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ZAPATA COUNTY
NAFTA
Sexual misconduct claims Tax assessor-collector Gonzalez arrested on 5 counts By César G. Rodriguez TH E ZAPATA T IME S
The Zapata County tax assessor-collector has been arrested on allegations of sexual misconduct, according to the Department of Public Safety. A grand jury in Zapata handed down an indictment last
week charging Luis Lauro Gonzalez with five counts of official oppression, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail, $4,000 or both. The Texas Rangers arrested Gonzalez, 57, on Nov. 30. He later bonded out from the Zapata County Regional Jail.
“At the request of the Zapata County Attorney’s Office, the Texas Rangers initiated an investigation after allegations of official oppression (sexual misconduct) involving (Gonzalez),” DPS Sgt. Conrad J. Hein said in a statement. He said Gonzalez was arrested without incident.
Zapata County Judge Joe Rathmell expressed disappointment. “It’s disappointing and troubling anytime an elected official is indicted on any charges. At this point, we’re going to let the legal process take its course,” he said. Claims continues on A8
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY STATISTICS
ARRESTS ALONG BORDER DROP
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Workers at Holiday Tree Farms sort freshly harvested Christmas trees at the Beaver Creek shipping yard in Philomath, Oregon.
Holiday tree exports double President Donald Trump’s threat angers growers By Daniel Flatley and Eric Martin BL OOMBERG NEWS
William Widmer / The New York Times
Border Patrol agents survey the Rio Grande near Roma. To make the case that its deterrence efforts have been effective, the Trump administration announced Tuesday that the number of arrests at the border dropped to the lowest in nearly a half-century.
People trying to sneak over falls to lowest level in 46 years By Nick Miroff WA S H INGT ON P O ST
The number people caught trying to sneak over the border from Mexico has fallen to the lowest level in 46 years, according to Homeland Security statistics released Tuesday that offer the first comprehensive look at how immigration enforcement is changing under the Trump administration. During the government’s 2017 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, U.S. border agents made 310,531 arrests, a decline of 24 percent from the previous year and the fewest overall since 1971. The figures show a sharp drop in apprehensions immediately after President Donald Trump’s election win, possibly reflecting the deterrent effect of his rhetoric on would-be border crossers, though starting in May the number of people taken into custody began increasing again. Arrests of foreigners living illegally in the United States have surged under Trump. U.S. Immigration and Customs EnBorder continues on A8
William Widmer / The New York Times
Border Patrol agents detain a group who attempted to illegally cross the Rio Grande into the United States near Hidalgo. To make the case that its deterrence efforts have been effective, the Trump administration announced Tuesday that the number of arrests at the border dropped to the lowest in nearly a half-century.
WASHINGTON — In the cheerless days of the last recession, as Americans were spending less on Christmas trees, Oregon’s evergreen growers spotted an opportunity. Demand had been growing for Northwest-grown firs in Mexico and the U.S. has a surplus. Agricultural officials from both countries forged a relationship that nearly doubled U.S. tree exports over four years, to $22.6 million in 2015. One in six of the state’s Christmas trees are now trucked south of the border. Now, state officials are worried that their gains could become a casualty of President Donald Trump’s decision to reopen the North American Free Trade Agreement. If the U.S. ends up withdrawing from the agreement, as Trump has threatened, it could result in Mexico imposing a retaliatory tariff on the U.S. and pivoting to Canadian suppliers. "The administration does not understand the importance of U.S. agricultural exports and is putting billions of dollars of export sales at risk, unnecessarily," said Tim O’Connor, executive director of the National Christmas Tree Association. Withdrawing from NAFTA "would be devastating to U.S. agriculture and the U.S. economy." Helmuth Rogg, the Oregon Department of Agriculture official instrumental in building the relationship with Mexico, said withdrawing from NAFTA would undo years of hard work. The state is now Mexico’s largest supplier of Christmas trees. "The risk of getting rejected at the border and losing the trees and then a 20 percent tariff, I don’t think that would work for our growers," he said. The Trump administration is pushing for changes to NAFTA, which was established by the U.S., Mexico and Canada 1994 and now governs $1 trillion a year in commerce. Business groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have opposed key U.S. proposals, such as one to raise regional content requirements for cars and a reported demand for the deal to expire after five years unless the countries agree to extend it. But farm groups, while largely supportive of Trump, have NAFTA continues on A8