Judge blocks Texas extradition of ICE officer charged in Minnesota shooting

A federal judge in Texas has refused to order the state to extradite an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer facing charges in Minnesota for assault and falsely reporting a crime. The decision potentially paves the way for the officer's release from custody in Texas, where he has been held since his arrest.

Christian Castro is accused of shooting 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg on January 14 in Minneapolis. Minnesota authorities have sought his extradition since his arrest, but he remains detained in Brownsville, Texas, a city on the Mexican border. Under Texas law, Castro must be released after 90 days of detention, a deadline that falls on Thursday.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison's office had filed a request for a temporary restraining order, urging a federal judge to prevent Castro's release and compel Texas Governor Greg Abbott to sign his extradition warrant. Minnesota officials expressed concerns that Castro might flee the country, citing phone calls he made from jail to a woman in Mexico. In these calls, he reportedly discussed marrying her and purchasing a house there upon his release.

Prosecutors allege that Castro fired a gun through the front door of a Minneapolis home, hitting Sosa-Celis. They also claim Castro falsely reported that Sosa-Celis and another individual attacked an ICE officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel. During a federal hearing in Brownsville, Minnesota attorneys argued that compelling Castro to face charges in their state would be difficult if he were released. Texas Governor Greg Abbott had previously stated he would not respond to the extradition request, referencing an ongoing investigation into fraud in Minnesota's government social service programs, which President Donald Trump had cited as justification for his immigration crackdown.

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about marrying her and buying a house in Mexico when he is released