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ZAPATA, TEXAS
TEXAS IMMIGRATION
Mexican nationals busted by BP
Lawyers argue against sanctuary cities law
Six immigrants had prior arrests Special to the Times Border Patrol agents recently initiated priority enforcement operations against identified criminal undocumented immigrants in the Zapata County. The week-long operation resulted in the arrest of six
Police can inquire about people’s immigration status By Kevin Mcgill ASSOCIATED PRE SS
NEW ORLEANS — Attorneys for numerous Texas local governments and immigrant advocates told a federal appeals court Tuesday that a
Texas law aimed at cracking down on so-called sanctuary cities puts illegal and unconstitutional burdens on local authorities. The Texas Legislature approved the law in the spring. It requires local law enforcement
agencies to honor federal immigration requests to detain people in local jails for possible deportation. The law also allows police to inquire about people’s immigration status during routine interactions such as traffic stops. It subjects
some law enforcement officials with removal from office and criminal charges if they don’t comply with the law. Opponents argue, among other things, that the law illegally puts local law enforceLaw continues on A11
SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, TEXAS
Busted continues on A11
GUNMAN KILLS 26 IN CHURCH SHOOTING
HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS
Mexican citizen’s execution Wednesday Ramirez Cardenas convicted of killing 16-year-old cousin By Michael Graczyk A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
HUNTSVILLE, Texas — Police who stopped at a convenience store 20 years ago in South Texas decided two men at the business were drunk and told them to find a friend to drive them home. Ruben Ramirez Cardenas and buddy Jose AntoCardenas nio Lopez Castillo instead dropped off their designated driver after a short distance and Cardenas drove the rest of the way to his home in Edinburg — to get a bottle of brandy. Then they hit the road again and headed to an apartment where Cardenas’ 16-year-old cousin, Mayra Laguna, lived about 10 miles (16 kilometers) away in McAllen. Laguna was later found fatally beaten, her body rolled down a bank and into a canal near a lake in the Texas Rio Grande Valley. Cardenas, 47, a Mexican citizen who grew up in the Texas Rio Grande Valley, is set Execution continues on A11
Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News
Lupita Alcoces, 48, right, hugs her mother, Maria Durand, 78, at a memorial for the First Baptist Church shooting victims in Sutherland Springs, Texas on Tuesday. On Sunday, Devin Patrick Kelley killed 26 women, men and children and injured dozens in the church shooting. Durand was a bible study teacher aide at the church and knew several of the victims.
26 year old once escaped from mental health center By Jim Vertuno, Will Weissert and Paul J. Weber ASSOCIATED PRE SS
SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas — The gunman who killed 26 people at a smalltown Texas church was treated at a mental health center in New Mexico and briefly escaped in 2012, according to a
police report. Devin Patrick Kelley was also caught trying to bring guns onto Holloman Air Force Base in Kelley New Mexico when he was stationed there, according to an El Paso police
report obtained by several media outlets. Kelley, who was 21 at the time, had made death threats against superior officers, the report said. He was committed to a mental health facility in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, but at some point escaped and was later found by police at a bus station
in downtown El Paso in June 2012. Meanwhile at the First Baptist Church in tiny Sutherland Springs, investigators continued analyzing a gruesome crime scene and tried to gain access to the shooter’s cellphone, a longstanding challenge for the FBI in thousands Shooting continues on A11
TEXAS BORDER COALITION
Mayor Saenz elected to lead organization S P ECIAL T O T HE T I ME S
The Texas Border Coalition announced Monday that Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz has been elected to lead the organization in its mission to help border communities grow and prosper. Saenz was elected to serve a two-year term during the coalition’s annual meeting Nov. 2 in Laredo. He replaces outgoing chairman, former Hidalgo County Judge J.D. Salinas III.
“I’m grateful for this opportunity to serve as TBC chairman, and will do everything in my power to help Saenz guide the organization during a time when border communities face myriad challenges,” Saenz said. “My sincere thanks to outgoing chairman J.D. Salinas III, for his outstanding service
and leadership. It will be privilege to continue working with J.D., TBC’s executive committee and our committee chairpersons as we carry on the organization’s vital work in Austin and Washington, D.C.” Since 1998, TBC has been the collective voice of border communities on issues affecting Texas-Mexico border region. TBC members are committed to working to develop innovative policies and legislation at the
national, state, and local levels. TBC’s executive committee is comprised of Del Rio Mayor Robert Garza; Eagle Pass Mayor Ramsey Cantu; La Joya Mayor Jose A. "Fito" Salinas; McAllen Mayor Jim Darling; Pharr Mayor Ambrosio “Amos” Hernandez; Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge Director of Operations Fred Brouwen; Port Isabel Mayor J.J. Zamora; Roma Mayor Roberto Salinas; Willacy County Aurelio “Keter” Guerra; Zapata
County Judge Joe Rathmell; and Ben Petty, Sr., TaxFree Shopping, Ltd. The Texas Border Coalition is a collective voice of border mayors, county judges, economic development commissions focused on issues that affect 2.5 million people along the TexasMexico border region and economically disadvantaged counties from El Paso to Brownsville. TBC is working closely Mayor continues on A11