Texas Democrats Press Greg Abbott to Extradite ICE Agent in Minneapolis Shooting

Texas Democrats are urging Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) to extradite an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent charged in connection with a fatal January shooting in Minneapolis, Minn.

Agent Christian J. Castro faces four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime. Prosecutors allege Castro shot Venezuelan immigrant Julio C. Sosa-Celis in the leg while pursuing another man who shared his home, firing through the closed front door after both men entered.

Representatives Sylvia Garcia (D-TX) and Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX) are now leading the charge, calling on Gov. Abbott to sign the paperwork to send Castro back to Minnesota to face charges, arguing in a letter issued last week that “there is no reason to delay.”

“The Texas Rangers and the prosecuting authority in Cameron County have done their jobs and collaborated with the necessary Minnesota authorities,” the lawmakers wrote.

Rep. Garcia said Abbott’s signing will signal a much greater, necessary message that ICE agents charged with crimes such as this will not receive “special treatment.”

“We have watched this administration’s out-of-control immigration enforcement turn deadly, while official accounts unravel as the facts come out,” said Congresswoman Garcia.

With a similar incident having taken place recently in Houston, Texas, between an ICE agent and Texan Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, Rep. Gonzalez agreed that not extraditing Castro would be an injustice to Minnesotans, Texans, and Americans everywhere.

“Texans are firm believers in law and order, which is why accountability must be delivered in the case of Christian J. Castro,” Rep. Gonzalez said. “We cannot normalize criminal actions, including those committed by rogue ICE agents under this administration’s hyperaggressive immigration policies.”

Both Reps. Gonzales and Garcia said Gov. Abbott has a responsibility to the community to approve this without further delay.

“Governor Abbott should sign the extradition paperwork and let the justice system do its job,” she said.