Abbott Fires Back at Minnesota AG in Escalating ICE Extradition Dispute

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison engaged in a heated public dispute after a federal judge rejected Minnesota’s bid to detain an ICE agent pending extradition. Christian Castro, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer facing assault charges in Minneapolis, was released Thursday from a south Texas jail facility following the court’s decision to deny Minnesota’s emergency custody request.

Ellison criticized Abbott’s handling of the extradition matter, arguing the governor was transforming Texas into a haven for violent offenders by failing to expedite the process. The Minnesota attorney general warned that allowing governors discretion over extradition decisions would undermine state accountability systems and enable political favoritism in criminal cases.

Abbott responded sharply to Ellison’s accusations, attacking the Minnesota official’s legal competence and questioning the state’s own immigration enforcement record. The Texas governor accused Minnesota of sanctuary policies and threatened to resume migrant bus transfers to Minneapolis should a Democratic administration return to the White House.

Castro faces four felony counts of second-degree assault and one misdemeanor count of falsely reporting a crime stemming from a January shooting in north Minneapolis. Prosecutors allege he fired through a residential door during an ICE operation, wounding Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg, though Castro has claimed self-defense against individuals wielding a broom and snow shovel.

Texas law typically caps pre-extradition detention at 90 days, and Abbott has not yet decided whether to approve Minnesota’s formal extradition request. The governor’s office contends that Castro returned to Texas under federal orders rather than fleeing, potentially disqualifying him as an extraditable fugitive under state law.