ICE agent Christian Castro makes first appearance in Hennepin County District Court

Christian Castro, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, made his first appearance in Hennepin County District Court Thursday.

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Mr. Castro is charged in state court with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime.

On January 14, Mr. Castro fired his weapon through a front door and into a home with multiple people inside. The bullet struck Julio Sosa-Celis in the leg and lodged in the wall of a child’s bedroom.

During his first appearance, Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (HCAO) prosecutors argued for $500,000 unconditional bail and $350,000 conditional bail. The court set bail at $400,000 and $200,000, respectively.

The terms of bail are:

No contact with witnesses
No possession of weapons
Surrender of passport and electronic monitoring
Supervised release
Pre-signed waiver of extradition

“The process of holding Mr. Castro accountable for firing his weapon through a front door, striking Julio Sosa-Celis, endangering the lives of others, and falsely reporting a crime has begun,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. “Every defendant, including Mr. Castro, is entitled to a fair trial and he will receive one. My thoughts today are with the victims whose lives were upended because of this incident.”

Both Mr. Sosa-Celis and Mr. Aljorna were charged with federal crimes based on Mr. Castro’s false reports. Those charges were later dismissed when video was produced that definitively countered Mr. Castro’s claims.

Mr. Castro’s next state court appearance is currently scheduled for November 3 at 1:30 p.m.

Case Number: 27-CR-26-12537

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