Updated on: September 4, 2026 / 4:31 PM EDT
/ CBS/AP
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An ICE officer pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges alleging he lied to investigators about the circumstances that led to a north Minneapolis shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant in January.Christian Castro, who works for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, entered the plea during a brief hearing in federal court in McAllen, Texas, after turning himself in to authorities Thursday evening. He was shackled at his wrists, waist and feet during the hearing. The judge ordered him released on a $75,000 unsecured bond with a GPS ankle monitor.Castro was released from custody last week after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott didn't sign an extradition warrant sought by Minnesota prosecutors before a 90-day holding period expired.He was charged by the Department of Justice with six counts of making false statements to investigators and was taken into custody in Texas late Thursday. Castro, 52, of Texas, faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each count if convicted.It's the first Justice Department prosecution of a federal officer for actions taken during this year's Operation Metro Surge, which brought thousands of agents to the Twin Cities and led to sweeping protests, arrests and the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal officers. The allegations in the federal indictment mirror those brought by Minnesota officials, who have separately charged Castro with assault and false reporting of a crime.The shooting at the center of the case occurred during the Trump administration's federal immigration surge in Minnesota, just a week after agents killed Renee Good.Court documents allege that on Jan. 14, Castro and his partner, working as ICE deportation officers, tried to stop a vehicle driven by a then-26-year-old Venezuelan citizen, then pursued him on foot and tackled him in the front yard of a north Minneapolis duplex. Julio Sosa-Celis, then 24, who lived in the duplex, came out to help during the roughly 11-second struggle.
