Christian Castro, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent facing assault charges in Minneapolis, walked out of a Texas jail Thursday morning after Gov. Greg Abbott failed to sign extradition paperwork before a legal deadline forced his release.
Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Trevino confirmed Castro was released just before 7 a.m. local time. Texas law limits how long a defendant can be held in an extradition case to 90 days, and that window expired Thursday.
The release came a day after a federal judge in Texas denied Minnesota's request for a temporary restraining order that would have kept Castro in custody. The judge found no evidence Abbott was acting in bad faith by not signing the warrant.
Castro is charged in Hennepin County District Court with four counts of assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime, stemming from a Jan. 14 shooting during Operation Metro Surge, the federal immigration enforcement push in the Twin Cities.
State prosecutors say Castro fired through a door during a car and foot chase, striking Julio C. Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan immigrant, in the leg.
The case drew wide scrutiny after video evidence appeared to contradict the White House's defense of the ICE agent.
Castro was arrested in Texas on May 29 and extradition paperwork was sent to Abbott's office on June 2. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said Abbott typically signs similar warrants within 30 days.
Moriarty sent Abbott a letter on July 30 urging him to sign the warrant. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison followed with an Aug. 13 letter warning of legal action if Abbott continued to withhold his signature. When the warrant remained unsigned, Minnesota sued in federal court in Texas.
"Gov. Abbott still has the ability to prevent Christian Castro from walking out of jail. He can choose to stop harboring a fugitive by simply signing the extradition paperwork today," Moriarty said before Castro's release. "If Castro walks out of jail tomorrow and disappears into Mexico, it will be the fault of one person, Greg Abbott."
Minnesota officials have said they fear Castro, who has close relationships with Mexican nationals along the southern border, could flee the country now that he is free.
After Wednesday's ruling, Ellison said Minnesota would keep fighting to bring Castro back despite the setback.
"Regardless of today's ruling, Christian Castro will not escape justice in Minnesota," Ellison said, accusing Abbott of playing with constitutional fire and turning Texas into a sanctuary state for violent criminals.
It remains unclear whether Castro will ultimately face the Minnesota charges. Separately, federal prosecutors in February dropped charges against Sosa-Celis's roommate and Sosa-Celis himself, who had been accused of assaulting a law enforcement officer, after video evidence indicated the agents had misrepresented what happened.
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