Abbott requests that the judge reject Minnesota's effort to compel the extradition of an ICE agent.

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Gov. Greg Abbott has asked a provincial judge to dismiss Minnesota’s request to force the abduction of a Texas immigration official, stating that he has” serious problems” about whether the agent is actually a fugitive from justice.

According to Abbott, state officials are also looking into whether Christian Castro, who is currently imprisoned in Cameron County jail, can be deported because he didn’t fend off in Minnesota but was allegedly given a new job in Texas by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In order to prevent Castro from “flee and prevent prosecution,” Minnesota is also requesting a court order to keep him in prison after Thursday. People awaiting extradition may be held in Texas for longer than 90 days. On a permit issued by a court in Minnesota on May 29, Castro was detained in Cameron County.

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Abbott argued in a small filed on Monday that Castro’s independence would own” no effect on the Governor’s ability to issue a permit to extradite,” and that the judge should reject the request.

According to Abbott,” The ninety-day phase limits pre-warrant confinement, and it does not establish a ninety-day date on the Governor to approve or dispute the demanding State’s demand.”

Both parties are scheduled to make an appearance for a hearing on Minnesota’s plea on Tuesday in Brownsville.

Judge Manuel Trevino of Cameron County stated in a court filing last week that he “must following position rules” and let Castro go on the 90th day unless the court orders usually.

Abbott responded nearly a week after Minnesota officials demanded the extradition of Castro, who is accused of injuring a Venezuelan man earlier this year during Operation Metro Surge, a massive immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, and of lying about what took place prior to the shooting. He is also accused of lying about what happened before the shooting.

Abbott made the statement at an unrelated news conference last week, in which he claimed he doesn’t trust the Minnesota governor. Tim Walz “on anything,” let alone something like this.

According to Abbott’s filing, it appears that Castro did not leave Minnesota but instead traveled to Texas for his work obligations, citing media reports that quoted the ICE officer’s defense lawyer.

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The governor has instructed interim Texas Secretary of State Robert Howden, who was Abbott’s senior adviser before taking the position, to look into Castro’s circumstances and whether he should be taken into Minnesota’s care.

I have serious doubts about whether the conditions for extradition were met, according to Abbott in a letter to Howden on July 31.” Based on publicly available information, indicating that Mr. Castro was compelled to return to Texas on orders of the federal government,” Abbott wrote.

According to the Monday court filing, Abbott has not yet made a decision regarding the extradition request because Howden’s report is still pending. Howden’s office did not respond to a comment request right away.

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The Governor may conclude that the statutory requirements for extradition are satisfied once the Secretary of State has finished his investigation, or he may find that they are not, according to the filing. Governor Abbott has a right to follow that deliberative process and has a right to the presumption of regularity that is provided for government acts, “either way.”

The office of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said it will respond in court but declined to comment right away.

The investigation allegedly began on January 14 when Castro allegedly struck Julio Sosa-Celis in the leg while entering an occupied home in Minneapolis. According to court documents, the ICE officer was later accused of fabricating a false claim that Sosa-Celis and another man had attacked him with a shovel and a broom.

Castro was named on May 18 when the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office began his investigation, and later that month, the Texas Rangers assisted in his arrest in Cameron County.

According to the lawsuit, Walz immediately requested Abbott’s extradition request, which Walz typically involves prompt cooperation between the two states. However, Minnesota officials claimed in this instance that they had to send letters to Abbott to request that he sign the paperwork before filing a lawsuit against him on August 18.

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According to Ellison, Abbott’s decision to extradite Castro is unconstitutional and infringes Texas and federal law, according to a statement about the case.

Abbott responded later that day at a separate news conference.

The Texas governor criticized the Trump administration’s extensive welfare fraud scandal in Minnesota after expressing his disapproval of Walz. This was done to support Operation Metro Surge, a crackdown that also resulted in the fatal shootings of two Americans by federal immigration officers.

While they are making demands, Abbott said last week,” I have a demand of my own, and that is: It’s time for Minnesota to step up and make payments to Americans for all the fraud that they have committed in their state through federal programs.”

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Aug 24, 2026Hill Country Post

Abbott requests that the judge reject Minnesota’s effort to compel the extradition of an ICE agent.

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