Brownsville, Texas — An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer charged in Minnesota with shooting a man and falsely reporting the incident was released from a Texas jail Thursday after a federal judge declined to force his extradition.
Christian Castro faces Minnesota charges stemming from a Jan. 14 incident in Minneapolis. Prosecutors allege Castro fired through the front door of a home and shot 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg. They also accuse Castro of falsely claiming Sosa-Celis and another man attacked an ICE officer with a broom handle and snow shovel.
Castro was arrested May 29 in Cameron County on a nationwide Minnesota warrant. Texas law generally limits detention on an out-of-state warrant to 90 days without completed extradition, making Thursday his release deadline.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sought a temporary restraining order blocking Castro’s release or requiring his return to Minnesota. U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. ruled Wednesday that the dispute was not yet ripe because Gov. Greg Abbott had neither approved nor formally denied Minnesota’s extradition request.
Texas officials say Abbott is reviewing whether Castro legally qualifies as a fugitive. Minnesota officials have warned Castro could leave for Mexico, citing jail calls in which he discussed marrying a woman there and purchasing a home.
Ellison said Minnesota will continue pursuing the case.
Sources
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