ST. PAUL, Minn. — Christian Castro, an immigration officer accused of shooting a Venezuelan man during this year’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis and then misleading investigators, is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court on Friday.
Castro faces a federal charge of making false statements about the January shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis.
His federal court appearance comes one day after he faced assault charges in state court and was released from custody.
The proceedings follow months of legal and political disputes over whether Castro, 52, would be extradited from Texas to face charges in Minnesota. His attorney, Daniel Gerdts, declined to comment after Thursday’s hearing.
Christian Castro’s arrest happened months after Minnesota charged him
Prosecutors in both the federal and state cases allege that Castro shot 24-year-old Sosa-Celis in the leg while firing through the front door of a Minneapolis home.
They also allege that Castro falsely told investigators he had been attacked with a broom handle and a snow shovel before firing his weapon.
Minnesota prosecutors charged Castro in May, but their attempts to bring him back from Texas, where he had been arrested, were unsuccessful.
Castro ultimately traveled to Minnesota on his own to face federal charges included in an indictment announced earlier this month.
Friday’s proceeding in U.S. District Court in St. Paul concerns a separate federal case alleging that Castro made false statements to investigators about the shooting. His defense attorneys have said he plans to plead not guilty.
The case marks the Justice Department’s first prosecution of a federal officer for conduct connected to this year’s massive Operation Metro Surge. The operation brought thousands of agents to the Twin Cities and sparked widespread protests, arrests and the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal officers.
The Trump administration says only federal authorities have jurisdiction
Minnesota authorities and President Donald Trump’s administration have clashed over which government should handle the allegations against Castro. The Department of Homeland Security has called Minnesota’s prosecution “unlawful and nothing more than a political stunt,” maintaining that only federal authorities have jurisdiction.
Authorities, including Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, arrested Castro in Cameron County, Texas, on May 29 after a Minnesota judge issued a nationwide warrant.
Texas law allowed Castro to be held for 90 days while Minnesota pursued his extradition. But Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott refused last month to sign an extradition warrant.
Castro was subsequently released in Texas. He was indicted on the federal charges soon afterward, then surrendered to federal authorities and returned to Minnesota voluntarily.
