ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — An immigration officer who is accused of shooting a Venezuelan man during the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis early this year, and then lying to investigators about what happened, is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court on Friday.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Christian Castro faces a federal count of making false statements about the January shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis. Castro's federal hearing comes a day after he appeared in state court on assault charges and was released from custody.
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The court proceedings are getting underway after months of legal and political battles over whether Castro, 52, would be extradited from Texas to face state charges. Castro’s attorney, Daniel Gerdts, declined to comment after Thursday’s hearing.
In both the federal and state cases against Castro, prosecutors say he shot 24-year-old Sosa-Celis in the leg while firing through the front door of a Minneapolis home. They say Castro later falsely reported that he had been attacked with a broom handle and a snow shovel before firing his gun.
Minnesota prosecutors charged him in May but were thwarted in their efforts to bring him from his home state of Texas, where he had been arrested.
In the end, Castro came to Minnesota on his own to face federal charges in an indictment announced early this month.
Friday's hearing, in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, involves the separate federal case in which he is charged with making false statements to investigators regarding the shooting. Castro’s defense attorneys in that case have said he plans to plead not guilty.
It’s the first Justice Department prosecution of a federal officer for actions taken during this year’s massive Operation Metro Surge, which brought thousands of agents to the Twin Cities and led to sweeping protests, arrests and the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal officers.
Minnesota authorities have battled President Donald Trump's administration over who should handle any charges against Castro. The Department of Homeland Security has called Minnesota’s prosecution of Castro “unlawful and nothing more than a political stunt,” saying only federal authorities have jurisdiction.
Authorities, including Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, arrested Castro in Cameron County, Texas, on May 29, after a Minnesota judge issued a nationwide warrant. Under Texas law, Castro could be detained for 90 days, during which Minnesota sought his extradition. But Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott last month refused to sign an extradition warrant.
Castro was then released in Texas and soon after was indicted on the federal charges. He then turned himself in to federal authorities and returned to Minnesota on his own.
