Former ICE Agent Accused of Shooting Released from Texas Jail

Christian Castro, a former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, was released from a Texas jail on Thursday morning, a day after a federal judge denied a request to extradite him to Minnesota to face shooting charges.

Castro had been held at a county jail in Texas since May in connection with the shooting that injured Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, 24, a Venezuelan man. The incident occurred on Jan. 14, when Castro fired through the front door of the victim's home during an immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, wounding Sosa-Celis in the leg.

The operation was part of the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts. Prosecutors allege Castro falsely claimed that Sosa-Celis and another man attacked an ICE agent with a broom handle and a snow shovel.

Castro was released from the Carrizales-Rucker Cameron County Detention Center near Brownsville, Texas, a city on the U.S.-Mexico border. A Minnesota judge had issued a nationwide arrest warrant for Castro in May. Minnesota authorities and the state's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension arrested him in Texas on May 29 and subsequently requested his extradition.

Under Texas law, the state cannot hold a person sought for extradition longer than 90 days. After that deadline, the suspect must be transferred or released. The deadline for Castro expired on Thursday.

In a ruling on Wednesday, District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. said he could not intervene or prevent the county sheriff from releasing Castro because Texas Governor Greg Abbott — a close ally of Trump — had refused to sign the extradition warrant for political reasons. Abbott argued that he was awaiting the outcome of a state internal investigation into whether Castro was a legitimate "fugitive" under the Extradition Clause.

The Texas governor also said last week that he would not respond to the extradition request, citing ongoing investigations into fraud in Minnesota's social services programs, which Trump had used to justify the immigration crackdown there.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a motion for a temporary restraining order last week to block Castro's release. He also sued Abbott to compel the governor to sign the extradition warrant. Ellison argued that Abbott's inaction was an unlawful evasion of federal extradition aimed at bolstering Trump's deportation campaign. He said legal proceedings would continue but did not specify future actions.

Starting in December, Trump deployed a large number of federal agents to Minnesota. The operation lasted less than three months and sparked protests and allegations of civil liberties violations from residents and watchdog groups. Two U.S. citizens were fatally shot by federal agents during the campaign.

Minnesota officials warned that Castro could flee the U.S. if released, citing his jail phone calls to a woman in Mexico. In those calls, Castro talked about "marrying her and buying a house in Mexico when released," according to Minnesota's filing. The judge acknowledged Castro could flee the country but said "the threat of injury itself does not create a sufficient issue for trial."