ICE agent charged with lying about shooting Venezuelan man during crackdown

What the report says

An ICE agent in Minnesota has been charged in federal court over allegations that he lied about a January shooting involving a Venezuelan migrant, according to BBC World News. The officer, Christian Castro, is facing a six-count indictment tied to a 14 January incident in which a man was shot in the leg during an immigration enforcement operation.

BBC’s report says federal prosecutors and Minnesota investigators contend Castro fired through a closed door, rather than acting in self-defence as the Department of Homeland Security first said. Authorities initially described the incident as a response to an attack by three Venezuelan migrants, but surveillance footage later raised questions and led to further investigation. The man who was shot survived. Separate state charges of assault and false reporting were also mentioned in the report.

The case is linked to Operation Metro Surge, a large federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota that drew protests and scrutiny. BBC noted that two migrants were originally charged in the case, but those charges were later dismissed after what prosecutors called newly discovered evidence. The report also said ICE placed two agents on leave in February after saying they may have made untruthful statements.

Castro was arrested in Texas in May, held for three months, and then released last week after Texas Governor Greg Abbott declined Minnesota’s extradition request, citing doubts about whether he qualified as a fugitive. The case matters because it places a federal immigration officer under criminal scrutiny, which BBC said is uncommon.