Minnesota AG Keith Ellison Sues Greg Abbott to Force Extradition of ICE Agent Charged in Minneapolis Shooting
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has sued Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in federal court, seeking to force the Republican governor to extradite an ICE agent who faces assault charges stemming from a January immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis.
ICE agent Christian Castro, 52, has been held in a Cameron County, Texas, jail since his May 29 arrest on a nationwide warrant. Minnesota prosecutors charged Castro with four counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime.
The charges stem from a Jan. 14 encounter involving Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis during the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge. Prosecutors allege Castro fired through the front door of a Minneapolis residence, striking Sosa-Celis in the leg. The bullet ultimately lodged in the wall of a child’s bedroom.
Minnesota prosecutors also accuse Castro of giving a false account of what happened. They allege he claimed Sosa-Celis and another man attacked an ICE officer with a broom handle and snow shovel, an account authorities say was contradicted by evidence gathered during the investigation. Castro is entitled to the presumption of innocence as the charges remain pending.
Ellison’s lawsuit asks a federal judge to order Abbott to sign Castro’s extradition warrant so Minnesota authorities can take custody of him. The attorney general is also seeking an order preventing Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Trevino from releasing Castro while the extradition fight continues.
The timing has become increasingly important because Texas law generally limits how long someone can be held while waiting for an out-of-state extradition warrant. Minnesota officials say Castro could become eligible for release as early as Aug. 26 if Abbott does not approve the request.
Ellison accused Abbott’s office of engaging in an unusual delay. He said Texas had previously honored extradition warrants requested by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz without this kind of dispute, leading Minnesota officials to conclude that Abbott is effectively refusing to approve Castro’s transfer.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty had already sent Abbott a letter in July urging him to approve the extradition. With Castro still sitting in a Texas jail weeks later, Minnesota officials have now escalated the dispute into a federal court battle.
The case has also become politically charged because Castro is a federal immigration officer who was participating in the Trump administration’s aggressive Minnesota enforcement operation. ICE has previously characterized the prosecution as politically motivated, while Minnesota officials insist Castro must face the same state criminal process as anyone else accused of violating Minnesota law.
Ellison’s lawsuit relies in part on a 1987 Supreme Court decision holding that federal courts can compel governors to comply with valid interstate extradition obligations. Minnesota argues Abbott does not have unlimited discretion to simply leave the request unresolved.
The federal court fight now sets up an unusual showdown between Minnesota’s Democratic leadership and one of the country’s most prominent Republican governors over the prosecution of a federal immigration officer. Unless Abbott approves the extradition or a judge intervenes, Minnesota officials warn Castro could soon be released from Texas custody before ever appearing in a Minnesota courtroom.