A second ICE agent is now under arrest in connection with Operation Metro Surge, escalating a controversy that has already drawn national attention. Texas Rangers arrested ICE Agent Cristian Castro in Harlingen, Texas, on felony charges stemming from a January incident in Minneapolis involving a Venezuelan national during an immigration enforcement operation.
According to prosecutors, the case centers on allegations that federal agents provided false information following a shooting that injured Julio Sosa Celis. Authorities claim video evidence contradicts initial accounts provided by ICE personnel, leading to dismissed charges against the alleged victim and new criminal charges against federal agents involved.
The arrest raises major questions about federal law enforcement accountability, state versus federal jurisdiction, extradition proceedings, and whether the case could ultimately be moved to federal court. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says state law would still govern the prosecution, while DHS is calling the charges politically motivated and arguing the matter belongs in federal hands.
This is also not the first ICE agent facing criminal allegations connected to Operation Metro Surge. Another agent, Gregory Morgan Jr., is already facing felony assault charges in a separate case involving an alleged roadway confrontation.
Those woke Texas Rangers with their politically motivated arrest of an ICE agent