Judge blocks Minnesota attempt to extradite ICE agent from Texas
Fox News correspondent Christina Coleman reported from Dallas as a federal judge declined to intervene in Minnesota’s effort to bring ICE officer Christian Castro back from Texas. Castro is facing charges tied to the January shooting of a Venezuelan migrant during Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, while Texas Gov. Greg Abbott reviews whether the officer meets the legal standard to be treated as a fugitive.
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer accused in a Minnesota shooting case earlier this year was released from custody in Texas on Thursday.
The release came after a judge on Wednesday refused to block it or compel Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to return the officer to Minnesota. Officials in Minnesota have sought to keep him detained while they continue pursuing extradition in the Hennepin County case.
Christian Castro “was released at 6:59 a.m.,” Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Trevino told News Outlet in an email Thursday.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in May that Castro had been charged with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Christian Castro enters a vehicle as reporters surround him shortly after his release from the Carrizalez-Rucker Cameron County Detention Center in Brownsville, Texas, on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Gonzalez)
Moriarty alleged that Castro discharged his service weapon toward the front door of a residence even though the people who had run inside posed “absolutely no harm” to him or anyone else. She said the round struck Julio Sosa-Celis in the leg before ending up lodged in the wall of a child’s bedroom.
Castro was taken into custody in Texas, where Minnesota authorities have been working to secure his extradition from the Lone Star State.
Christian Castro was released from Texas custody on Aug. 27, 2026. (Cameron County Sheriff’s Office)
U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez, Jr.’s Wednesday order denying a temporary restraining order declared, “In May, the State of Minnesota charged Castro with various crimes based on that incident. By the time these charges arose, however, Castro was no longer in Minnesota, leading a county judge to issue a nationwide warrant for his arrest. When authorities in the State of Texas arrested Castro in late May, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz initiated the process under the Extradition Act of 1793 and the Uniform Criminal Extradition Act to secure Castro’s extradition to Minnesota.”
“Under the UCEA, Castro can be detained on the strength of the Minnesota warrant only until August 27, 2026. As the day approached, and fearing that Castro will flee into Mexico should he be released, Minnesota made repeated inquiries of Texas regarding the status of the extradition request. On August 18, having not received a definitive answer, Minnesota filed this action, alleging that Governor Abbott ‘has refused’ to sign a rendition warrant, violating the Extradition Clause of the United States Constitution, the Extradition Act, and the UCEA,” the order stated.
ICE agents depart the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building on Feb. 4, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minn. (John Moore/Getty Images)
“Minnesota moves for a temporary restraining order to avoid Castro’s release before Governor Abbott signs a rendition warrant. On August 25, the Court held a hearing on the request. Based on the record and the applicable law, the Court concludes that Minnesota fails to satisfy the requirements for the issuance of a temporary restraining order,” the judge’s order noted.
