Texas releases ICE officer in Minnesota shooting case: Report

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer facing state charges over a shooting in Minneapolis was released from a Texas jail Thursday after a three-month extradition dispute between Republican officials in Texas and Democratic officials in Minnesota, The New York Times reported.

Christian Castro was released shortly before 7 am local time (1200GMT) from the Cameron County jail, Sheriff Manuel Trevino said. Minnesota authorities had sought his transfer to the state to face assault charges stemming from a January shooting that wounded Venezuelan immigrant Julio C. Sosa-Celis.

Castro remained in Texas because he did not agree to return voluntarily to Minnesota. Under Texas law, defendants in extradition cases can be held for no more than 90 days. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has so far declined to approve Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s extradition request.

A federal judge on Wednesday rejected Minnesota’s request to force Abbott to act, saying there was insufficient evidence that the Texas governor was acting in bad faith.

Minnesota prosecutors charged Castro in May with four counts of assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime. They allege he fired through the door of a home after a vehicle chase and foot pursuit, striking Sosa-Celis in the leg.

Federal officials initially supported Castro and accused Sosa-Celis and his roommate of attacking officers with a broom and shovel. However, federal prosecutors later dismissed assault charges against the two men after reviewing video evidence that investigators said suggested agents had misrepresented what happened.