Minnesota official sues Texas governor to force ICE agent’s extradition | Migration News
Minnesota Attorney General Sues Texas Governor Over ICE Agent’s Extradition
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has initiated a lawsuit against Texas Governor Greg Abbott, seeking the extradition of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent charged in connection with a nonfatal shooting. The legal action, filed on Tuesday, pertains to the January 14 incident involving ICE agent Christian Castro, who is accused of shooting and wounding a man during a controversial immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis.
In the lawsuit, Ellison claims that Abbott has failed to meet his “mandatory” obligation to transfer Castro to Minnesota, where he faces trial. “Governor Abbott has withheld the warrant and held up Castro’s extradition for nearly three months,” Ellison stated during a press conference. “He has no discretion to decline to do so.”
The attorney general is also asking a U.S. district court in southern Texas to prevent Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Trevino from releasing Castro from custody. Castro’s case has added fuel to the national debate surrounding the actions of law enforcement during former President Donald Trump’s administration’s immigration policies, which critics argue involved excessive violence.
Reports indicate that Castro shot Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan man residing in Minnesota, by firing a weapon into Sosa-Celis’s front door and hitting him in the leg. Initially, Trump administration officials defended the shooting, asserting that ICE agents acted in self-defense during an operation against what they described as an attack involving a broom and a snow shovel.
However, subsequent video evidence contradicted this narrative, leading federal prosecutors to drop charges against Sosa-Celis and his housemate in February. At that time, Todd Lyons, then-Acting Director of ICE, acknowledged that Castro and another agent appeared to have provided false testimony regarding the incident, resulting in administrative leave for both officers.
In May, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office formally charged Castro with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty emphasized that Castro, despite being a federal agent, was not immune to state charges stemming from his alleged conduct.
Castro was arrested in Texas on May 29 and has remained detained since that time. Ellison expressed worry that Texas authorities might move to release Castro rather than allow him to face the legal process in Minnesota. He categorized Castro as a flight risk, suggesting he might attempt to escape to Mexico due to his connections there.
Abbott’s office has refrained from commenting on the ongoing extradition proceedings. Under Texas law, Ellison indicated that Castro could be released from custody as early as next week if Abbott does not facilitate his extradition.
The shooting of Sosa-Celis has become emblematic of broader concerns regarding the use of force during immigration enforcement operations, particularly in the Minneapolis area, which was a focal point for Trump’s intensified immigration efforts. This operation, referred to as Operation Metro Surge, faced scrutiny for its aggressive tactics, including warrantless searches. The operation also resulted in the deaths of two U.S. citizens, further heightening the controversy surrounding immigration enforcement strategies.
