Ex-ICE agent charged over shooting is freed by Texas authorities

What the report says

Christian Castro, a former US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, was released from a Texas jail on Thursday after a federal judge declined to block his release and Texas authorities did not complete Minnesota’s extradition request in time. Al Jazeera reported that Castro had been held at the Carrizales-Rucker Cameron County Detention Center near Brownsville, Texas, since May.

Castro faces charges tied to a nonfatal shooting in Minneapolis during an immigration raid on January 14, when prosecutors say he shot 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg after firing through the front door of his home. Minnesota prosecutors also allege Castro falsely claimed that Sosa-Celis and another man had assaulted an ICE officer. The case stems from a broader immigration crackdown carried out under President Donald Trump.

According to the report, a Minnesota judge had issued a nationwide arrest warrant in May, and Minnesota officials later detained Castro in Texas before seeking extradition. Under Texas law, however, a person subject to an extradition order cannot be held for more than 90 days without transfer or release. That deadline expired on Thursday.

The release has added to a politically charged dispute between Minnesota and Texas officials over the extradition process. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison argued that Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s refusal to sign the warrant improperly interfered with federal extradition and shielded Castro from return to Minnesota. The case also comes amid wider controversy over the Trump administration’s immigration operations in Minnesota, which drew protests and accusations of civil-liberties violations.