Minnesota's attorney general has initiated legal action against the governor of Texas to force the extradition of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. The agent is charged in connection with a shooting in Minneapolis and allegedly lying to justify it.
Keith Ellison, Minnesota's attorney general, is asking a federal judge to prevent the sheriff in Cameron county, Texas, from releasing ICE agent Christian Castro. Ellison also seeks an order for Texas Governor Greg Abbott to sign Castro's extradition warrant, allowing Minnesota officers to take custody.
Christian Castro, 52, was arrested in Texas in May, 11 days after Minnesota prosecutors charged him with four counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime. These charges relate to the 14 January shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan immigrant. Prosecutors allege Castro fired a gun through a Minneapolis home's front door, striking Sosa-Celis in the leg, and then falsely accused Sosa-Celis and another man of attacking an ICE officer.
Attorney General Ellison stated at a news conference on Tuesday that if Castro is not extradited, he could be released from jail next week under Texas law, 90 days after his detention, and could pose a flight risk. Ellison said the lawsuit indicates Castro has been making calls from jail to a woman in Mexico, discussing marriage and buying a house there upon his release.
A spokesperson for Governor Abbott's office declined to comment on "pending extradition matters."