A federal prosecutor in Minnesota has been dismissed from his position following his investigation into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer accused of civil rights violations, according to four sources familiar with the matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Evans had been investigating ICE officer Christian Castro in connection with the shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant earlier this year. The Justice Department proceeded this week with charges against Castro, but limited them to making false statements about the incident rather than the more serious civil rights violations Evans had been pursuing. The indictment remains sealed.
Recent reports indicate that Evans informed attorneys representing the shooting victim, Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, that his superiors had directed him to pursue only the lesser charges. In an email to the attorneys, Evans reportedly wrote that the decision was “being directed by the Main Justice and the US Attorney,” adding that he “objected in the strongest possible terms and fought it as hard as I could. It was not enough.”
Three sources have confirmed to this reporter that Evans is now under investigation by the Justice Department, with two sources indicating the investigation centers on allegations of unauthorized disclosure of information. Evans has not responded to requests for comment.
A federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment against Castro on Wednesday. The ICE officer was taken into custody in Texas on Thursday and was scheduled to make an initial court appearance Friday.
The case stems from a January incident during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations in the Minneapolis area. Sosa-Celis, who officials say is in the United States illegally, was shot in the leg during an encounter with Castro. Federal prosecutors initially charged Sosa-Celis and another man, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, with forcibly assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers.
However, the government’s account of the incident has undergone significant revision. The Department of Homeland Security initially stated that Sosa-Celis fled a traffic stop on foot, and when an ICE agent attempted to arrest him, two other men attacked the agent with a shovel and a broomstick. According to that account, Sosa-Celis then broke free and began attacking the agent, leading the agent to fire what was described as a defensive shot.
Subsequent FBI affidavits painted a different picture. According to those documents, it was Aljorna, not Sosa-Celis, who fled the traffic stop. The affidavit stated that Sosa-Celis struck the ICE agent with a broomstick while the agent was attempting to arrest Aljorna. The agent described the encounter as a three-minute confrontation.
ICE later accused its own agents of providing false accounts of the incident. Cellphone video footage has also emerged that appears to contradict elements of the initial government narrative.
The dismissal of Evans raises questions about the handling of cases involving federal law enforcement officers accused of misconduct. The decision to pursue reduced charges against Castro, despite Evans’s objections, and the subsequent removal of the prosecutor who fought for more serious charges, presents a troubling picture of internal Justice Department dynamics.
As this case proceeds through the courts, it will be watched closely by those concerned with accountability in federal law enforcement and the integrity of the prosecutorial process.
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