In Minneapolis, the machinery of federal prosecution has turned on one of its own operators: Matthew Evans, a federal prosecutor who investigated an ICE officer for shooting a Venezuelan immigrant, was fired after objecting to what he saw as a deliberate softening of charges. His dismissal — arriving in the wake of his objections becoming public — raises enduring questions about whether justice can be pursued independently when it moves against the instruments of state power. The case beneath it all, involving a man shot in front of his family and official accounts that shifted under scrutiny,
Federal prosecutor fired after investigating ICE officer for civil rights violations
Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis was shot in the leg by ICE officer Castro during a January enforcement operation in Minneapolis; he was later charged alongside another man.
I objected in the strongest possible terms. It wasn't enough.
Mark
Why would a prosecutor be fired right after his objections to a charging decision became public? That seems like retaliation.
Mimi
It does look that way, but we have to be careful. Evans is under investigation for allegedly leaking information. The Justice Department will say the investigation is separate from his firing.
Luke
Right—and we don't know the timeline. When did the leak investigation start? Was it before or after ProPublica's story? CBS News reports he's under investigation, but doesn't say when that began.
Mark
So the firing could be legitimate, or it could be cover for something else.
Mimi
Exactly. What we know for certain is that Evans objected to the charging decision, ProPublica published his email, and then he was fired. The rest is interpretation.
Luke
And the email itself—CBS News hasn't seen it. They're relying on ProPublica's reporting. That's fine for a news story, but it means we're one step removed from the original document.
Mark
What about the underlying case? Does the shifting story about what happened matter?
Mimi
It matters enormously. The government's account changed. Video contradicted the timeline. Officers made false statements under oath. That's why Evans was investigating Castro for civil rights violations in the first place.
Luke
But Castro was only charged with false statements, not the civil rights crime. So even if Evans had won that fight, would Castro have faced a conviction on the harder charge? We don't know.
Mark
And now Evans is gone.
Mimi
And now Evans is gone.
O Pulso
- A federal prosecutor who fought to bring civil rights charges against an ICE officer was terminated days after his objections to lesser charges became public knowledge.
- The shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis — a Venezuelan immigrant struck by a bullet in front of his family during a January enforcement operation — has been surrounded by official accounts that changed as video evidence and FBI filings contradicted them.
- The Justice Department charged ICE officer Christian Castro only with making false statements, a charge carrying lighter penalties than civil rights violations, with Evans claiming the directive came from Main Justice over his explicit protest.
- Evans now faces a department investigation into alleged leaks, a development critics see as retaliation dressed in procedural clothing.
- Castro, arrested in Texas and shielded from extradition by Governor Abbott, was taken into federal custody Thursday and faces a six-count indictment — but the question of who polices the enforcers remains loudly unanswered.
In Minneapolis, the machinery of federal prosecution has turned on one of its own operators: Matthew Evans, a federal prosecutor who investigated an ICE officer for shooting a Venezuelan immigrant, was fired after objecting to what he saw as a deliberate softening of charges. His dismissal — arriving in the wake of his objections becoming public — raises enduring questions about whether justice can be pursued independently when it moves against the instruments of state power. The case beneath it all, involving a man shot in front of his family and official accounts that shifted under scrutiny, reminds us how fragile the distance between law and force can be.
Matthew Evans, a federal prosecutor in Minnesota, has been fired following his investigation of ICE officer Christian Castro, who shot Venezuelan immigrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg during a January enforcement operation in Minneapolis. Four sources confirmed the termination to CBS News.
The Justice Department charged Castro this week with making false statements — a charge carrying lighter penalties than a civil rights violation. According to ProPublica, Evans had warned attorneys for Sosa-Celis and other victims to expect the lesser charge, and in an email explained that the decision came from Main Justice and the U.S. Attorney's office. "I objected in the strongest possible terms and fought it as hard as I could," he wrote. "It wasn't enough." Three sources told CBS News that Evans is now himself under investigation, with two citing allegations of leaking — a development that raises pointed questions about whether his firing was punitive.
The underlying incident has been clouded by contradictory official accounts. Homeland Security initially said Sosa-Celis fled a traffic stop and attacked the agent, prompting a defensive shot. An FBI affidavit later described a different sequence: it was another man, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, who fled, while Sosa-Celis struck the agent with a broomstick during a struggle to arrest Aljorna. Cellphone video reviewed by The New York Times showed the altercation lasted far less than the three minutes described in the affidavit. A woman's 911 call captured her reporting that her husband had been chased by ICE agents to their home, where he was shot in front of his family.
Charges against Sosa-Celis and Aljorna were later dropped after the Justice Department said newly discovered evidence contradicted the allegations. ICE's then-director acknowledged that two officers had given untruthful sworn testimony. Castro, meanwhile, was arrested in Texas on state assault charges, but Governor Abbott refused extradition to Minnesota — a legal standoff that ended with Castro's release from a Texas jail last week. A six-count federal indictment was returned Wednesday; Castro was taken into federal custody Thursday and was scheduled for an initial court appearance Friday.
Matthew Evans, a federal prosecutor in Minnesota, has been fired after investigating an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer for possible civil rights crimes. Four sources familiar with the matter confirmed the termination to CBS News.
Evans was examining ICE officer Christian Castro's role in the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan immigrant, during an enforcement operation in January. This week, the Justice Department charged Castro with making false statements about the incident, though the indictment remains sealed. The charge carries lighter penalties than a civil rights violation would have.
ProPublica reported earlier this week that Evans had told attorneys representing Sosa-Celis and other victims to expect the lesser charge. In an email ProPublica obtained, Evans wrote that the decision came from Main Justice and the U.S. Attorney's office. "I objected in the strongest possible terms and fought it as hard as I could," the email stated. "It wasn't enough." CBS News has not independently obtained the email.
Three sources told CBS News that Evans is now under investigation by the Justice Department itself. Two of those sources said the investigation centers on allegations that Evans leaked information. The circumstances surrounding his firing—coming days after his objections to the charging decision became public—raise questions about prosecutorial independence and pressure from higher levels of the department.
The underlying case has been marked by shifting accounts of what happened. In January, during the Trump administration's immigration enforcement push in the Minneapolis area, Castro shot Sosa-Celis in the leg. Initially, the Department of Homeland Security said Sosa-Celis fled a traffic stop and attacked the agent with others, prompting a defensive shot. But an FBI affidavit in the criminal case against Sosa-Celis and another man, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, told a different story: Aljorna was the one who fled, and Sosa-Celis struck the agent with a broomstick while the agent was trying to arrest Aljorna. The affidavit described a three-minute struggle.
Cellphone video reviewed by The New York Times showed the altercation lasted far less than three minutes. Video also captured a woman calling 911 to report that her husband was chased by ICE agents before reaching his home, where he was shot in front of his family. A month after Sosa-Celis and Aljorna were charged, the Justice Department moved to dismiss the charges, saying newly discovered evidence was materially inconsistent with the allegations. Todd Lyons, who led ICE at the time, acknowledged that two ICE officers had made untruthful statements in sworn testimony and said they would face administrative leave and possible prosecution.
Castro was charged on state charges of assault and falsely reporting a crime and arrested in Texas. Governor Greg Abbott refused to extradite him to Minnesota, leading to a legal battle that ended with Castro's release from a Texas jail last week. The six-count federal indictment against him was returned Wednesday. He was taken into custody in Texas on Thursday and scheduled for an initial court appearance Friday.
Citações Notáveis
This is being directed by the Main Justice and the US Attorney. I objected in the strongest possible terms and fought it as hard as I could. It wasn't enough.— Matthew Evans, in an email reported by ProPublica
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