ICE Agent Pleads Not Guilty to Charges of Allegedly Lying to FBI About Shooting in Minneapolis
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
ST. PAUL, Minnesota (AP) – An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent pleaded not guilty on Friday to federal charges accusing him of lying to the FBI by claiming he was attacked before shooting and injuring a Venezuelan citizen during an immigration operation in Minneapolis earlier this year. ICE agent Christian Castro appeared before a federal magistrate judge after federal prosecutors charged him this month with six counts of making false statements related to the shooting on January 14, in which Julio César Sosa-Celis was injured. Castro, dressed in a black suit and wearing an electronic monitor on his ankle, spoke very little during the hearing. Earlier this year, he was suspended without pay by ICE. Castro's federal hearing took place a day after he appeared in state court on assault charges and was released on supervision. His defense attorney, Daniel Gerdts, declined to comment on the case after leaving the courtroom. The legal proceedings come after months of legal disputes over whether Castro, 52, would be extradited from Texas, his state of residence, to face charges in Minnesota. He ultimately returned on his own after being released from a Texas jail last month. The case quickly gained national political relevance. Minnesota has frequently been criticized by President Donald Trump, who regularly questions Democratic Governor Tim Walz, a former vice-presidential candidate, as well as Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who was born in Somalia. Meanwhile, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, an ally of Trump, has occasionally linked his refusal to sign Castro's extradition order to ongoing investigations into alleged massive fraud in Minnesota's government social services programs. Trump has used those investigations to justify increased immigration law enforcement measures in that state. This story was translated from English with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool. An editor from Telemundo 40 reviewed the translation. Note: A formal charge represents allegations of criminal conduct and does not constitute evidence of guilt. Every person accused is presumed innocent unless proven guilty through due process.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
