Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit against Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday, seeking to compel the extradition of a federal immigration agent. The agent, Christian Castro, is wanted in Minnesota on assault charges related to a January shooting in Minneapolis. Castro has been held in a Texas county jail since May 29.
The legal action follows a June extradition request from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Castro, an agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is accused of shooting Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan man, in the leg during a period of increased deportation activity. Minnesota officials stated that while the U.S. Constitution and federal law require interstate extradition, Governor Abbott has declined to sign the necessary rendition warrant.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty charged Castro with four counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and falsely reporting a crime. According to prosecutors, Castro’s initial report claimed he was attacked with a snow shovel and broom, but video evidence disproved this account. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security subsequently suspended Castro, and federal prosecutors dismissed charges against Sosa-Celis.
The scale of the conflict involves the executive leadership of two states and federal law enforcement oversight. If Castro is released, Minnesota prosecutors expressed concern that he may leave the country, potentially preventing the state from proceeding with a trial on felony assault charges. White House officials have stated that federal agents possess immunity from state prosecutions, though the lawsuit argues that extradition is a "mandatory obligation" for the Texas governor under the U.S. Constitution and both federal and Texas statutes.
For residents in Minnesota and Texas, the case sets a precedent for how state governors may use their executive discretion to refuse or delay the transfer of individuals facing criminal charges. The outcome will determine whether a federal agent can be held accountable in state court for actions taken during duty. A federal judge in Brownsville, Texas, will now consider the request to order Governor Abbott to sign the warrant. Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Treviño, who holds Castro in custody, is also named in the suit to prevent the agent's release before a decision is reached.