An ICE officer was accused of shooting a man during the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
US District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr, in an order issued Wednesday, said he could not prevent a county sheriff from releasing Castro or compel Texas Governor Greg Abbott to approve his extradition to Minnesota. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer accused of shooting a man during the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis and allegedly lying about the incident was released from a Texas jail on Thursday after a federal judge declined to order his return to Minnesota.
ICE officer accused of shooting man through door
He was arrested by authorities, including the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, in Cameron County on May 29. Under Texas law, he had to be released after 90 days unless extradited. A Minnesota judge issued a nationwide arrest warrant for Castro in May. Minnesota officials had sought his extradition, but Castro remained in custody in Brownsville, near the US-Mexico border. Texas lawyers argued that the federal court could not intervene while Abbott’s decision on the extradition request was still pending.
Abbott is awaiting an internal state investigation into whether Castro qualifies as a “fugitive” under the US Constitution’s Extradition Clause. Judge Rodriguez said the case was not yet ripe for adjudication, noting that Minnesota could not base its claims on the possibility that Abbott might violate his legal obligations in the future. The judge also said extradition laws do not specify how long a governor can take to decide on such a request.