ICE officer in Minnesota-Texas extradition fight is freed from jail

Castro faces four counts of assault stemming from an incident on Jan. 14 in Minneapolis, when he allegedly fired through a closed door and struck a Venezuelan man in the leg. He is also accused of lying about the events that led to the shooting. Minnesota officials filed a lawsuit last week trying to force Gov. Greg Abbott to agree to extradite Castro to face those charges.

The federal judge's ruling cleared the way for Castro's release while Abbott decides whether to sign the extradition papers. Minnesota's attempt to hold Castro through the courts failed, at least for now, leaving the next move with the governor.

For Texans watching this case, the stakes are bigger than one officer's legal trouble. It puts Abbott in the middle of a direct conflict between a state that wants to prosecute a federal immigration officer and a federal administration that has made ICE enforcement a centerpiece of its agenda. Whether Abbott signs those papers or declines will signal a lot about how far Texas is willing to go to shield federal immigration officers from state criminal proceedings elsewhere in the country.