“I've said all along that Christian Castro would face justice in Minnesota. And now that he's finally turned himself in in Texas, he soon will.
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Texas Lets an ICE Agent Charged With Four Felonies in Minnesota Walk Out of Jail Rather Than Extradite Him — and Minnesota’s Attorney General Says Greg Abbott Has Turned Texas Into "a Sanctuary State for Accused Felons"
August 29, 2026
On Jan. 14, 2026, during Operation Metro Surge, ICE agent Christian Castro fired his gun through the closed front door of a north Minneapolis duplex and hit Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan immigrant, in the leg. Castro told investigators the men inside had assaulted him with a broom and a snow shovel; surveillance footage contradicted that account, and the assault charges filed against the two men were dropped. A Hennepin County judge found probable cause that Castro committed four counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime. He was arrested by the Texas Rangers on May 29 and held in the Carrizalez-Rucker jail in Cameron County. A governor's warrant for Castro's extradition sat on Gov. Greg Abbott's desk from June 3 forward, unsigned. Abbott said he had "serious doubts" Castro qualified as a fugitive under the Extradition Clause. Attorney General Keith Ellison sued Abbott on Aug. 18 to compel him to sign it. On Aug. 26 U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. ruled the suit was not ripe and declined to intervene; Abbott answered Ellison on social media that "you guys are such bad lawyers." Texas law bars holding an extradition subject more than 90 days, and at 7 a.m. on Aug. 27 the Cameron County sheriff released Castro. DHS said he had been suspended without pay pending a federal investigation. The standoff is the first time in this administration that two states have gone to federal court against each other over whether one must hand over a federal immigration officer to face state criminal charges — a fight over the Constitution's Extradition Clause with an accused shooter now at liberty and Minnesota's case stalled.
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10 Statements
“State law enforcement stands ready and willing to assist federal partners in facilitating Mr. Castro's arrest if needed.
“Despite Gov. Abbott's best efforts to shield Mr. Castro, we will see him soon.
“Federal law, the laws of every state, and the U.S. Constitution require states to extradite fugitives, period. This is not politics — this is not a game. There are traumatized victims in Minnesota awaiting accountability and justice. But Greg Abbott is playing the political game of turning Texas into a sanctuary state for accused felons and violent criminals. This hurts the victims of crime and hurts the residents of Texas.
“I'm very disturbed to learn of Christian Castro's release from a Texas jail today. He is charged with four serious felonies in Minnesota for his actions during Operation Metro Surge and is a fugitive from justice by every definition. Minnesota quickly and properly submitted an extradition request that Governor Abbott ignored, then offered bogus excuses for not signing that have no basis in law or Supreme Court precedent.
“Christian Castro is a fugitive from justice who still must answer for his crimes in Minnesota. He should turn himself today in to face them. In the meantime, we will continue our lawsuit to force Abbott to do his legal and constitutional duty. I will never stop pursuing Castro wherever he may be to make him face justice in Minnesota.
“You guys are such bad lawyers. You showed up unprepared, uninformed & unpersuasive. You don't know the law & it showed.
“The Constitution requires deliberate consideration of extradition requests and tasks Governor Abbott to 'decide, upon such evidence as he may deem satisfactory' whether 'the person demanded is a fugitive'.
“Now, Governor Abbott is trying to shield Castro from being held accountable for these serious charges by refusing to extradite him to Minnesota. Abbott's refusal to extradite Castro is unconstitutional and violates federal law and Texas law. I will not stand for that, so I'm taking Abbott to court. Christian Castro will stand trial in Minnesota.
“This is not about politics. It is about the law. This is not a legally discretionary task. Governor Abbott is required by law to sign the Governor's Warrant that has been with his office since June 3. I'm hopeful that the litigation the Attorney General has filed today will move us toward the correct outcome, which is Mr. Castro appearing in a Hennepin County courtroom to be held accountable for his actions.