US Judge Denies Minnesota's Extradition Request for ICE Agent

A United States judge has denied a request from Minnesota to compel the extradition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Christian Castro, who faces criminal charges for shooting a man during an immigration raid and for allegedly lying about the incident. The ruling was issued on Wednesday and pertains to Castro, who has been detained in a county jail in Texas since May. Minnesota is seeking his extradition due to charges of assault and falsely reporting a crime in Hennepin County, which includes Minneapolis. Under Texas law, an individual subject to an extradition order cannot be held for more than 90 days without being transferred or released, with Castro's deadline set to expire on Thursday. Minnesota's lawsuit claims that Texas Governor Greg Abbott has refused to authorize the extradition for political reasons. However, Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr stated that he could not intervene as Abbott has not yet acted on the extradition request. Rodriguez noted, "The record reflects only that Governor Abbott has neither agreed nor refused to sign the rendition warrant as to Castro." Castro is charged in connection with the non-fatal shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis during an immigration raid on January 14, which was part of a mass deportation effort under President Donald Trump. The operation, named Operation Metro Surge, lasted less than three months and was met with protests and allegations of civil liberty violations. Prosecutors allege that Castro shot Sosa-Celis through the front door of a Minneapolis home and subsequently made false accusations against him. Following the emergence of video evidence disproving the allegations, charges against Sosa-Celis were dropped. Todd Lyons, the then-acting director of ICE, confirmed in February that the agents involved appeared to have made "untruthful statements". Castro and another agent were placed on administrative leave. Minnesota officials have expressed concern that Castro may flee to Mexico if released, citing phone calls he made from jail discussing plans to marry a woman in Mexico and buy a house there. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has filed a request for a temporary restraining order to prevent Castro's release and compel Governor Abbott to sign the extradition warrant, framing Abbott's inaction as support for Trump's deportation campaign and a violation of federal law.