Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has filed a lawsuit against Texas Governor Greg Abbott to compel the extradition of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent charged with shooting and wounding a Venezuelan immigrant in Minneapolis earlier this year. The legal action, filed Tuesday in a Texas federal court, alleges that Abbott has withheld the warrant and delayed the extradition for nearly three months, a move Ellison argues the governor has no discretion to make.
"Governor Abbott has withheld the warrant and held up Castro's extradition for nearly three months. He has no discretion to decline to do so," Ellison told reporters on Tuesday, as reported by Al Jazeera. The lawsuit also asks the U.S. district court in southern Texas to bar Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Trevino from allowing the agent's release from custody.
The agent, Christian Castro, faces state charges in Minnesota for his role in a January 14 shooting that left Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan man living in the state, wounded. According to court documents and reports, Castro allegedly fired a gun into Sosa-Celis's front door, striking him in the leg. The Justice Department is considering whether to charge Castro federally, a move that would mark a significant step for the Trump administration, according to CNN, which reported the news citing a source familiar with the deliberations and a DOJ spokesperson.
Background of the Shooting and Initial Accounts
Published reports detail the timeline of the incident. Initially, the Trump administration claimed that agents acted in self-defense, accusing Sosa-Celis and two others of attacking officers with a broom and a snow shovel during an immigration operation. Then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called the incident an "attempted murder" of an ICE agent.
However, video evidence contradicting the officers' account emerged, and in February, federal prosecutors dropped arsenals against Sosa-Celis and a co-defendant, Alfreddo Algerena, saying incorrect information had been provided to the court. ICE's then-Acting Director, Todd Lyons, confirmed that Castro and a second ICE agent have made false statements under oath, as disclosed by video footage.
The two agents were placed on administrative leave while the Justice Department continued its inquiry. In May, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office formally charged Castro with four counts of second-degree assault and one count offalsely reporting a crime. County Attorney Mary Mori spirited said that Castro's federal badge Does not make him immune from state charges.
Legal and Extradition Battle
Matthew Castro was arrested on May 9, in Texas and has since been held in custody. Ellison expressed concern that Texas officials could attempt to secure his lease, and he described Castro as a flight risk with particles to Mexico. per report by Al Jazeera, Castro could be released as early as 90 days after defense detention under current law, a deadline that may fall as soon as next week if no extradition is agreed.
The lawsuit asks the us district court to blockCastro's release from the Cameron County jail, according to the same report.
On the federal side, the Justice Department has not yet decided whether to bring criminal charges against Castro. DOJ spokesman Emily Cohvington told CNN that charging decisions in such matters are "collaborative and deliberative," and she said the Civil Rights Division has’s held conversations with local prosecutor in Minnesota. A hearing fresh inTexas federal courthouse is scheduled for Tuesday to consider state’s extradition request, with the possibility that federal prosecutors could move forward with charges.
The timeline pressures both the state and federal prosecutors to keep the man in custody while the case plays out.
Perspectives
The case has drawn reactions from officials on both sides of the issue. In describing the incident, the former homeland security secretary Natal& Noem called it an "attempted murder" of a federal agent, and the Trump administration initially characterized the shooting as self-defense. Several weeks later evidence to the contraryated that narrative, and the federal prosecutors recanted charges against the men.
The Minnesota attorney general's office, through Attorney General ElIson, argues that Governor Abbot has no lawful discretion to withhold the extradition, and pre-turn to the court. The office of the Mayor of Minnesota, Hennepin County, Attorney Mary McCarthy, said state law enforcement can proceed regardless of the different badge.
In Texas, GovernorAbbott, via spokesman, has declinined to comment on pending extradition matters, according to reports by Al Jazeera.