ICE agent in shooting case may go free as extradition request denied by judge
Minnesota authorities had argued in court that Castro, jailed in the Gulf Coast border city of Brownsville, Texas, since May 29, was a flight risk if he were released.
A federal judge on Wednesday ruled against Minnesota's request to extradite a Texas immigration agent currently in custody for shooting a Venezuelan man during a deportation operation. The ruling means that Christian Castro, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, will be released from detention on Thursday, as his 90-day extradition limit is set to end.
Minnesota authorities argued that Castro, jailed in Brownsville, Texas since May 29, posed a flight risk, but the judge disagreed. The charges against Castro stem from an incident in Minneapolis in January, where he shot and wounded an unarmed man, Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, then falsely reported the incident. The case has become a point of contention between Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, both Republicans, over immigration policies.
Abbott questioned Castro's classification as a fugitive, suggesting he was reassigned by the federal government, while Minnesota countered that US law requires extradition of fugitives. US District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. sided with Texas, stating that Governor Abbott's decision to extradite Castro was not yet made, and that the law does not mandate immediate extradition.
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