Christian Castro, 52, is charged with assault and falsely reporting a crime. The charges stem from a non-fatal shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa Celis during a large-scale immigration raid called “Operation Metro Surge” in Minnesota. Video footage of the incident, released last month, contradicts the account given by the ICE agents involved.
The arrest was carried out by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General and the Texas Rangers. Hennepin County District Mary Moriarty said: “Today’s arrest is a critical step forward in our prosecution of Castro.”
Castro is the second federal officer charged in connection with the Minnesota raid. ICE Director Todd Lyons previously acknowledged that two agents had lied about the circumstances of the shooting. The prosecution, brought by local prosecutors, is seen as a rare instance of accountability within an agency that has faced scrutiny in recent years over fatal shootings, agents wearing masks, and the use of rubber bullets against protesters.
Source: www.theguardian.com
