Texas – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott criticized Minnesota officials after a federal judge rejected the state’s effort to force the extradition of an ICE agent facing criminal charges over a January shooting in Minneapolis.
“You guys are such bad lawyers. You showed up unprepared, uninformed & unpersuasive. You don’t know the law & it showed,” Abbott wrote on Aug. 27 in a social media post directed at Minnesota officials.
Abbott also accused Minnesota of being a “sanctuary state” because of what he described as the state’s refusal to assist with immigration enforcement.
“Minn. is the literal definition of a sanctuary state because you refuse to assist in enforcing immigration laws,” Abbott wrote.
He then referenced his administration’s previous migrant bus program, saying he would put Minneapolis “at the top of the list for future bus drop offs” if the country again had a president like Joe Biden.
The comments came after a federal judge in Texas declined Minnesota’s request to compel Abbott to extradite Christian Castro, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer charged in Minnesota in connection with a January shooting, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Castro was arrested by Texas Rangers in Cameron County on May 29 after Minnesota authorities issued a warrant. He had been held in a Texas jail while Minnesota sought to have him returned to the state to face charges.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison had sued Abbott on Aug. 18, arguing that the governor had a constitutional and legal duty to sign the extradition paperwork and return Castro to Minnesota.
Ellison also sought to prevent Castro from being released while the legal dispute over extradition continued. Minnesota officials had expressed concern that Castro could flee, including potentially leaving the country, if he was released from custody.
The federal judge, however, ruled that Abbott had not formally denied the extradition request and that Minnesota’s case was not yet ready for the court to decide. The judge also found that federal extradition law did not establish a deadline requiring the Texas governor to complete his review within a specific period.
The court acknowledged Minnesota’s concerns about Castro potentially fleeing but determined that the possibility was not enough to justify keeping him jailed beyond the applicable detention period, per reports.
Castro was subsequently released from the Carrizalez-Rucker Cameron Detention Center in Brownsville early Thursday, according to multiple reports. He had reached the 90-day limit for detention while awaiting extradition under Texas law.
Castro faces four counts of second-degree assault and a charge of falsely reporting a crime in Minnesota. The charges stem from a Jan. 14 shooting in Minneapolis during Operation Metro Surge, when Castro allegedly fired through a closed door and struck Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan man, in the leg. Prosecutors have disputed Castro’s account of the incident and allege that he falsely reported what happened.
Ellison sharply criticized the federal court’s decision and said he would continue pursuing the case against both Castro and Abbott.
“Regardless of today’s ruling, I will keep fighting so that Agent Castro will face justice in Minnesota,” Ellison said in a statement, according to reports. He has accused Abbott of effectively turning Texas into a sanctuary state for violent criminals by refusing to complete the extradition process.
Abbott’s office has defended the governor’s handling of the case, arguing that Texas must conduct a proper review before deciding whether a person qualifies for extradition. His administration has said Abbott is waiting for the results of an investigation ordered through the Texas secretary of state’s office.
The legal dispute has created an unusual clash between two states over the extradition of a federal immigration officer. Minnesota officials have argued that the Constitution requires Texas to return a person wanted on valid criminal charges, while Abbott’s administration has maintained that the governor has authority to determine whether the extradition requirements have been met.
With Castro now released, the dispute over whether he will ultimately be returned to Minnesota remains unresolved. Ellison has indicated that Minnesota will continue its legal efforts to have Castro face the charges in the state.
