
September 18th, 2026
An immigration officer said he is not guilty on Friday.
He faces federal charges.
He lied to the FBI, they say.
He said he was attacked.
Then he shot and hurt a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis.
The officer is Christian Castro.
He works for ICE.
He went before a U.S. magistrate judge.
Prosecutors charged him this month.
They say he made false statements six times.
The charges are about a shooting on Jan. 14.
The man who was shot is Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis.
Castro said very little at the hearing.
ICE suspended him without pay earlier this year.
The federal hearing was one day after Castro went to state court.
He faces assault charges there.
He was released from custody.
His defense attorney is Daniel Gerdts.
Gerdts declined to comment.
This came after months of legal fights.
Castro is 52.
He is from Texas.
People fought about sending him from Texas.
He returned on his own.
He was freed from a Texas jail last month.
In both cases, prosecutors say Castro shot Sosa-Celis in the leg.
Sosa-Celis is 24 years old.
Castro fired through the front door of a Minneapolis home, they say.
They say he later lied to investigators.
He told them he was attacked with a broom handle and a snow shovel.
Then he fired his gun, he said.
Minnesota prosecutors charged him in May.
But they could not get him from Texas.
He had been arrested there.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is a Trump ally.
He refused to sign the extradition warrant.
Castro later turned himself in to federal authorities.
Officials warned he might flee across the U.S.-Mexico border.
This is the first Justice Department case against a federal officer.
The case is about this year's Operation Metro Surge.
Minnesota authorities have fought the Trump administration.
They disagree about who should handle charges against Castro.
The Department of Homeland Security called Minnesota's case against Castro "unlawful and nothing more than a political stunt."
DHS says only federal authorities have jurisdiction.
September 18th, 2026

Trump builds border wall in Texas
Trump builds border wall in Texas

Juror in Clancy trial had no "any doubts" she killed her kids
Juror in Clancy trial had no "any doubts" she killed her kids

Early voting starts in US midterm elections. Control of Congress could change.
Early voting starts in US midterm elections. Control of Congress could change.

LA news helicopter crashed where ‘eye-in-the-sky’ reporting began
LA news helicopter crashed where ‘eye-in-the-sky’ reporting began

Black people found hanged in the US South remind us of lynching history
Black people found hanged in the US South remind us of lynching history

Bail set for ICE officer in Minneapolis shooting
Bail set for ICE officer in Minneapolis shooting

Court looks at Missouri map backed by Trump
Court looks at Missouri map backed by Trump

Texas landowners ask court to stop Trump's Big Bend wall
Texas landowners ask court to stop Trump's Big Bend wall

Man says he did not kill a Mississippi woman
Man says he did not kill a Mississippi woman