ICE officer charged in Minneapolis shooting freed from Texas jail
An ICE officer charged in a Minneapolis shooting was released from a Texas jail after a judge refused to order his extradition.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer facing charges in Minnesota for a shooting during a January immigration operation was released from custody in Brownsville, Texas, on Thursday. The release came after a federal judge declined to intervene in the extradition process, according to Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Trevino.
Christian Castro had been held in the border city since his arrest on May 29. He faces charges of assault and falsely reporting a crime in connection with the January 14 shooting of 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis.
Prosecutors allege Castro fired through the front door of a home, striking Sosa-Celis in the leg. He is also accused of falsely claiming that Sosa-Celis and another man attacked an ICE officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel.
A Minnesota judge issued a nationwide warrant for Castro's arrest in May, and he was taken into custody in Cameron County later that month. Minnesota authorities have sought his extradition since then, but the process stalled.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. ruled that he could not compel the sheriff to hold Castro or order Texas Governor Greg Abbott to sign the extradition warrant. Under Texas law, a detainee must be released after 90 days if extradition is not completed.
Minnesota officials have expressed concern that Castro could flee to Mexico, given Brownsville's proximity to the border.