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SOUTH TEXAS FOOD BANK
Campaign launched Board seeks to raise $5.7M for renovations SPECIAL TO THE TIME S
Courtesy photo
The South Texas Food Bank kicked off the Capital Improvements Campaign on Friday.
The South Texas Food Bank officially kicked of the Capital Improvements Campaign Friday at its new facility located at 2121 Jefferson St. in Laredo. South Texas Food
Bank Board President Doug Howland announced the campaign goal of $5.7 million. These funds will be used to renovate the newly purchased 93,000-squarefoot facility to fit the foodbanking needs of the
NAFTA
South Texas Food Bank and to be in compliance with USDA and Feeding America requirements. Hickey-Peña Architect firm and Dominion Builders were contracted for the renovations. Among the new facility
features will be an on-site community garden, a volunteer center, a pavilion and a state-of-the-art kitchen. Howland expressed his excitement over the new possibilities that this facilCampaign continues on A3
SANTA FE, TEXAS
Chance of 2018 deal diminishes
10 KILLED IN HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTING
Talks drag past Congressional deadline By Ana Swanson and Elisabeth Malkin N EW YORK T I ME S
WASHINGTON — The prospect of rewriting the North American Free Trade Agreement this year appeared to diminish significantly Thursday, as a deadline set by congressional Republicans passed and the lead U.S. trade negotiator, Robert Lighthizer, said the countries involved were “nowhere near close to a deal.” To get an agreement approved by the current, Republican-controlled Congress, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan set a May 17 cutoff for the White House to notify Congress of an impending deal. As that deadline came and went Thursday, Canada, Mexico and the United States remained at odds over significant portions of the sprawling 24-year-old agreement. Trade advisers across the political spectrum said that the current Congress could still vote on the deal this year if negotiators wrapped up their talks in the next few weeks. But with significant disagreements remaining among the three countries as well as disparate views among the lawmakers who must approve the deal, the chance of NAFTA’s quick resolution is diminishing. In a statement Thursday, Lighthizer, the U.S. trade representative, said that “gaping differences” remained between the countries on intellectual property, agriculture, energy and other areas. “We of course will continue to engage in negotiations, and I look forward to working with my counterparts to secure the best possible deal for American farmers, ranchers, workers and businesses,” he added.
The delays could leave the future of a revised NAFTA in the hands of Democrats, if they win one or both houses of Congress in this year’s midterm elections. And that in turn would most likely increase the chances that President Donald Trump’s NAFTA deal would not be ratified by Congress at all, trade experts say. Trump officials had been angling for a quick agreement to avoid that possibility and appeared to be making progress last week on key provisions related to automobiles. But the three countries have yet to finalize the auto terms and remain divided on some provisions, as well as other controversial points, like the Trump administration’s proposal to add a five-year sunset clause to the deal and scale back legal protections for foreign investors. Further complicating the talks is Trump’s insistence that Mexico address the flow of migrants into the United States and his threat to tie immigration to the revised agreement. U.S. officials have proposed limiting the flow of migrants into the United States by creating what is known as a “Safe Third Country” agreement with Mexico. The United States has such an agreement with Canada, and forging a similar pact with Mexico could significantly reduce the number of migrants flowing in over the southern border. But such a deal would create logistical and financial burdens for Mexico in dealing with asylum seekers, many of whom travel from Central America and through Mexico on their way to the U.S.
Michael Ciaglo / AP
People embrace outside the Alamo Gym where students and parents wait to reunite following a shooting at Santa Fe High School on Friday in Santa Fe, Texas.
Numerous explosive devices found at campus and surrounding areas By Juan A. Lozano ASSOCIATED PRE SS
SANTA FE, Texas — A gunman carrying a shotgun and a revolver opened fire at a Houston-area high school Friday, killing 10 people, most of them students, authorities said. It was the nation's deadliest such attack since the massacre in Florida that gave rise to a campaign by teens for
gun control. The suspected shooter, who was in custody, also had explosive devices, including a molotov cocktail, that were found in the school and nearby, said Gov. Greg Abbott, who called the assault "one of the most heinous attacks that we've ever seen in the history of Texas schools." The assailant intended to kill himself but gave up and told authorities that he did not have the courage to
take his own life, Abbott said. Another 10 people were wounded at the school in Santa Fe, a city of about 13,000 people roughly 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Houston. One hospital reported treating eight wounded patients. Six were treated and released. One was listed in critical condition, and another in fair condition. Michael Farina, 17, said he was on the other side of campus when the shooting began and thought it was a fire drill. He was holding a door open for special education students in wheelchairs when a principal Shooting continues on A5
U.S. BORDER SECURITY
Troops face surveillance limits By Manny Fernandez NEW YORK TIME S
HOUSTON — The hundreds of National Guard troops deployed by President Donald Trump in April are now busy securing the southern border. But when it comes to surveillance, they are forbidden from looking across it. The troops operating and monitoring high-tech surveillance equipment along the border have been told they are prohibited from
using it to look into Mexico. The little-known caveat is part of the legal ground rules for the new National Guard deployment along the southwest border, which calls for troops to operate “up to” the U.S.Mexico border, state and federal officials said. Here in Texas, the other side of the Rio Grande is off limits for Guard members overseeing 24-hour surveillance video feeds from camera towers, tethered helium balloons and other
equipment. The troops face other limitations: They are prohibited from performing law-enforcement duties, making arrests or interacting with migrants. And while troops are allowed to look across the border with their eyes, the rules on electronic surveillance place a significant restriction on the monitoring capability that federal officials have said is key to preventing illegal entries from Mexico. Mexico serves as a stag-
ing ground for illegal entry into the United States, as groups of immigrants, smugglers and guides assemble on the Mexican side of the border before crossing the river or scaling the fence in daylight and darkness. The Border Patrol, which is not bound by the National Guard limits on surveillance, routinely watches both sides of the border. “They have their hands tied,” said Rep. Vicente Troops continues on A3