Crime & Safety
Judge sides with Texas over Minnesota in extradition case involving ICE officer
A federal judge ruled Texas Governor Greg Abbott acted in good faith regarding an extradition request for an ICE agent accused of a crime in Minnesota.
By Dan McCaleb · 2026-09-03T13:06:39.982Z
The Center Square – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is not acting in bad faith by reviewing an extradition request from the state of Minnesota seeking to prosecute an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent accused of shooting into a Minnesota home, a federal judge ruled.
ICE officer Christian Castro is in custody in Cameron County, Texas. Castro was arrested in May by the Texas Rangers after Minnesota prosecutors issued a warrant for his arrest on four counts of second degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime. He is accused of firing into a Minneapolis home, striking a Venezuelan national’s leg, The Center Square reported https://www.thecentersquare.com/texas/article 449ecfc3 5a0a 4768 9f2c cffd6bd95a77.html .
U.S. District Court Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. said he found no evidence Abbott was acting in bad faith and was within his right to review the case to determine if Castro is eligible for extradition.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sued https://www.thecentersquare.com/minnesota/article f145e87e 093e 43b0 bd50 5d0e1b91b762.html Abbott last week, asking a federal judge to require Abbott to sign the extradition order. It also asks the judge to issue a temporary restraining order to require Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Trevino not to release Castro until he’s in custody in Minnesota.
Castro could be released as early as Thursday.
• Bethany Blankley contributed to this report.
Dan McCaleb is the executive editor of The Center Square. He welcomes your comments. Contact Dan at dmccaleb@thecentersquare.com.
Executive Editor
This story originally appeared on thecentersquare.com https://www.thecentersquare.com/texas/article 426095a8 658e 49e3 909f ba1f34a6a72d.html .