Minnesota sues Texas governor Greg Abbott over refusal to extradite ICE agent in shooting case

Aug 18, 2026

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sued Texas Governor Greg Abbott on August 18, 2026, to force the extradition of ICE agent Christian Castro, who is charged with assault and falsely reporting a crime after shooting Venezuelan immigrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis. Castro faces release from a Texas jail next week under a 90-day limit. Abbott refused to sign the warrant, citing mistrust of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, while critics call the lawsuit a political statement.

Minnesota lawsuit against Texas

▪The lawsuit filed by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison asks a federal judge to order Texas Governor Greg Abbott to sign the rendition warrant and to bar Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Treviño from releasing Christian Castro.
▪Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit on August 18, 2026, in federal court in Brownsville, Texas, against Texas Governor Greg Abbott to compel the extradition of ICE agent Christian Castro.
▪Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty stated that Texas has extradited three unrelated criminal defendants to Minnesota without incident since Christian Castro's arrest on May 29, 2026.

ICE agent shooting charges

▪Federal prosecutors dropped criminal charges against Venezuelan immigrants Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis and Alfredo Aljorna after video evidence contradicted the self-defense claims of ICE agents.
▪Hennepin County prosecutors charged ICE agent Christian Castro on May 18, 2026, with four counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime.
▪Minnesota prosecutors allege ICE agent Christian Castro shot Venezuelan immigrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg through a front door in Minneapolis on January 14, 2026, during an immigration enforcement operation.
▪ICE agent Christian Castro and another officer initially claimed they acted in self-defense after being attacked with a broom and a snow shovel, but video evidence disproved their accounts.

Abbott extradition refusal

▪A spokesperson for Texas Governor Greg Abbott's office declined to comment on the pending extradition lawsuit filed by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.
▪Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated on August 18, 2026, that he is refusing to sign the extradition warrant because he mistrusted Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and cited unrelated welfare fraud investigations in Minnesota.
▪Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison stated on August 18, 2026, that Texas Governor Greg Abbott has withheld the extradition warrant for Christian Castro for nearly three months despite having a mandatory obligation to sign it.

Castro detention timeline

▪ICE agent Christian Castro was arrested in Texas on May 29, 2026, on a warrant issued by a Minnesota judge and has been held in a Cameron County jail.
▪Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison warned that Christian Castro is a flight risk who has discussed marrying a woman in Mexico and buying a house there upon release.
▪Under Texas law, Christian Castro could be released from custody 90 days after his detention, which elapses in late August 2026, if Texas Governor Greg Abbott does not sign the rendition warrant.

Partisan immigration policy divide

▪The 'Operation Metro Surge' immigration crackdown in Minneapolis resulted in the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, by federal agents, sparking widespread protests.
▪U.S. Representative Tom Emmer criticized Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison's lawsuit, characterizing it as a political statement rather than a real claim.
▪The extradition dispute highlights partisan divides over President Donald Trump's 'Operation Metro Surge' immigration crackdown, which Minnesota's Democratic leaders condemned and Texas Governor Greg Abbott supported.