Additional Coverage:
- Abbott taunts far-left AG with fiery warning over ICE extradition fight: ‘Such bad lawyers’ (foxnews.com)
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has sharply criticized Texas Governor Greg Abbott, accusing him of turning Texas into a “sanctuary state for violent criminals” following the release of an ICE agent charged in a Minneapolis shooting. The dispute has intensified tensions between the two states over the handling of extradition.
Christian Castro, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent charged in connection with a January shooting in Minneapolis, was released from a south Texas jail after a federal judge denied Minnesota’s emergency request to keep him in custody and compel Governor Abbott to sign the extradition warrant. Texas law limits pre-extradition detention to 90 days, and Abbott has yet to decide whether to approve Minnesota’s request for extradition.
Ellison responded to Castro’s release, emphasizing the seriousness of the matter. “This is not politics – this is not a game,” he said.
“If a governor can delay extraditions and cherry-pick cases according to their political tastes, then no state will be able to hold fugitive criminals accountable.” He further asserted on social media that Abbott’s refusal to extradite Castro effectively makes Texas a refuge for violent offenders.
Governor Abbott fired back on social media, dismissing Ellison’s claims. “You guys are such bad lawyers.
You showed up unprepared, uninformed & unpersuasive. You don’t know the law & it showed,” Abbott wrote.
He also accused Minnesota of being a sanctuary state itself, citing its refusal to assist in enforcing federal immigration laws. Abbott added a pointed remark about sending buses to Minneapolis if a president like Joe Biden were ever in office again.
Castro faces four felony counts of second-degree assault and one misdemeanor count of falsely reporting a crime. The charges stem from an incident in which he allegedly fired through the door of an occupied home in north Minneapolis, wounding Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg during an ICE operation. Castro maintains he acted in self-defense.
Minnesota prosecutors, following an investigation by the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, brought the charges. Initially, the Trump administration portrayed the incident as an attack on an ICE officer, but ICE later placed Castro and another agent on administrative leave after concerns arose about the truthfulness of their statements.
Evidence presented by Minnesota officials reportedly contradicts Castro’s claim that he fired after being attacked with a broom and snow shovel. Meanwhile, federal assault charges against Sosa-Celis and another individual were dropped due to inconsistencies in the initial allegations.
Governor Abbott has stated that Texas is reviewing whether Castro qualifies as a fugitive subject to extradition, noting that the agent returned to Texas under federal orders rather than fleeing Minnesota voluntarily. Abbott’s office praised the judge’s ruling and accused Minnesota of attempting to pressure the governor with a forced deadline.
As of now, Abbott’s office has not publicly clarified how it plans to proceed with the extradition request or the ongoing review of Castro’s status. The conflict underscores the broader tensions between states over law enforcement cooperation and immigration enforcement policies.