Minnesota’s attorney general, leftist Muslim activist Keith Ellison, has lost a round in his battle to grab a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer from his location in Texas and bring him back to Minnesota to put on trial.
Officials in Minnesota, which was the site of a massive federal roundup operation earlier this year to arrest and deport illegal aliens, especially criminal illegal aliens, want to charge ICE agent Christian Castro with a number of counts.
They believe Castro committed second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon for allegedly shooting a fugitive in the thigh while pursuing another fugitive.
Both men were in the United States illegally at the time, federal authorities have confirmed.
A report at the Washington Examiner said U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. said Minnesota’s lawsuit over the dispute was premature, because Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had not actually denied the state’s extradition demand.
Instead, Abbot asked Texas authorities to investigate whether the demands from Ellis should result in his return to Minnesota.
“Minnesota cannot premise its causes of action on the allegation that Governor Abbott may violate those authorities in the future,” Rodriguez wrote. “It must prove that a violation has already occurred.”
Ellison, a Democrat, filed the legal case last week and claimed Abbott must be forced to sign a warrant to return Castro.
Castro actually is scheduled to be released from custody this week, based on a state law providing for his detention for 90 days before release.
The judge said that factor could not change the legal analysis “because Minnesota still had to demonstrate that it was likely to succeed on the merits of its claims,” the report said.
Castor is wanted for injuries to Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who was shot in the thigh while Castro was pursuing another fugitive.
🚨 BREAKING — WALZ LOSES: A federal judge has DENIED Tim Walz and Keith Ellison’s emergency request to FORCE TX Gov. Greg Abbott to extradite an ICE agent to Minnesota for prosecution
LET’S GO!🇺🇸
ICE agent Christian Castro will likely be released from TX custody TOMORROW
Under… pic.twitter.com/zUNjlZa2D4
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 26, 2026
Minnesota failed to convince a federal court to compel Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to comply with an extradition request for a federal immigration agent accused of injuring a person during the Trump administration’s “Operation Metro Surge.” https://t.co/b92Mu42WtG
— Bloomberg Law (@BLaw) August 26, 2026
WATCH: Keith Ellison sues Texas governor to force extradition of ICE agent
