Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Treviño says he must release a jailed ICE agent from the Rio Grande Valley unless a federal court steps in to block it.

Treviño made that position clear in a response filed Friday to a Minnesota lawsuit filed against the sheriff and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott that seeks to force the extradition of Christian Castro.

Castro faces four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime tied to a Jan. 14, 2026, shooting investigation in Minnesota. He was booked into a Cameron County jail with no bond when he appeared before a magistrate on May 30, 2026.

Castro refused to sign a waiver of extradition on June 4, 2026.

Under Texas law, a person arrested on an out-of-state warrant cannot be held for more than 90 days. Trevino's legal team says he has not received a governor's warrant from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, which means Castro must be released around Aug. 26, 2026.

"It is defendant Treviño's position that he must follow state law to release Castro unless otherwise ordered by the Court," the filing from the sheriff states. "Treviño prays the Court decide the merits of plaintiff's temporary restraining order prior to the 90 day."

In a statement provided to Channel 5 News on Aug. 19, 2026, Treviño said he would follow the law.

"As the Cameron County sheriff, I swore before God I would faithfully execute the duties of this office and would to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this state," Treviño said. "That is what I fully intend to do in this case. We will obey the rule of law and comply with any and all court orders."

Minnesota filed an application for a temporary restraining order on Tuesday. A hearing is set for Aug. 25, 2026.

The order would compel Abbott to execute the rendition warrant for Castro and prevent the county from releasing him.

According to the lawsuit, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz sent a formal extradition request to Abbott's office on June 2, 2026. Abbott's office received it the next day.

Abbott's office initially indicated the paperwork would be signed by June 24, 2026. That did not happen.

During that same period, Abbott signed rendition warrants for three other defendants in unrelated Minnesota cases while Castro's request sat unsigned.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty sent Abbott a letter on July 30, 2026, asking him to sign Castro's extradition paperwork. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison followed with another letter on Aug. 13, 2026, warning that a lawsuit would follow if Abbott did not act by 5 p.m. on Aug. 17, 2026.

Abbott did not respond to either letter, the lawsuit says.

Abbott addressed the lawsuit during an unrelated Aug. 18, 2026 press conference.

"I don't trust Tim Walz on anything, let alone something like this," Abbott said. "While they're making demands, I got a demand of my own and that is, it's time for Minnesota to step up and repay the United States of America and Americans for all the fraud that they have committed in their state under federal programs. I will not respond to them at all until they step up and do what's right and they acknowledge their fault in the fraud that took place and they fully repay the United States of America for the fraud they committed."

According to The Associated Press, Castro was being investigated following a January shooting that left a Venezuelan man shot in the leg after he fired into an occupied home in Minnesota. The bullet ended up in a child's bedroom wall.

Officials said Castro and one other agent lied about the shooting by claiming they had been attacked by two men while attempting to arrest one of them. Video of the shooting released by Minneapolis officials appears to refute those claims, the Associated Press reported.

The lawsuit also states that a review of Castro's jail calls shows he has substantial ties to Mexico and that there is a real risk he may flee if released from custody.

Abbott's office has until noon on Aug. 24, 2026, to file a response to the restraining order application.