A United States judge on Wednesday declined Minnesota’s request to compel Texas to extradite Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Christian Castro, who faces assault and false-reporting charges in Hennepin County after a non-fatal shooting during an immigration raid.
Castro has been held in a Texas county jail since May, and the 90-day deadline under Texas law is set to expire on Thursday. Texas must then either transfer him or release him unless the extradition process advances.
Why the judge declined to intervene
Minnesota argued that Texas Governor Greg Abbott had refused to authorise extradition for political reasons and asked the court to stop Castro’s anticipated release. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison also sought a temporary restraining order and said Abbott was avoiding a legal obligation to return Castro.
Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr ruled that he could not intervene because Abbott had not yet acted. The ruling said the record showed that the governor had neither agreed nor refused to sign the rendition warrant, so no legal violation had yet occurred.
Under Texas law, a person held under an extradition order cannot be detained for more than 90 days without being transferred or released.
What we know now
- Castro is detained in Brownsville, Texas.
- The charges are filed in Hennepin County, which includes Minneapolis.
- The Minnesota case concerns the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg.
- The alleged incident occurred on January 14 during Operation Metro Surge.
What the criminal case alleges
Prosecutors say Castro fired through the front door of a Minneapolis home and struck Sosa-Celis in the leg. Castro and another federal agent later accused Sosa-Celis and another man of attacking federal authorities with a broom handle and snow shovel.
Video later disproved those allegations, and charges against Sosa-Celis were dropped. Todd Lyons, then acting director of ICE, said in February that the agents appeared to have made untruthful statements. Castro and the other agent were placed on administrative leave.
Why Minnesota is seeking continued custody
Minnesota officials have warned that Castro could flee the country if released. In its lawsuit, the state cited calls from the jail in which Castro discussed marrying a woman in Mexico and buying a house there after his release.
The shooting occurred during Operation Metro Surge, a federal immigration enforcement deployment to Minnesota overseen by President Donald Trump. The operation lasted less than three months and prompted protests and allegations of civil-liberty violations from residents and watchdog groups.
What happens next
Castro’s 90-day detention deadline is due to expire on Thursday, when Texas must either transfer him or release him under the rule described in the case.
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