Judge Rejects Minnesota Bid to Force ICE Agent Extradition

A federal judge has rejected Minnesota’s attempt to force Texas Governor Greg Abbott to immediately extradite a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer accused of shooting a Venezuelan man during a major deportation operation in Minneapolis.

The Wednesday ruling could allow ICE officer Christian Castro to leave custody in Brownsville, Texas, on Thursday, when the state’s 90-day detention limit for individuals awaiting extradition expires. Castro has been jailed since May 29 after Texas Rangers arrested him on a Minnesota warrant.

Minnesota prosecutors argued that releasing Castro could create a flight risk. He faces four counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one charge of falsely reporting a crime.

The charges relate to the January 14 shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national, during Operation Metro Surge, an immigration enforcement campaign carried out amid President Donald Trump’s deportation push in Minneapolis.

Prosecutors allege Castro shot Sosa-Celis in the leg despite the man being unarmed and later provided a false account to justify his use of lethal force. Castro could not immediately be reached for comment, and it remains unclear whether he has legal representation.

Operation Metro Surge triggered weeks of protests and clashes involving demonstrators and federal immigration officers. Two U.S. citizens were fatally shot by immigration officers during the unrest.

The Castro case has also intensified political tensions between Abbott, a Republican who supports Trump’s immigration crackdown, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and other Democratic state leaders who have criticized the deployment of armed ICE officers.

Abbott has questioned whether Castro legally qualifies as a fugitive because he did not flee Minnesota but was reassigned to Texas by the Department of Homeland Security following the shooting.

U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. ruled that Minnesota had not demonstrated that Abbott had refused its extradition request, noting instead that the Texas governor had not yet reached a decision. The judge found that federal law does not impose a specific deadline for a governor to approve extradition.

Rodriguez acknowledged Castro could potentially leave the United States after his release, complicating Minnesota’s prosecution, but said that risk did not change the legal outcome.