Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

ICE Agent Arrested After Minneapolis DA Files Charges in Migrant Shooting Case
Legal Insurrection ^ | 29 May, 2026 | Elizabeth Stauffer

Posted on 05/30/2026 10:58:36 AM PDT by MtnClimber

Moriarty’s prosecutorial approach reflects uneven standards shaped by political alignment. Her charging decisions appear to be influenced more by ideology than by the consistent application of the law.

Earlier this month, Soros-backed Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty held a press conference to announce that her office had issued a nationwide warrant for the arrest of Christian Castro, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. Moriarty’s office had charged Castro with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime in connection with the January 14 shooting of Venezuelan national Julio Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis.

The non-fatal shooting came just one week after the death of activist Renee Good, when tensions surrounding Operation Metro Surge were already running high.

In its coverage of Moriarty’s comments, The Wall Street Journal reported:

DHS initially said Sosa-Celis had been the aggressor in the altercation. Video footage detailed in court documents and released to the public last month by the city of Minneapolis undermines the initial narrative.

In a statement released the day after the shooting, the agency said Sosa-Celis was the driver of a vehicle pulled over by ICE as part of a targeted immigration-enforcement operation. The driver fled from officers, crashed into a parked car and then ran on foot, according to the Jan. 15 statement. Two other individuals joined the driver and began hitting an immigration official with a snow shovel and broom handle before fleeing into the home, the agency said in January.

“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life,” DHS initially said.

A month later, cracks in the case had already become apparent. Two immigration officials involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave after video evidence showed their sworn testimony was “untruthful.” Sosa-Celis had been charged with assault after the shooting, but the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office dropped the charges, saying “Newly discovered evidence in this matter is materially inconsistent with the allegations,” according to court documents.

After a 911 call related to the car chase, Minneapolis police took remote control of a city-owned camera at the scene and turned it toward the individuals, capturing key footage of the altercation, according to court documents.

At no point was the agent struck, according to Moriarty. “He was not hit by a shovel or a broom,” she said. “In fact, he was not hit at all.”

Moriarty also claimed that Sosa-Celis was lawfully present in the U.S., a characterization that is disputed by DHS, which has identified him as an illegal alien.

Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin reported on the incident at the time:

BREAKING: DHS releases the names & backgrounds of the three illegal aliens they say attacked an ICE agent in Minneapolis last night, leading to a shooting. All are Venezuelan illegal aliens who were caught & released at the border by the Biden administration.

Per DHS:

Julio… pic.twitter.com/nmWNmIWFZi

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 15, 2026

On Friday morning, Moriarty’s office issued a news release to announce that Castro had been apprehended in Texas. Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigators “located Mr. Castro and traveled to Texas this week” to make the arrest.

Mr. Castro was charged earlier this month with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime for an incident on Jan. 14, 2026, when he discharged his weapon through the front door of a home knowing there were people who had just run inside.

The bullet traveled through the door and struck one victim in the leg, before making its final impact in the wall of a child’s room.

Moriarty also announced the news on X, directing followers to what she described as “a helpful guide to understanding the process of charging an agent.” Perhaps it’s my own bias showing, but she certainly seemed enthusiastic about the prospect of arresting a federal officer.

[Note: Interestingly, by the time I finished writing this story, Moriarty’s post was no longer available on X. Whether it was deleted or simply made private is unclear.]

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison weighed in on the case. “I am pleased to hear Christian Castro has been taken into custody and will stand trial for the crimes he allegedly committed in Minnesota,” he said in a statement. “Justice demands no less. Christian Castro’s alleged shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis appears unwarranted, as evidenced by the lies Castro told his ICE supervisors to justify his unlawful actions.”

“In Minnesota, we believe in equal justice under the law,” Ellison said. “That means nobody is above the law, including agents of the federal government.”

Ironically, if the current federal fraud investigation in Minnesota uncovers what many suspect it will, Ellison may soon be hearing that state attorneys general are not above the law either, but I digress.

Finally, a word about the uber progressive prosecutor herself is in order. Moriarty was elected in 2022 and announced in August 2025 that she would not seek reelection. Her tenure has been marked by recurring controversy, with critics contending that her prosecutorial approach reflects uneven standards shaped by political alignment. Her charging decisions appear to be influenced more by ideology than by the consistent application of the law.

