A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer who was charged in connection with shooting someone in Minnesota earlier this year was released from lockup in Texas on Thursday.
A judge on Wednesday declined to take action to prevent the man’s release and force Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to send the individual back to Minnesota. Minnesota officials have been pushing to have the man held as they fight for his extradition in the Hennepin County case.
The man, Christian Castro, “was released at 6:59 a.m.,” Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Trevino told Fox News Digital in an email on Thursday.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced in May that Castro was “being charged with four counts of assault in the second degree and one count of falsely reporting a crime.”
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“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.”
Castro was arrested in Texas, and Minnesota has been pressing for Texas to extradite him from the Lone Star State.
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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.
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“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.
