Second ICE Agent Charged in Operation Metro Surge as Hennepin County Accountability Effort Expands and County Attorney Race Heats Up
Contributing writer Clint Combs reports on criminal charges against a second ICE agent for Operation Metro Surge misconduct, the expansion of Hennepin County's Transparency and Accountability Project to 30 cases and the growing debate among county attorney candidates over whether to extend the program.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced criminal charges Monday against a second Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent for misconduct during Operation Metro Surge.
Prosecutors charged Christian Castro, 52, with four counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime, after he claimed he was struck by a shovel before shooting Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis.
The charges come as the county’s accountability effort continues to expand. In March, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office launched an online evidence submission portal called the Transparency and Accountability Project (TAP), beginning with 17 investigations. That number has grown to 30 cases. Officials warn, however, that the future of those cases remains uncertain as the office and the Attorney General review the workload with help from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
“This work will not be done by the end of my term,” Moriarty said, adding that the agreement with the Attorney General’s office can be revoked at any time. “That speaks to the critical nature of who the next county attorney will be.”
With Moriarty’s term ending, the TAP program has become a flashpoint in the Hennepin County Attorney’s race. The Spokesman-Recorder asked five candidates whether they support extending the program. Only three responded: Abigail Krenz, Joe Folk, and Cedrick Frazier.
Krenz took issue with Moriarty raising the question at a press conference, calling it inappropriate campaigning. She said she cannot take a position on existing charges without reviewing the evidence and stopped short of committing to the AG partnership.
“I won’t make a blanket promise to work with the Attorney General because I don’t know their agreement,” Krenz said. “I just need to know more.”
Folk and Frazier both said they support extending TAP. Folk pointed to his federal court experience as a key qualification.
“Because I believe these cases will likely be removed to federal court, based on my decades-long experience litigating in federal court, there is no one in this election more qualified than I am to ensure justice and accountability,” Folk said.
Moriarty confirmed the defense is expected to seek removal to federal court, but said a conviction there would still stand, and would be beyond the reach of a presidential pardon.
Rep. Frazier has made prosecuting federal immigration agents a centerpiece of his campaign.
“From the moment Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Good, I have been clear — every federal agent who violated Minnesota law during Operation Metro Surge must be prosecuted,” Frazier said.
Frazier also criticized Folk over his time at Jones Day, a firm that advised Trump’s 2016 campaign, and for receiving financial support from the lawyer representing the ICE agent who killed Renee Good. Folk joined the firm in 2022, two years after it distanced itself from Trump’s election litigation.
Meanwhile, attorney Chris Madel, who suspended a gubernatorial campaign in protest of Trump’s immigration crackdown, drew scrutiny after his firm offered legal services to the ICE agent who killed Good. Attorney Matt Pelikan resigned from the firm over that decision and later launched his own county attorney campaign.
Legal experts say Moriarty’s charges could become a landmark test of whether state courts can hold federal agents accountable.
“Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty provides a model for what other local prosecutors should be doing around the country to protect their people,” said Craig Futterman, Director of the Civil Rights and Police Accountability Project at the University of Chicago.
Others say significant obstacles remain.
“While this may begin a process of limited accountability, the federal agents who killed Alex Pretti and Renee Good are still employed,” said Jessica Pishko, author of The Highest Law in the Land. “This alone is a sign that DHS needs to be abolished.”
Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem defended Castro, claiming he was attacked by three individuals with snow shovels and broom handles. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons placed Castro and another agent on administrative leave after video evidence showed they had made untruthful statements.
Clint Combs welcomes reader responses at combs0284@gmail.com.