ICE Agent Charged in Minneapolis Shooting Released From Texas Jail
The state of Texas has just released ICE agent Christian Castro from custody, following a judge’s refusal to force his extradition to Minnesota
Christian Castro was one of thousands of agents sent to Minnesota in the winter as part of the Trump administration’s deportation campaign.David Guttenfelder
CChristian Castro, an ICE officer facing Minnesota assault charges over a January shooting, was released from a Texas jail Thursday after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott declined to extradite him. Texas law caps extradition detention at 90 days. It is unclear whether Castro will ever face trial.
Castro had been held in Cameron County, Texas, since his arrest in May on a Minnesota warrant. He never agreed to travel to Minnesota voluntarily, so Minnesota needed Abbott's approval to extradite him. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, sued to force Abbott to act. He argued Castro might flee to Mexico. But a federal judge sided with Texas this week. The judge found no evidence Abbott had acted in bad faith.
Federal agents rarely face state charges over on-duty conduct, and governors almost never ignore another state's extradition request the way Abbott has. The Trump administration says Minnesota's charges are illegitimate.
ICE agents depart the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building on Feb. 4, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minn.ijpr
Castro was one of the federal agents sent to Minnesota last winter as part of an immigration crackdown. That crackdown led to violent clashes, mass arrests, and three shootings. He allegedly shot Julio Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan immigrant, through a door on Jan. 14, wounding him in the leg. Minnesota charged Castro in May with four counts of assault and one count of false reporting.
Federal officials initially backed Castro. They said Sosa-Celis and his roommate had attacked agents with a broom and shovel, and the two men were charged federally with assaulting an officer. Those charges were dropped in February after video showed the agents had likely lied about what happened. No federal charges have been filed against Castro.
