ICE Agent Arrested After Minneapolis DA Files Charges in Migrant Shooting Case
Moriarty’s prosecutorial approach reflects uneven standards shaped by political alignment. Her charging decisions appear to be influenced more by ideology than by the consistent application of the law.
Earlier this month, Soros-backed Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty held a press conference to announce that her office had issued a nationwide warrant for the arrest of Christian Castro, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. Moriarty’s office had charged Castro with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime in connection with the January 14 shooting of Venezuelan national Julio Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis.
The non-fatal shooting came just one week after the death of activist Renee Good, when tensions surrounding Operation Metro Surge were already running high.
In its coverage of Moriarty’s comments, The Wall Street Journal reported:
DHS initially said Sosa-Celis had been the aggressor in the altercation. Video footage detailed in court documents and released to the public last month by the city of Minneapolis undermines the initial narrative.
In a statement released the day after the shooting, the agency said Sosa-Celis was the driver of a vehicle pulled over by ICE as part of a targeted immigration-enforcement operation. The driver fled from officers, crashed into a parked car and then ran on foot, according to the Jan. 15 statement. Two other individuals joined the driver and began hitting an immigration official with a snow shovel and broom handle before fleeing into the home, the agency said in January.
“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life,” DHS initially said.
A month later, cracks in the case had already become apparent. Two immigration officials involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave after video evidence showed their sworn testimony was “untruthful.” Sosa-Celis had been charged with assault after the shooting, but the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office dropped the charges, saying “Newly discovered evidence in this matter is materially inconsistent with the allegations,” according to court documents.
After a 911 call related to the car chase, Minneapolis police took remote control of a city-owned camera at the scene and turned it toward the individuals, capturing key footage of the altercation, according to court documents.
At no point was the agent struck, according to Moriarty. “He was not hit by a shovel or a broom,” she said. “In fact, he was not hit at all.”
Moriarty also claimed that Sosa-Celis was lawfully present in the U.S., a characterization that is disputed by DHS, which has identified him as an illegal alien.
Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin reported on the incident at the time:
BREAKING: DHS releases the names & backgrounds of the three illegal aliens they say attacked an ICE agent in Minneapolis last night, leading to a shooting. All are Venezuelan illegal aliens who were caught & released at the border by the Biden administration.
Per DHS:
Julio… pic.twitter.com/nmWNmIWFZi
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 15, 2026
On Friday morning, Moriarty’s office issued a news release to announce that Castro had been apprehended in Texas. Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigators “located Mr. Castro and traveled to Texas this week” to make the arrest.
Mr. Castro was charged earlier this month with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime for an incident on Jan. 14, 2026, when he discharged his weapon through the front door of a home knowing there were people who had just run inside.
The bullet traveled through the door and struck one victim in the leg, before making its final impact in the wall of a child’s room.
Moriarty also announced the news on X, directing followers to what she described as “a helpful guide to understanding the process of charging an agent.” Perhaps it’s my own bias showing, but she certainly seemed enthusiastic about the prospect of arresting a federal officer.
[Note: Interestingly, by the time I finished writing this story, Moriarty’s post was no longer available on X. Whether it was deleted or simply made private is unclear.]
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison weighed in on the case. “I am pleased to hear Christian Castro has been taken into custody and will stand trial for the crimes he allegedly committed in Minnesota,” he said in a statement. “Justice demands no less. Christian Castro’s alleged shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis appears unwarranted, as evidenced by the lies Castro told his ICE supervisors to justify his unlawful actions.”
“In Minnesota, we believe in equal justice under the law,” Ellison said. “That means nobody is above the law, including agents of the federal government.”
Ironically, if the current federal fraud investigation in Minnesota uncovers what many suspect it will, Ellison may soon be hearing that state attorneys general are not above the law either, but I digress.
Finally, a word about the uber progressive prosecutor herself is in order. Moriarty was elected in 2022 and announced in August 2025 that she would not seek reelection. Her tenure has been marked by recurring controversy, with critics contending that her prosecutorial approach reflects uneven standards shaped by political alignment. Her charging decisions appear to be influenced more by ideology than by the consistent application of the law.
