Former ICE Agent Charged in Minnesota Shooting Released from Texas Jail After Extradition Stalemate

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer charged with shooting a Venezuelan man and allegedly fabricating statements during an immigration raid in Minneapolis has been released from a Texas jail. This came just a day after a federal judge declined to mandate his return to Minnesota.

The former ICE agent, Christian Castro, had been held in a county jail in Texas since May. He faces charges related to the nonfatal shooting of 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, whom he shot in the leg through the front door of his home during an immigration crackdown in Minnesota on January 14. The sweep was part of a mass deportation initiative under United States President Donald Trump.

Prosecutors stated that Castro falsely claimed Sosa-Celis and another man assaulted an ICE officer using a broom handle and a snow shovel. Castro was freed on Thursday morning from the Carrizales-Rucker Cameron County Detention Center near Brownsville, Texas, following the expiration of a 90-day limit under Texas law for holding subjects of extradition orders without transfer.

District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr ruled on Wednesday that he could not prevent the county sheriff from releasing Castro because Texas Governor Greg Abbott declined to sign the extradition warrant. Abbott cited an ongoing internal state investigation and pending inquiries into social service programs in Minnesota. Meanwhile, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison had filed legal actions to block the release and force the governor's hand.

Minnesota officials have expressed concern that Castro may attempt to flee the country, noting intercepted jail calls where he discussed relocating to Mexico. Despite acknowledging this flight risk, the judge stated that the legal threshold for intervention had not been met.