A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, Christian Castro, has been indicted on six federal counts for allegedly lying about a non‑fatal shooting of a Venezuelan migrant in Minnesota on 14 January. The indictment, filed by federal prosecutors, accuses Castro of firing through a closed front door, striking the victim in the leg and leaving the bullet embedded in a child’s bedroom wall.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Castro claimed he fired in self‑defence after being attacked by three Venezuelan illegal migrants wielding a shovel and a broom handle. Minnesota investigators, however, allege that the shooting occurred while the door was shut and that the agent’s statement was false.
Castro, who was not yet in custody at the time of the indictment, had previously been placed on administrative leave in February after federal prosecutors said two ICE agents might have made “untruthful statements” about the incident. He was later arrested in Texas in May and detained for three months before being released last week.
In Minnesota, the case against Castro is continuing independently of the federal charges. Keith Ellison, the state’s top prosecutor, welcomed the federal indictment but stated that it “does not reflect the full seriousness of the violent crimes” he is charged with in Minnesota.
The incident is part of a broader crackdown known as Operation Metro Surge, which has seen federal immigration officers deployed across the Midwest. The operation has sparked protests and has previously resulted in the deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of agents during confrontations.
Castro’s indictment adds to a rare instance in which a federal agent is formally accused of breaking the law while on duty. The case will proceed in Minnesota courts regardless of the federal prosecution.
