Austin, TX — Gov. Greg Abbott and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison are publicly fighting over whether Texas should send ICE agent Christian Castro back to Minnesota.
Ellison said Abbott has a legal and constitutional duty to sign a rendition warrant returning Castro, called him a fugitive, and said refusing extradition turns Texas into “a sanctuary state for violent criminals.” Ellison also said he will keep pushing for Castro to face justice in Minnesota, “regardless of today’s ruling.”
Abbott replied that Minnesota lawyers showed up “unprepared, uninformed & unpersuasive,” said they “don’t know the law,” and called Minnesota “the literal definition of a sanctuary state” because it “refuse[s] to assist in enforcing immigration laws.” Abbott also said he would put Minneapolis “at the top of the list for future bus drop offs” if the country again has “a President like Joe Biden.”