Minnesota AG Sues Texas to Compel Extradition of ICE Agent

The ICE officer, Christian Castro, faces multiple charges in Minnesota over his alleged shooting of an illegal immigrant in the leg.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announces upgraded charges against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin and charges against three other former police officers involved in the death of George Floyd in police custody, in St. Paul, Minn., on June 3, 2020. Eric Miller/Reuters

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sued Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday to compel him to extradite a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent who was involved in a shooting during a surge of immigration enforcement in Minneapolis earlier this year.

Ellison has accused Abbott of violating the Extradition Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which mandates a state that apprehended a suspect wanted for crimes in another state be delivered “on demand” to the state with jurisdiction of the alleged offense.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz made that request to Abbott only days after the former officer, Christian Castro, was apprehended in Texas back in May.

“Governor Abbott is trying to shield Castro from being held accountable for these serious charges by refusing to extradite him to Minnesota,” Ellison said in a news release. “I will not stand for that, so I’m taking Abbott to court. Christian Castro will stand trial in Minnesota.”

Abbott’s office said it would not comment on pending extradition matters but referred The Epoch Times to statements the governor made earlier Tuesday when questioned by reporters about Minnesota’s legal action.

“First of all, I don’t trust Tim Walz on anything, let alone something like this,” Abbott said. “While they’re making demands, I got a demand of my own, and that is, it’s time for Minnesota to step up and repay the United States of America and Americans for all the fraud that they have committed in their state under federal programs.”

Abbott also told reporters he would not respond to Minnesota’s extradition demands until state officials there “acknowledge their fault in the fraud that took place, and they fully repay the United States of America for the fraud they committed.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Castro was part of the Trump administration’s surge of ICE personnel into Minnesota in late 2025 that carried into January, when Castro allegedly fired into a front door of an occupied home, striking an illegal Venezuelan immigrant in the leg. He’s also accused of lying to law enforcement about the man attacking him with a shovel and broom.

He faces four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime over his conduct.

Minnesota and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials initially had opposite stances on Castro’s conduct during the shooting on Jan. 14 amid Operation Metro Surge.

The agency reported three criminal illegal aliens violently assaulted Castro and another ICE agent with a shovel and broom handle while trying to escape arrest. A DHS news release, which is still posted online, said Castro fired a defensive shot as he feared for his life and struck the illegal immigrant, Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, in the leg.

But about a month after the incident, ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons conceded that it appeared both agents lied about the circumstances leading up to the shooting.

“A joint review by ICE and the Department of Justice (DOJ) of video evidence has revealed that sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements,” Lyons said on Feb. 13.

Castro and the other ICE agent were placed on administrative leave.

Sosa-Celis was facing charges in connection to the Jan. 14 shooting, with an affidavit accusing him of aiding and abetting the assault and interference of ICE officers. Federal prosecutors eventually told the court handling the case that it should throw out the charges because “newly discovered evidence in this matter is materially inconsistent with the allegations.”

The judge dismissed the case.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty filed the charges against Castro on May 18, alleging he fired his weapon through a front door “knowing there were people who had just run inside.” The bullet hit Sosa-Celis and lodged itself into the wall of a child’s bedroom, Moriarty said.

A nationwide warrant was issued for Castro’s arrest, and by the end of the month, he was apprehended in Texas.

A district judge in Texas ordered he remain in custody pending extradition proceedings.

Days after Castro’s arrest, Walz sent Abbott an extradition request, which has remained unfulfilled.

On Aug. 13, Ellison sent a letter to Abbott, warning the governor he would take legal action if he did not sign the extradition warrant.

Ellison said in the news release he feared if Castro was released from Texas custody that he would flee to avoid prosecution in Minnesota.

A review of his jail calls showed he has “substantial ties” to Mexico, according to Ellison’s lawsuit.

“Castro is fluent in Spanish and has been in frequent communication with a woman in Mexico, including about marrying her and buying a house in Mexico when he is released,” Ellison said.

The Minnesota attorney general is seeking a temporary restraining order on Castro to bar his release from Texas custody.

It’s not clear whether Castro has obtained an attorney.