Minnesota Officers Arrest ICE Agent After Failed Effort To Extradite Him From Texas

Minnesota law enforcement officers arrested an ICE agent over the shooting of a Venezuelan man after a failed bid to extradite the agent from Texas.Christian Castro was charged by Minneapolis prosecutors over the January shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis. Mr. Castro initially said that he was attacked by Mr. Sosa-Celis and another man and that he acted in self defense. After reviewing videos of the incident, Minnesota prosecutors disputed that story and said was standing outside Mr. Sosa-Celis’ residence and fired through his front door, striking him in the leg. The Hennepin County attorney, Mary Moriarty, charged him with four counts of assault with a deadly weapon. By the time the charges were filed, Mr. Castro had left the state. In May, he was arrested by Texas Rangers, which kicked off a drawn out legal battle as Minnesota sought to compel Texas to extradite him so he could be prosecuted. That effort ended in failure and he was released from the Texas jail. Federal prosecutors charged him with lying to investigators shortly after his release. On Wednesday, Mr. Castro was arrested by agents of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension during a traffic stop. Mr. Castro’s attorney, Daniel Gerdts, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that he had been in contact with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and had discussed plans for his client to voluntarily surrender at his law office.However, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety denied that there had been discussions about Mr. Castro surrendering and said that he was arrested on the street on Wednesday afternoon.The Department of Homeland Security has denounced the state-level charges, calling them a “stunt.” The department said the matter should be handled by federal authorities. In August, Minnesota filed a lawsuit in an attempt to compel Texas to extradite him. However, Texas attorneys pushed back, saying that while there was a 90-day limit on his detention that was set to expire, state officials were still investigating whether Mr. Castro qualified as a fugitive to determine whether the extradition request should be approved. Minnesota officials said at the time that they feared he would flee to Mexico if he was released from the Texas jail.After the court rejected Minnesota’s request to compel the extradition of Mr. Castro, it was unclear whether the state would ever get a chance to prosecute him. However, with his arrest on Wednesday, Minnesota prosecutors are optimistic that they will get to prosecute him.In a statement, Ms. Moriarty said, “Governor Abbott’s attempt to shield Mr. Castro from accountability has failed. We look forward to commencing our prosecution.”It is rare for federal officials to face state-level charges as they are given broad immunity for acts conducted while they are carrying out their official duties, though there are some exceptions. Minnesota officials have said they expect Mr. Castro to file a motion to move their prosecution to federal court.

Minnesota Officers Arrest ICE Agent After Failed Effort To Extradite Him From Texas

Minnesota Officers Arrest ICE Agent After Failed Effort To Extradite Him From Texas

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