DOJ blocked serious ICE shooting charge over federal prosecutor’s ‘strongest possible’ objections

Federal prosecutors in Minnesota were preparing civil rights charges against ICE agent Christian Castro for shooting Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis through a closed door during a January immigration raid in Minneapolis, according to internal emails reviewed by ProPublica. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Evans wrote that Main Justice and the U.S. Attorney overruled him despite his strongest possible objections, and that Castro would instead face only a false statements charge, likely filed under seal.

DHS had originally claimed Castro fired in self-defense after being ambushed with a shovel or broomstick, and charged the shooting victims with assault. Those charges were dropped a month later when video contradicted the agents' sworn testimony, which the then-acting ICE director himself called apparently false.

Castro also faces Minnesota state felony charges, but spent 90 days in jail only because Texas Gov. Greg Abbott refused to extradite him; he was released last week. Hennepin County's top prosecutor says she now worries he'll flee the country, and separately compared the DOJ's move to its earlier refusal to fully investigate a fatal ICE shooting of another Minneapolis resident, Renee Good.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.