ICE agent appears in Minnesota court to face charges in the shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant

ICE agent Christian Castro gets in a vehicle surrounded by journalists after leaving the Cameron County Detention Center in Brownsville, Texas. Michael Gonzalez/AP hide caption

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Michael Gonzalez/AP

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Christian Castro made his first appearance in state court in Minneapolis today in connection with the shooting of a Venezuelan man last January during a surge that brought thousands of federal agents to the Twin Cities area.

Castro, handcuffed and in an orange jumpsuit, said very little during the hearing. He did, however, sign a pre-waiver of extradition, agreeing to immediately return to Minnesota if he violates his conditions of release.

"The state of Minnesota certainly has an interest in not being back in the frustrating situation we were in last month," Senior Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Joshua Larson said in court Thursday.

Castro had traveled to Minnesota from Texas, where authorities released him from jail in August. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension arrested Castro, 52, Wednesday afternoon in Minneapolis, ending a months-long standoff between the two states. Minnesota authorities charged him with several counts of assault and falsely reporting a crime in connection with the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan immigrant.

In court, one of Castro's lawyers, Daniel Gerdts, said that Castro had planned to self-surrender to Minnesota state authorities at the lawyer's downtown Minneapolis office, but was arrested before he could do so.

"You do not get to dictate how you are taken into custody," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said at a press conference following the court appearance.

On Jan. 14, Castro allegedly shot through the front door of a house Sosa-Celis had entered while fleeing. The bullet passed through Sosa-Celis' leg and lodged into the wall of a child's bedroom, state authorities say.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the Justice Department initially charged Sosa-Celis and another man with assault, but later dropped the charges after acknowledging that the officers involved, including Castro, had made untruthful statements about the incident.

Castro then became the center of a months-long extradition fight between Minnesota and Texas. Minnesota authorities issued a nationwide warrant for his arrest, not knowing where he was in the country.

In May, Castro was found in Texas. Texas Rangers, along with DHS agents, arrested him. Castro remained in a Texas jail for three months as Gov. Greg Abbott delayed signing an extradition warrant. Last month, Minnesota officials sued Texas over the extradition, alleging that Texas' refusal to send Castro to Minnesota at Gov. Tim Walz's request was illegal. A federal judge declined to intervene. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced at a press conference following Thursday's court appearance that it had dismissed the lawsuit.

Federal prosecutors have also charged Castro for lying to investigators about the shooting, though they did not bring any civil rights charges against Castro for the shooting itself.

Castro is expected to appear in federal court Friday. He remains in a Minnesota county jail. One of Castro's attorneys, Rolando Cantu, says Castro plans to plead not guilty to the federal and state charges.

"We just wanted to stress, you know, we're anxious. We're ready to fight this case in court, so we're looking forward to it," Cantu told NPR.