Daily Weird News Report
Christian Castro, a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent accused of shooting and injuring a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis, has become the focus of an interstate legal dispute between Minnesota and Texas.
Castro is charged in Minnesota with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime. The allegations stem from a January incident involving 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who was struck in the leg by a bullet that prosecutors say was fired through the front door of a Minneapolis home. The bullet reportedly lodged in a child’s bedroom wall.
Prosecutors also accuse Castro of falsely claiming that Sosa-Celis and another man had attacked an ICE officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel. The charges remain allegations.
Castro was arrested and is being held in Brownsville, Texas, near the US-Mexico border. Minnesota authorities have been seeking his extradition, but Texas Governor Greg Abbott has refused so far to carry out the transfer. Abbott’s office has said the governor has not formally granted or denied Minnesota’s request and has cited ongoing investigations into alleged fraud in Minnesota government social-service programs.
The detention dispute intensified because Texas law requires Castro to be released after 90 days in custody, a deadline set to arrive on Thursday. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sued Abbott last week, seeking to prevent Castro’s release before the extradition issue is resolved. Minnesota officials say it could be difficult to ensure that Castro appears for prosecution if he leaves custody or flees.
At a federal hearing in Brownsville on Tuesday, attorneys for Minnesota argued for continued detention. Lawyers for Abbott’s office countered that the lawsuit was premature because the governor had not yet made a final decision on extradition.
US District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr said he was inclined not to prevent the sheriff from releasing Castro, although he planned to issue an order addressing Minnesota’s request for a temporary restraining order on Wednesday. Abbott has also ordered a state investigation into whether Castro legally qualifies as a fugitive.
The case has drawn unusual attention because it involves an out-of-state prosecution, a federal immigration agent and a governor’s refusal—or, according to his lawyers, failure so far—to resolve an extradition request.
