The political battle over immigration in the United States is moving into the courts. Minnesota has filed a federal lawsuit against Texas Governor Greg Abbott seeking the extradition of Christian Castro, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent accused of shooting and injuring a man during an operation in Minneapolis and later providing a false account of what happened. The charges Castro, 52, is being held in a jail in Cameron County, Texas, near the Mexican border. He was arrested on May 29 by the Texas Rangers on the basis of a warrant issued by Minnesota. Minneapolis authorities have charged him with four counts of second-degree assault and falsely reporting a crime in connection with the January 14 shooting. According to Minnesota prosecutors, the agent fired through the door of a home, striking Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan immigrant, in the leg. The bullet also reportedly passed through a wall of the house, reaching an area near a child’s bedroom. Castro later claimed that he had been attacked by the man and another individual with a shovel and a broom. According to prosecutors, however, available footage contradicts that account. The extradition dispute The central issue now is extradition. Minnesota argues that Abbott is deliberately delaying the process and is asking a federal judge to order the governor to sign the necessary warrant to transfer Castro to the state, where he would stand trial. The request comes as a deadline established under Texas law approaches: if extradition proceedings are not initiated within 90 days, Castro could be released. For Minnesota authorities, the issue goes beyond the individual case. Attorney General Keith Ellison argues that interstate extradition is a constitutional obligation and cannot be used as a tool in a political confrontation. Abbott, a Republican and close ally of President Donald Trump, has meanwhile expressed support for the federal administration’s immigration policies. The clash between Minnesota and the federal government The case has reignited the dispute between Minnesota and the Trump administration over ICE operations. The state has previously challenged the conduct of federal agents during the deportation campaign carried out in Minneapolis last winter, during which two U.S. citizens also lost their lives. Washington DC has rejected allegations of excessive use of force and described some of the legal proceedings against agents as politically motivated. The Castro case is particularly sensitive because it involves a federal agent facing criminal prosecution by a state over conduct allegedly committed during an official operation. The federal court’s decision could therefore determine not only the agent’s fate, but also the limits of the broader conflict between state authorities and the federal government over immigration enforcement.