2016 NFL DRAFT
SATURDAY APRIL 30, 2016
FREE
COWBOYS, TEXANS MAKE IMPACTFUL FIRST-ROUND SELECTIONS, 1B
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BORDER PATROL
DRUG ENFORCEMENT
Illegal immigrant smugglers arrested
DEA hosts Take Back event
Four people behind bars in Zapata County By César G. Rodriguez TH E ZAPATA T IME S
Four people landed behind bars for picking up illegal immigrants in Zapata County, according to court documents. Authorities identified the suspects as Jose Guadalupe Jimenez, Cynthia Veronica Rodriguez-Raya, Tonie Jo Ann GonzalezPacheco and Karina CruzMadrid. Records state they tried to smuggle 11 immigrants who had crossed
the border illegally. A criminal complaint filed Monday charged the suspects with transporting illegal immigrants. Authorities said the smuggling attempt dates back to Friday. That day, U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to an area north of San Ygnacio responded to a call from a concerned citizen. Reports indicated that a white GMC heavy duty dually truck and a green Ford Expedition were on
the side of U.S. 83 possibly picking up illegal immigrants. At about 1:55 p.m., agents said they spotted two vehicles matching the description traveling north on U.S. 83. Agents followed the vehicles for a close inspection. A records check on the GMC dually revealed it had been stolen out of Atascosa County. When agents attempted an immigration inspection on the vehicle, it sped off uncontrollably
onto on-coming traffic until it collided with parked work truck, according to court documents. About eight people exited the GMC following the crash. Agents caught up to the driver, Jimenez, and the passenger, RodriguezRaya, and several immigrants. Meanwhile, an agent on an unmarked unit kept following the Expedition. Agents then observed the Expedition parked on the Smugglers continues on A10
ZAPATA LION’S CLUB
SCHOLARSHIP NIGHT
Courtesy photo
The Zapata Lion’s Club gave over $6,000 in scholarships and got an additional $2,200 from attending universities for a grant total of $8,200 awarded to help our graduating seniors. However, after requesting a matching of $1,200, Texas A&M also told the Lions they would match them for $12,000, making the final grand total $20,000.
Dispose of unused medication By César G. Rodriguez THE ZAPATA TIME S
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is today. This is an opportunity for the community to safely dispose of unwanted, unused prescribed medication. DEA officials said they properly dispose of the unwanted medication and ask no questions of people who drop off the medication. Disposing of prescribed medication improperly or washing it down the drain creates a health hazard, according to authorities. Zapatans can drop off their unwanted prescribed medication today at the Zapata County Courthouse, 200 E. Seventh Ave. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Other collections sites were established in Laredo and Cotulla: 1 AT&T - 10719 McPherson Road. 1 Burger King parking lot - 4407 S. Zapata Highway. 1 KGNS-TV - 120 W Del Mar Blvd. 1 Laredo Fire Department Administration Center - 616 E. Del Mar Blvd. 1 Laredo Library - 1120 E. Calton Road. 1 Lowe’s Grocery Store - 1203 North Main in Cotulla. 1 Ryan Elementary -
2401 Clark Blvd. 1 San Martin Church 1704 Sandman St. 1 Shirley Field - 2002 San Bernardo Ave. 1 Student Activity Center - 5208 Santa Claudia Lane. 1 Uni-Trade Stadium 6320 Sinatra Pkwy. This service is free of charge, authorities said. The collection runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In September, authorities collected over 2,000 pounds of prescribed, unwanted medication in the Laredo area. Veronica Jimenez, program director for the Webb County Community Coalition of Serving Children and Adults in Need, said there has been an increase in prescription drug abuse in South Texas. Prescription drugs are readily available at home because people do not get rid of them, she said. Youth tend to abuse Vicodin, OxyContin, stimulants for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and anxiety medication, among others. “We’ve a seen in a lot of youth abusing pain killers. They want to get that high,” Jimenez said. “Prescription medications in people’s homes are often misused and abused. The majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family members and friends.”
EDUCATION
Migrant children kept from enrolling in school By Garance Burke and Adrian Sainz A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Candelario Jimon Alonzo came to the U.S. dreaming of becoming something more than what seemed possible along the rutted roads of his hometown in Guatemala’s highlands. This was his chance: He could earn a U.S. high school education and eventually become a teacher. Instead, the 16-year-old spends most days alone in the tumbledown Memphis house where he lives with his uncle, leaving only occasionally to play soccer and pick up what English he can from his friends. Local school officials have kept Jimon out of the classroom since he
tried to enroll in January. Attorneys say Jimon and at least a dozen other migrant youth fleeing violence in Central America have been blocked from going to Memphis high schools because officials contend the teens lacked transcripts or were too old to graduate on time. The Associated Press has found that in at least 35 districts in 14 states, hundreds of unaccompanied minors from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras have been discouraged from enrolling in schools or pressured into what advocates and attorneys argue are separate but unequal alternative programs — essentially an academic dead end, and one that can violate federal law. Instead of enrolling
Jimon and the other minors in high school, their cash-strapped district routed them to an adult school in East Memphis that offered English classes a few hours a week. But before Jimon could even register, the state shut the GED and English-language programs over concerns that few students were graduating, effectively ending his chances for a formal education. “I really wanted to study math and English when I got here,” said Jimon, who grew up speaking Spanish and the indigenous language Quiche. The teen is in the process of applying for permission to stay in the country permanently. Shelby County Schools spokeswoman Natalia Migrant continues on A10
Karen Pulfer Focht / AP
In this photo, students are shown in a Hispanic neighborhood in Memphis, Tenn. America's schools remain one of the few government institutions where migrant youth are guaranteed services, but the federal government has extended little money or oversight to monitor their impact and well-being.