She has developed a reputation for being soft on crime — that is for those with the right political affiliations. For example, she came under heavy fire last year for refusing to file criminal charges against a defendant, a Democratic Minnesota state employee, who was caught on camera causing more than $20,000 in damages to Teslas.

Meet Minnesota State employee Dylan Bryan Adams. He was reportedly arrested for allegedly causing over $20,000 in damages to Teslas in Minneapolis after he vandalized them.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office has decided NOT to file criminal charges.

.@AGPamBondi pic.twitter.com/fKwFhJdAlw

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 22, 2025

An X user emphasizes Moriarty’s prosecutorial bias in the post below:

Photo 1: A Hennepin county attorney that released a Somalian rapist with no jail time that ended up raping again.

Photo 2: A Hennepin county attorney that wants to put ICE Agents in jail. pic.twitter.com/VGWNrDPnga

— C3 (@C_3C_3) April 16, 2026

This case is sure to spark a major legal showdown between the federal government and Minnesota state officials. Whether Castro’s actions ultimately warrant criminal punishment is a question for the courts. What is already clear, however, is that this case has become about far more than a single shooting in Minneapolis. It has evolved into a broader clash over immigration enforcement, prosecutorial discretion, and the relationship between federal and state authorities. The outcome could have implications far beyond Minnesota, shaping how future confrontations between federal immigration officers and local prosecutors are handled across the country.


TOPICS: Society
KEYWORDS: antiice; democrats; domesticenemies; ice; lawfare; leftism; minnesota

Click here: to donate by Credit Card

Or here: to donate by PayPal

Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794

Thank you very much and God bless you.


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-30 last
To: MtnClimber
Federal officers cannot be prosecuted in state court for actions taken within the course and scope of their official duty since 1890. In re Neagle, 135 U.S. 1. Here is the Wikipedia entry:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_re_Neagle

All this is political posturing.

21 posted on 05/30/2026 1:38:22 PM PDT by Thud
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MtnClimber

Moriarty looks like Keir Starmer’s sister. Or brother, possibly.


22 posted on 05/30/2026 2:39:37 PM PDT by Charles Martel (Progressives are the crab grass in the lawn of life.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MtnClimber

He was a federal officer performing within the scope of his job. The local yokel jurisdictional rules apply. As such, white gal Alvin Bragg has no jurisdiction to prosecute him. The Feds have sole jurisdiction.


23 posted on 05/30/2026 3:36:39 PM PDT by chuckee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Repeal The 17th
Any relation to Professor James Moriarty?

That was my first thought as well. 😝

24 posted on 05/30/2026 3:38:53 PM PDT by Mark17 (Retired USAF air traffic controller. 🎤 Father of USAF pilot. ✈️ Aviation is in our DNA)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: MtnClimber
article: "before making its final impact in the wall of a child’s room."

However they would have been OK if the bullet had killed a baby in the womb.

25 posted on 05/30/2026 4:13:05 PM PDT by Governor Dinwiddie ( O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is gracious, and his mercy endures forever. — Psalm 106)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MtnClimber

Seems to me she should be arrested for obstruction.
Feds ought to converge on wherever Castro is being held and if necessary
forcibly release him.
In other words - declare war on Minnesota


26 posted on 05/30/2026 4:24:54 PM PDT by Palio di Siena (Kralik…..you get the wallet)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: frank ballenger
"...Changing “his” to “her”....

In Enola Holmes 2 (cute movie about Sherlock Holmes' younger sister), Moriarity turns out to be a woman.

27 posted on 05/30/2026 5:33:08 PM PDT by LegendHasIt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: LegendHasIt

We can run from trans but we can’t hide.


28 posted on 05/30/2026 6:58:20 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: Palio di Siena

RE: In other words - declare war on Minnesota

Save some ammo for CA, though.


29 posted on 05/30/2026 6:59:42 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: T.B. Yoits
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty looks like she's going for the Dave Foley look ('Kids In The Hall', 'NewsRadio')




30 posted on 05/30/2026 7:50:03 PM PDT by T.B. Yoits
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-30 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson