Judge blocks Minnesota attempt to extradite ICE agent from Texas
Reporting from Dallas, Fox News correspondent Christina Coleman delivers the latest on a legal battle involving ICE agent Christian Castro. A federal judge has halted Minnesota’s efforts to extradite Castro from Texas. The agent is facing charges linked to a January shooting of a Venezuelan migrant during Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis. Meanwhile, Texas Governor Greg Abbott is scrutinizing whether Castro is legally considered a fugitive.
An ICE officer charged with a shooting incident in Minnesota earlier this year found himself out of detention in Texas as of Thursday. The release follows a period of being held while legal proceedings unfolded.
On Wednesday, a judge opted not to compel Texas Governor Greg Abbott to extradite the officer back to Minnesota, a move sought by Minnesota officials eager to prosecute the ICE agent as part of the Hennepin County case. This decision granted Castro continued freedom in Texas.
Christian Castro, the officer at the heart of the controversy, was freed at 6:59 a.m., according to Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Trevino, who shared the information via email with media outlets on Thursday.
In a May announcement, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty disclosed that Castro faces charges of four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime, intensifying the legal stakes for the ICE agent.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Christian Castro gets into a car surrounded by news reporters moments after being released from the Carrizalez-Rucker Cameron County Detention Center in Brownsville, Texas on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Gonzalez)
“Mr. Castro fired his service weapon at the front door of a home knowing there were people who had just run inside that presented absolutely no harm to him or anyone else,” Moriarty asserted, saying the bullet hit Julio Sosa-Celis in the leg and eventually lodged “in the wall of a child’s bedroom.”
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Castro was arrested in Texas, and Minnesota has been pressing for Texas to extradite him 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.