Minnesota's attorney general is suing Texas Governor Greg Abbott, accusing him of unlawfully protecting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who faces felony charges for shooting a Venezuelan immigrant through the door of a Minneapolis duplex — while quietly ignoring an extradition request that could allow the agent to walk free within weeks.

According to The New York Times, ICE agent Christian Castro has been jailed in South Texas since May under a Minneapolis arrest warrant charging him with four felony counts of assault. Prosecutors say Castro fired through the front door of a Minneapolis duplex on January 14 following a high-speed chase, wounding Julio C. Sosa-Celis. ICE suspended Castro after determining that he had falsely claimed he opened fire only after being attacked with a broom and a shovel — an account that surveillance footage directly contradicted.

Despite those findings, Abbott has never responded to an extradition request from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Texas law caps how long Castro can be held without action, meaning he could be released before the end of the month if Abbott continues to stall. That timing has turned the extradition dispute into a practical question about custody, not just a political one: unless Texas acts, Minnesota prosecutors say the defendant could leave jail before the case can move forward in their state.

"Governor Abbott is trying to shield Castro from being held accountable for these serious charges by refusing to extradite him to Minnesota," Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said.

Ellison and Mary Moriarty, Minneapolis' elected county attorney, said Abbott's office told them directly this week that the governor has no intention of acting on the request. Ellison noted the move is unusual, pointing out that Abbott has approved multiple other Minnesota extradition requests in recent weeks without issue.

Moriarty warned that Castro could flee to Mexico if released, citing what she described as unspecified ties the agent has to the country. "We do believe he is a flight risk," Moriarty said.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Texas, asks a judge to force Abbott to sign the extradition order — or, failing that, to block Castro's release entirely until the dispute is resolved. Abbott's office declined to comment.

The case comes as the Trump administration has refused to seriously investigate ICE agents involved in shootings. After the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis, the Department of Homeland Security swiftly cleared Jonathan Ross, the officer who took the shot, and instead posthumously investigated whether Good had any ties to terrorist groups. The broader backdrop matters because the dispute is not only about one agent's pending charges, but also about how federal immigration authorities and state prosecutors handle use-of-force cases when an officer is accused of committing a violent crime while on duty.