citizen, fatally shot by an ICE agent. Bystander footage contradicted the official account.
• January 14: Julio Sosa-Celis shot through a closed door while two children were inside. Agents lied about the circumstances and charged the victim.
• January 24: Alex Pretti, 37, an ICU nurse and a U.S. citizen, fatally shot by Border Patrol agents. Body camera footage showed he was already disarmed and subdued when agents fired at least 10 shots in five seconds.

Two American citizens killed. One Venezuelan man shot through a door. Lies filed in every case. Video contradicting the official account in every case. And the federal government's position is that holding anyone accountable is a political stunt.