- Federal prosecutors have charged an ICE officer with lying to investigators in the shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant.
- A separate investigation into whether Castro should face a more serious civil rights charge in the shooting is ongoing.
- As news broke of Castro's latest indictment, a federal prosecutor working on the case was fired, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Evans had told lawyers for Sosa-Celis that DOJ officials have blocked efforts to bring the more serious civil rights charge against Castro.
- Castro was released from jail in Texas from Minnesota prosecutors seeking his transfer, where he faces charges of assault and false reporting of a crime related to the same shooting.
- Andrew Mahaleris, Abbott’s press secretary, told NBC News that state law enforcement stands ready and willing to assist federal partners in facilitating Mr. Castro’s arrest if needed.
Federal prosecutors have charged ICE officer Christian Castro with making false statements to the FBI regarding the January 14 shooting of Venezuelan immigrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis. The indictment follows a week after Castro's release from jail in Texas, where he faced separate charges of assault and false reporting related to the same incident.56
Initially, federal authorities accused Sosa-Celis and another man of assaulting an immigration officer, but video evidence later contradicted these claims, leading to the withdrawal of charges against the men. A source indicated that a separate investigation is ongoing to determine if Castro should face more serious civil rights charges.2
As the indictment news broke, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Evans, who was involved in the case, was reportedly fired. Evans had informed Sosa-Celis's lawyers that the DOJ had blocked efforts to pursue the more serious charges against Castro. Andrew Mahaleris, press secretary for Texas Governor Greg Abbott, stated that state law enforcement is prepared to assist federal partners in Castro's arrest if necessary.3478
The case has drawn significant attention, highlighting issues of accountability within immigration enforcement and the complexities of federal and state legal interactions.
“The charges come a week after Castro was released from jail in Texas, where he faces assault and false reporting charges from Minnesota prosecutors. Separately, a federal prosecutor on the case was fired, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Evans said DOJ officials blocked efforts to bring a more serious civil rights charge.”
