ICE agent charged with lying about shooting Venezuelan man during crackdown - BBC News BBC Homepage Skip to content Accessibility Help Your account Home News Sport Earth Reel Worklife Travel Culture Future Music TV Weather Sounds More menu More menu Search BBC Home News Sport Earth Reel Worklife Travel Culture Future Music TV Weather Sounds Close menu BBC News Menu Home Climate World UK Business Tech Science Entertainment & Arts Health In Pictures More BBC Verify Newsbeat World Africa Asia Australia Europe Latin America Middle East US & Canada ICE agent charged with lying about shooting Venezuelan man during crackdown Image source, Gety Images By Nardine Saad Published 3 September 2026 Updated 2 hours ago A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent has been charged with lying about the non-fatal shooting of a Venezuelan migrant in the state of Minnesota. Christian Castro, who is not yet in custody, faces a six-count federal indictment relating to shooting on 14 January, according to the BBC's US media partner CBS. The Department of Homeland Security initially said he fired in self-defence after being attacked by three Venezuelan illegal migrants with a shovel and broom handle. Minnesota investigators allege Castro fired through a closed door, shooting the man in the leg. It is rare for the current justice department to accuse a federal agent of breaking the law on the job. What is ICE and what powers do its agents have to use force? Published 4 February In Minnesota, Castro faces separate charges of assault and false reporting of a crime related to the shooting. Castro was one of thousands of federal immigration officers deployed to the Midwestern state during Operation Metro Surge, which sparked fierce protests and resulted in the deaths of two US citizens at the hands of agents during confrontations. Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who was shot in the leg and survived, were originally charged with forcibly assaulting, resisting or im