Twin Cities news channels - at least the ones I watch - have been busy with post-ICE 's-winter-violence news the last few days. You may have caught some of the stories and claims last winter. There was an arrest of a man whom ICE claimed was attacking an ICE agent with yard tools - a shovel and broom - before he was shot, tackled, arrested, and taken to Texas.
As happened in the Goode and Petti killings, videos taken by witnesses showed stories opposite to what the ICE agents claimed. Neither killing was justified by anybody watching the evidence, aside from those needing to support ICE regardless of facts.
Minneapolis has not forgotten. Goode's wife has just requested return of the car Goode was driving so forensic evidence can be found before it totally deteriorates.
As for the shooting of Sosa-Cellis, his name is not a household word (yet) since he wasn't killed. He is a Venezuelan immigrant who was fleeing ICE arrest, shot in the leg while fleeing. Almost never mentioned in the reports is that during the incident one bullet went into the house into a 4-year-old's bedroom. It could easily have been a tragedy. Early reports centered on the alleged attack with tools against ICE, rake and broom vs. gun. The tools were indeed present, lying abandoned on the ground while the men ran into the yard before the shot was taken. But ICE agent Christian Castro's name is increasingly heard these days, thanks to interference in justice by Texas Governor Abbott. Minnesota asked Texas to extradite Castro to MN to be tried here on both state and federal charges, the combination earned from both the shooting and Castro manufacturing a lie about what happened. Normally extradition requests from state to state are routinely complied with. Abbott refused, turning the crimes into a political battle. In the long run, having a different state's courts responsible for the costs of court procedures, usually including months of incarceration as well, is a financial benefit to the state ridding itself of the criminal. Trials are expensive. So is jailing somebody. Whatever crimes happened, they happened in Minnesota. Texas had no business sticking its foot in it.
I expect whatever was behind Abbott's interference, it centered around "making" ICE not guilty. Only the federal part of the crime could be tried there. And we all have seen Trump's penchant for pardoning his friends and allies, as he sees them, regardless of the charges. In fact, most of the ICE agents are pardoned perpetrators of the January 6th assault on the Capitol trying to change the election results the first time when Trump lost. Those were federal crimes. Both the federal and state crimes in the shooting of Sosa-Cellis can be tried - separately - in Minnesota. Trump can't pardon any state crimes.
Castro is in Minnesota and in custody now. Minnesota is paying attention.
I do wonder how they'll find an impartial jury. Who hasn't seen the video coverage? Somebody who just moved into the state perhaps? But somehow the George Floyd murder by cop got a fair trial. I'm keeping the faith.
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