In a significant development, Texas Rangers and federal agents apprehended a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer on Friday in South Texas. The officer, Christian Castro, is accused of providing false information regarding an incident in which he shot a Venezuelan immigrant in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Last week, Minnesota prosecutors formally charged the 52-year-old Castro with five offenses, including second-degree assault and making a false police report related to the shooting of a man during an immigration operation. The Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed that Rangers played a role in Castro’s arrest in Cameron County, located along the Texas-Mexico border. Records indicate that Castro resides in McAllen, in the adjacent Hidalgo County.
Mary Moriarty, the Hennepin County attorney, emphasized the importance of the arrest, stating, “Today’s arrest is a critical step forward in our prosecution of Mr. Castro.”
The felony charges stem from an incident on January 14, during which ICE and Border Patrol agents were actively pursuing undocumented immigrants as part of the Trump administration’s intensified immigration enforcement efforts. If convicted, Castro faces a prison sentence ranging from three to seven years and fines between $4,200 and $14,000, according to the charging documents.
On that night, a Venezuelan man named Alfredo Aljorna led Castro and three other ICE agents on a chase that concluded at his residence. Aljorna later informed state investigators that his decision to flee was driven by the agents pursuing him in an unmarked vehicle, leaving him uncertain about their identity. After arriving home, Aljorna and three other adults, including children, were present when Castro discharged his firearm at the front door, injuring Aljorna’s roommate, Julio C. Sosa-Celis, in the leg.
Following the shooting, Castro claimed to federal investigators that he was attacked by Aljorna and Sosa-Celis with a shovel and broom in an attempt to evade arrest. Based on Castro’s assertions, federal prosecutors initially charged both men—who are in the country legally—with assaulting a law enforcement officer. However, those charges were later dismissed after prosecutors reviewed video evidence that contradicted Castro’s account.
Surveillance footage from local police revealed that neither Aljorna nor Sosa-Celis had assaulted Castro or any other agents, according to court records. In February, ICE placed Castro on administrative leave, with interim director Todd Lyons announcing that Castro was under investigation for allegedly lying under oath, a serious federal offense.
Following the charges filed by state prosecutors, ICE issued a statement characterizing the prosecution in Minnesota as “unlawful and nothing more than a political stunt.”