She has developed a reputation for being soft on crime — that is for those with the right political affiliations. For example, she came under heavy fire last year for refusing to file criminal charges against a defendant, a Democratic Minnesota state employee, who was caught on camera causing more than $20,000 in damages to Teslas.
Meet Minnesota State employee Dylan Bryan Adams. He was reportedly arrested for allegedly causing over $20,000 in damages to Teslas in Minneapolis after he vandalized them.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office has decided NOT to file criminal charges.
.@AGPamBondi pic.twitter.com/fKwFhJdAlw
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 22, 2025
An X user emphasizes Moriarty’s prosecutorial bias in the post below:
Photo 1: A Hennepin county attorney that released a Somalian rapist with no jail time that ended up raping again.
Photo 2: A Hennepin county attorney that wants to put ICE Agents in jail. pic.twitter.com/VGWNrDPnga
— C3 (@C_3C_3) April 16, 2026
This case is sure to spark a major legal showdown between the federal government and Minnesota state officials. Whether Castro’s actions ultimately warrant criminal punishment is a question for the courts. What is already clear, however, is that this case has become about far more than a single shooting in Minneapolis. It has evolved into a broader clash over immigration enforcement, prosecutorial discretion, and the relationship between federal and state authorities. The outcome could have implications far beyond Minnesota, shaping how future confrontations between federal immigration officers and local prosecutors are handled across the country.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on LinkedIn.
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Comments
so they are taking prisoners ///hostages of what they consider trumps personal army
Sounds like vindictive prosecution.
Where have I heard that before?
the left WILL prosecute somewhat when its blk on blk crime or latino-latino crime and depending on circumstances mixed cultures dukiong it out
but blk on white etc….not as interested
the lefts agenda is to keep the prisons free from blk criminals latinos and down the pecking order
I would fully agree with the proposition that this particular prosecutor – from the facts put forth in the post – appears to be politically biased in who to and who not to prosecute. She shouldn’t be left in any decision-making job associated with the law. And any biased prosecution of ICE (or other LE) legally doing their job should be defended vigorously by the DOJ and govt.
However……
Even a stopped (analog) clock is correct twice a day.
If there’s actual video (as claimed) showing that an ICE officer knowingly lied under oath – or in a police report – that seems quite a big red flag that he did something wrong – and knows it.
This may be an actual zebra (ie bad cop) and not a horse (bad prosecution).
Perhaps a Zorse.
I am grateful for never having to live among liberal moonbats. Well, there that was that time when I spend 15 years in Rockport, MA with a woman I knew very well. Insane places, like that, really do believe that they are enchanted and that there is something unique about them and trivial homes they worship. But, there is just no comparison between Minnesota and Massachusetts. By the grace of God may I never end up is such an AWFUL place. There is something clearly wrong in Minnesota. Maybe it’s the water, the infrastructure or just too many short, dark days. George Floyd is Satan’s blessing upon Ilhan’s “faith tradition”. I am sure that Scott Johnson can explain it all
You are being too kind to MA.
Maybe they are dirty cops. It is not outside the realm. It would be nice if all dirty cops faced justice, including political dirty cops.
Firing a shot through a closed door is at least evidence this cop is a stupid cop. You simply don’t shoot when you’re not (at least) somewhat certain that you will the hit who you want to hit and no one else. If this is true, this is also not a “self defense” shooting, as the officer was no longer in danger (although had he been assaulted, he may have been, under certain circumstances, within his authority to shoot at fleeing suspects, presuming he could do so without posing a danger to others). Overall, this looks like a bad shoot and the ICE agent is lucky he didn’t kill someone, otherwise he’d be facing a charge of murder.
“Firing a shot through a closed door is at least evidence this cop is a stupid cop.”
As a firearms instructor I endorse this wholeheartedly.
As a MAGA voter, I plead parity with Democrat Rules.
