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MEXICO VIOLENCE
CRIME
20 die in clashes
Man accused of transport
Border state of Tamaulipas racked by violence ASSOCIATED PRESS
MEXICO CITY — A series of clashes among criminal gangs killed 20 people during a single day of violence in the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas on the border with Texas, local authorities reported. Thirteen men and one wom-
an were killed Sunday in the southern part of the state around the Gulf Coast port of Tampico and neighboring Ciudad Madero, with people shot on the street or at local businesses, according to a statement issued late that evening by Tamaulipas state’s coordinating group of state and federal law
enforcement. The shootings were so widespread that some of the victims weren’t found or reported until Monday. The bodies of three men killed in the Sunday shootouts were found Monday on streets in Tampico. And in the border city of Ciudad Mier, near Roma, Texas, the
bodies of three young men were found after they were shot to death Sunday near the banks of the Rio Grande, state officials reported Monday. At least five other people have been killed in confrontations in the same region over
See CLASHES PAGE 8A
He allegedly expected $100 for smuggling seven immigrants By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ
BUSINESS
THE ZAPATA TIMES
30 YEARS WITH IKE
Photo by Victor Strife | The Zapata Times
Ike Epstein, center, is joined by family and friends as he cuts the ribbon during the Dr. Ike’s Home Center 30th Anniversary Fish Fry & Ribbon Cutting at the store Saturday morning.
Store holds public bash By GABRIELA TREVIÑO THE ZAPATA TIMES
“Ay, ay, ay, I like Dr. Ike’s!” The jingle, performed by ventriloquist Oscar Zamora and his alter-ego, Don Chema, is a tune every Laredoan has heard at one point or another — whether on the radio or TV. Don Chema, famous for appearing in comedy sketches on “Sal y Pimienta,” is a mustachioed puppet, and he is Dr. Ike’s official spokesman. Ike Epstein, owner of the Dr.
Ike’s stores, said he was looking for a “bilingual spokesman” when he first opened his business in the 1970s, and Don Chema fit the bill. Epstein opened a Dr. Ike’s in Zapata in 1984, and the store celebrated its 30th anniversary on Saturday at the store. Oscar Zamora and Don Chema made an appearance at the event, and guests enjoyed music, refreshments and a fried fish lunch. Epstein was known as “the
See IKE PAGE 8A
Photo by Victor Strife | The Zapata Times
Nancy De Anda prepares a batch of fish to be fried Saturday morning during the 30th Anniversary Fish Fry & Ribbon Cutting event at Dr. Ike’s Home Center. The bash also included music and a performance by store mascot Don Chema.
A man who expected a $100 payment for transporting seven undocumented immigrants was detained Friday in San Ygnacio, according to court documents released Tuesday. Luis Antonio Garcia Jr. was charged with transporting illegal immigrants with a motor vehicle. On Friday, U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Zapata station responded to sensor activation near the U.S.-Mexican border regarding a possible illegal entry, court records state. A concerned citizen waved down agents along Uribe Street and told them he had seen several illegal immigrants at an abandoned blue house by the U.S. Post Office. Agents then saw Frank Gonzalez, who is identified in court records as a known human smuggler, arguing with Garcia near the back of the blue house. Garcia claimed Gonzalez had assaulted him and called agents for assistance. Gonzalez then took off running toward Santa Maria Street and was able to get away. “(Garcia) freely stated that he was assaulted by Frank Gonzalez inside the blue house over the money for the transportation of illegal (immigrants),” a complaint states. Inside the house, agents found seven Mexican nationals who had allegedly entered the country illegally. Garcia admitted being hired to transport illegal immigrants to a stash house in San Ygnacio. He then told agents he had been paid $100 for transporting the seven illegal immigrants. Two migrants held as material witnesses identified Garcia as the suspect who drove them to the abandoned house, the complaint reads. Court records show that Garcia is in federal custody. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
CIVIL RIGHTS ACT
Summit opens with immigration talk By PAUL J. WEBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — A civil rights summit headlined by four of the five living U.S. presidents began Tuesday in Texas with a top Republican and Democrat expressing common ground on immigration reform and speakers comparing toppled gay marriage bans to racial equality victories in the 1960s. Former President Jimmy Carter was the first president scheduled to speak later Tuesday at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, which is holding the threeday summit to mark the
50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. Johnson signed the law that banned widespread discrimination against racial and ethnic minorities and against women. While his presidency is often viewed in the dark shadow of the Vietnam War, the library believes his legacy deserves as much attention for the Texan’s victories on civil rights. The summit began with former Republican Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, a fast-rising Democrat and top surrogate of President Barack Obama, urging Congress to tackle immigration re-
form before the end of the year. “The stupidest thing we can do economically is make them leave. We don’t have anybody to replace them,” said Barbour, referring to the estimated 11 million immigrants who are in the country without legal documentation. “So the impracticality of sending them home should be obvious to everyone.” Their discussion was interrupted by a woman in the crowd shouting she was a so-called DREAMer — a young person who immigrated illegally into the United States — and call-
See SUMMIT PAGE 8A
Photo by Deborah Cannon | Pool
San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro speaks during the “Pathway to the American Dream: Immigration Policy in the 21st Century” panel at the Civil Rights Summit at the LBJ Presidential Library on the University of Texas campus in Austin on Tuesday.