Abbott denies Minnesota's claim that he is obligated to extradite ICE agent

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott denied Minnesota's claims in a court filing Monday that he is obligated to help extradite an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who is wanted in Minnesota to face state charges.

ICE agent Christian Castro is currently in Texas custody, but Minnesota authorities have charged him with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime related to an incident in January. Castro allegedly shot a Venezuelan immigrant after shooting through the door of a residential home. He then later allegedly lied that the migrant had attacked him first.

U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr., who was appointed by President Donald Trump and oversees the case, is expected to hear Minnesota’s bid at a hearing Tuesday afternoon in Texas.

Abbott's lawyers claimed that the push to force the governor to return Castro was "doomed to fail" because Castro was not fleeing justice by leaving Minnesota since he was called back to Texas by ICE.

“The ordinary meaning of a fugitive entails a volitional act of fleeing, not mere involuntary movement across state lines,” his lawyers wrote. “In the end, Minnesota’s zeal to see Mr. Castro prosecuted on its home turf cannot justify pretermitting Governor Abbott’s ongoing deliberations pursuant to the Constitution and state statutes, which are designed to protect against abusive and baseless deprivations of individual liberty."

Minnesota has argued that Abbott's role in the case is ministerial and urged the judge to force the governor to return Castro.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.