Apparently, he lied about the event, too, which is not taken lightly, and if true, makes him dirty. If only the prosecutor was trustworthy herself.
The (D) prosecutable standard says Cops who kill by unnecessary careless shooting – aka Ruby Ridge – or J7 – don’t get prosecuted – they get promoted – if the civilian is MAGA or other anti-big-gov “deplorable”.
Let’s us not do the same when the endangered (or even killed) civilian is instead some idiot antifa fascist or other useful idiot. If they don’t deserve lethal response, they don’t.
Politics should not be a consideration.
And if we don’t punish bad policing, we have no credibility when we point out the Left making fake claims of bad policing.
Oh, absolutely. The criminals at Ruby Ridge (as well as those at Waco) were wearing badges and the lot of them should have been prosecuted (as was attempted against Lon Horiuchi, with the state charging of Horiuchi successfully upheld, but with the charge ultimately dismissed by a new state prosecutor).
The Horiuchi case has a direct bearing on current events concerning how a State may gain criminal jurisdiction over a federal officer for alleged crimes committed in the course of his duty:
https://famous-trials.com/rubyridge/1142-idahovhoriuchi
So the biggest win here comes from:
1. The DOJ has the case immediately removed to federal court.
2. The DOJ requests the video evidence from the state. This throws the state into the quandary of having to “cooperate” with the feds or not get the outcome they want.
3. The DOJ prosecutes this case FAIRLY, even if it means convicting the cop. Especially if it means convicting the cop. This takes the wind entirely out of the state’s sails.
4. The DOJ gives the cop a reasonable sentence, not a “George Floyd sentence.”
Overall, with the evidence they’ve displayed, this looks like a bad shoot
Minor fix. But you’re right, I think.
Or course. I couldn’t possibly have been commenting on facts not in evidence. But what facts not in evidence could possibly support the agent’s actions? He wasn’t assaulted, his life was no longer in danger even if he had been assaulted, and he recklessly fired through a closed door (fortunately hitting nobody but one of the miscreants, even though his shooting seems to not be upheld by the situation). On top of all this, he lied about his actions and the actions of those he endangered with lethal force. Looks pretty grim and I can’t imagine what evidence may come forth that would make this a good shoot. If he had shot one of the goblins while they were beating him (if they were beating him at all), then he may have been on firm ground, but he’s very obviously not as every element of his story is contraindicated by the existing evidence.
Two things can be true simultaneously and it appears that:
1. The DA is more than a bit ideological in use of prosecutorial discretion, even for a deep blue jurisdiction
2. The ICE agents didn’t tell the truth about the circumstances of the use of deadly force
Absolutely. This is not an either-or situation!
Wait. What? A county attorney can issue a nationwide arrest warrant?
Is that like a Hawaiian judge issuing a nationwide injunction?
They issue an arrest warrant. A state warrant is almost always “nationwide” in the sense that cops will arrest you if you have an outstanding warrant from outside their jurisdiction, Then they will call the authority that issued the warrant to come pick you up. They can also, apparently, get a phone call to come help with the arrest so they can take him into custody immediately.
That isn’t a “Hawaiian judge” situation.
“lies Castro told his ICE supervisors” please take the lib talking point pretend that it is true. One thing we know about Minn. is they can George Floyd you. I sure hope Castro has a good record. This could blow up against the Dems. I sure hope it does. There is enough here to make this BLM 2 just in time for the midterms.
A state official wants to arrest a federal agent for crimes alleged in the course of his federal duties? Hello Supremacy Clause.
She should be in jail, as should Walz. Where is the admin?
When I was growing up Hamilton Burger was the archetypal big-city DA. Now the position seems to be the special province of mental-looking bull dyke lesbians.
Please, Elon. Build me a one-way Time Machine.
What’s going to happen when the Marxists take over a state., or federal government. They will go after their opponents.
Reinforcing the absolute need for preservation of our 2nd amendment rights.
Who’s the guy in the picture? Sorry, couldn’t help myself.
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