In the US, ICE employee pleads not guilty in FBI false statements case — The Hill
In the United States, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) employee Christian Castro pleaded not guilty to federal charges of making false statements to FBI investigators following a January shooting in Minneapolis. As The Hill reports, the 52-year-old Castro appeared before a magistrate judge in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he was charged.
Six counts
In early September, a federal grand jury charged Castro with six counts of making materially false statements to investigators. The case is linked to an incident on January 14 during ICE operations in Minneapolis, when a confrontation occurred between the officer and three men. One of them, a Venezuelan national, was shot in the thigh and hospitalized.
According to the prosecution, Castro falsely described the course of the confrontation to the FBI. The US Department of Homeland Security initially said that the officer, later identified as Castro, fired a “defensive shot” after being attacked with a snow shovel and a broom handle. However, as stated in court documents, the men threw down these items and ran to a neighboring apartment as soon as they saw his gun.
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Defense position and bail conditions
About a month after the incident, the Department of Homeland Security said it was reviewing the officer’s potentially false claims after examining additional video footage. According to the publication, Castro was likely suspended from his job at the agency without pay. He became the first federal immigration officer whom the US Department of Justice has held accountable for actions during Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.
Castro’s attorney, Michael Winn, said his client voluntarily came to Minneapolis to surrender to authorities in the state and federal cases, and that the defense expects to secure his acquittal in court. Castro was released on bail. Under the conditions of his federal case, he must wear a GPS ankle monitor and may not possess firearms.
At the end of May, Castro was detained in Texas, after which a dispute arose between Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz over his transfer to Minnesota to face state-level assault charges. A federal judge declined to intervene, and Castro was released after 90 days. On Wednesday, Minnesota authorities detained him again, and the following day he appeared in state court for the first time.
