A federal judge on Wednesday rejected Minnesota's legal effort to keep an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer jailed in South Texas. U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. ruled against the state, paving the way for officer Christian Castro's release from the Cameron County Jail on Thursday.
Castro faces four counts of assault in Minnesota. He is accused of firing through a closed door in Minneapolis on Jan. 14, striking a Venezuelan man in the leg. Castro also faces accusations of lying about the events leading to the shooting.
Minnesota officials filed a lawsuit last week seeking to compel Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to agree to Castro's extradition and to order Castro held beyond Thursday. Texas law limits detention of individuals awaiting extradition to 90 days. Castro was arrested on May 29. His detention period concludes Thursday.
Rodriguez ruled that Minnesota's case was not yet "ripe for adjudication," citing Abbott's lack of a formal decision on the extradition request. The judge acknowledged that Abbott has considered the request for an "atypically long duration" but found that Minnesota had not identified any federal law requiring the Texas governor to decide on extradition paperwork within a specific timeframe.
Rodriguez also concluded that the potential threat of Castro fleeing did not justify holding him past the legal limit. "The Court agrees that Castro's flight to Mexico would impose a hardship on Minnesota's prosecutorial efforts," Rodriguez wrote. "But that possible outcome does not alter the analysis."
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said his office will continue fighting to bring Castro back to Minnesota to face charges. He accused Abbott of "turning Texas into a sanctuary state for violent criminals."
Andrew Mahaleris, Abbott's spokesperson, said the court correctly rejected Minnesota's "absurd claim." Mahaleris cited the Constitution, stating it "requires deliberate consideration of extradition requests and tasks Governor Abbott to 'decide, upon such evidence as he may deem satisfactory' whether 'the person demanded is a fugitive.'" Mahaleris added that the court's order rebuffs Minnesota's efforts to "conscript federal courts into commandeering the authority of Governor Abbott's office."
