A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, Christian Castro, accused of wounding a Venezuelan man, is at the centre of an interstate extradition dispute between Texas and Minnesota. Mr Castro could be released from a Texas jail as soon as today if a federal judge does not intervene.
Mr Castro is charged in Minnesota with assault and falsely reporting a crime in connection with the January incident, where Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, 24, was wounded in the leg. Minnesota authorities have been seeking his extradition since his arrest, but he remains in custody in Brownsville, Texas.
Under Texas law, Mr Castro must be released after 90 days of detention, which falls on Thursday. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has refused to extradite Mr Castro to Minnesota, citing ongoing investigations of fraud in government social service programs in Minnesota.
Last week, Minnesota's Attorney General, Keith Ellison, sued Governor Abbott, arguing that Texas's actions are unlawful and seeking to prevent Mr Castro's release until his extradition. At a federal hearing on Tuesday, US district judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr said he was inclined not to prevent the sheriff from releasing Mr Castro, but would provide an order responding to the temporary restraining order today.