Judge’s ruling leaves Minnesota’s accused ICE shooter free as Texas delays extradition

Judge’s ruling leaves Minnesota’s accused ICE shooter free as Texas delays extradition
A federal judge has left a politically charged extradition fight unresolved—and potentially cleared the way for an ICE officer accused of shooting a Venezuelan man to leave a Texas jail.

Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. denied Minnesota’s request to block Christian Castro’s release, ruling that the state had sued too soon. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has not formally approved or rejected Minnesota’s extradition demand; instead, he ordered an investigation into whether Castro qualifies as a fugitive.

The ruling exposes two sharply different interpretations of the delay. Minnesota portrays extradition as a routine constitutional duty and says Castro’s release could derail prosecution, particularly if he flees to Mexico. Castro faces four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime over the January Minneapolis shooting. Investigators allege he shot Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis and then falsely claimed the man had attacked him.

Texas and Abbott’s allies frame the dispute as a matter of executive authority and due process. They argue that Minnesota cannot challenge a refusal that has not yet occurred—and accuse the state of trying to pressure Abbott into rushing his decision. The conservative account emphasizes that the judge acknowledged the legal limits of Minnesota’s case while also recognizing the potential consequences of Castro’s flight.

Minnesota officials, by contrast, say the prolonged review itself is extraordinary. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty called extradition an administrative process that “is not supposed to be controversial,” while Attorney General Keith Ellison said Castro “isn’t above the law and Greg Abbott isn’t either.”

The judge agreed that a flight to Mexico would seriously harm Minnesota’s prosecution, but found that concern insufficient to overcome the lawsuit’s procedural flaw. Castro was expected to be released after 90 days in Texas custody, leaving the underlying allegations—and the interstate constitutional clash—unresolved.