ICE agent appears in Minnesota court to face charges in the shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant

ICE agent Christian Castro gets in a vehicle surrounded by journalists after leaving the Cameron County Detention Center in Brownsville, Texas. Michael Gonzalez/AP hide caption

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Christian Castro made his first appearance in state court in Minneapolis today in connection with the shooting of a Venezuelan man last January during a surge that brought thousands of federal agents to the Twin Cities area.

Castro, handcuffed and in an orange jumpsuit, said very little during the hearing. He did, however, sign a pre-waiver of extradition, agreeing to immediately return to Minnesota if he violates his conditions of release.

"The state of Minnesota certainly has an interest in not being back in the frustrating situation we were in last month," Senior Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Joshua Larson said in court Thursday.

Castro had traveled to Minnesota from Texas, where authorities released him from jail in August. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension arrested Castro , 52, Wednesday afternoon in Minneapolis, ending a months-long standoff between the two states. Minnesota authorities charged him with several counts of assault and falsely reporting a crime in connection with the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan immigrant.

In court, one of Castro's lawyers, Daniel Gerdts, said that Castro had planned to self-surrender to Minnesota state authorities at the lawyer's downtown Minneapolis office, but was arrested before he could do so.

"You do not get to dictate how you are taken into custody," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said at a press conference following the court appearance.

On Jan. 14, Castro allegedly shot through the front door of a house Sosa-Celis had entered while fleeing. The bullet passed through Sosa-Celis' leg and lodged into the wall of a child's bedroom, state authorities say.