The Zapata Times 6/16/2018

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ILLEGAL GAMBLING INVESTIGATION

Two maquinita owners indicted Homes, businesses raided in Zapata and Falcon Heights ZA PATA T I ME S

A woman and a man who were arrested following raids of six maquinitas and two homes in Laredo, Zapata and

Falcon Heights have been indicted in the 111 District Court.

Rebecca Villarreal-Lopez, 50, was indicted on charges of engaging in organized criminal activity, a state jail felony, and

DACA

Trump won’t sign bill

three counts of gambling promotion and three counts of keeping a gambling place, which are Class VillarrealA misdemeanLopez ors. Ruben Rene Villarreal, 30, was indicted on charges of

engaging in organized criminal activity, gambling promotion and keeping a gambling place.

Villarreal-Lopez’s mother, Hilda Villarreal, of Zapata, was among those arrested following an investigation into illegal gambling at maquinitas.

She was charged with money laundering.

On Oct. 4, Laredo police

began the investigation at several amusement centers, or maquinitas, in the Laredo and Zapata areas.

Police said they documented illegal cash payouts at three maquinitas owned by Villarreal-Lopez and Ruben Villarreal: Wild Spin/Magic Spin, Village of Fortune, 200 W. Indicted continues on A3

ZAPATA LIONS CLUB

LITTLE LEAGUE SEASON ENDS

GOP leaders caught off-guard

By Alan Fram, Matthew Daly and Jill Colvin A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump ignited eleventhhour confusion Friday over Republican efforts to push immigration through the House next week, saying he won’t sign a “moderate” package. A top House Republican said the chamber would not tackle the issue without Trump’s backing.

The tumult erupted days before GOP leaders planned campaign-season votes on a pair of Republican bills: a hardright proposal and a middleground plan negotiated by the party’s conservative and moderate wings. Despite their policy clashes, both factions have been eager for the votes to be held as a way to show voters where they stand approaching an election in which GOP House control is at stake.

“I’m looking at both of them,” Trump said on “Fox and Friends” on Fox News. “I certainly wouldn’t sign the more moderate one.”

The compromise bill includes provisions easing the highprofile problem of children being separated from parents when the families are caught trying to enter the U.S. illegally.

It would mandate that families be kept together for as long as they are in the custody of the Homeland Security Department, whose agencies staff DACA continues on A3

Courtesy photo

The Zapata Lions Club passed out free hotdogs during Zapata Little League closing ceremonies.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Shelter for children to open in west Texas

By Nomaan Merchant ASSOCIATED PRE SS

HOUSTON — The U.S. government will open a temporary shelter for unaccompanied immigrant children in far west Texas, as existing facilities for children reach capacity under the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy on migrants and the resulting separation of families.

A spokesman for the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday that the department selected the Tornillo port of entry as a temporary shelter location. The port is located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southeast of El Paso, in an area that’s mostly desert and where temperatures routinely approach 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius).

The facility will be able to accommodate up to 360 chilShelter continues on A3

Amanda Voisard / Austin American-Statesman

Protesters attend a rally in Austin against the separation of immigrant families at the border on Thursday.

ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY

About 2,000 children separated from families

By Colleen Long ASSOCIATED PRE SS

John Moore / Getty Images

Asylum seekers are taken into custody by Border Patrol agents near McAllen. They were sent to a CBP processing center.

WASHINGTON — About 2,000 children have been separated from their families at the border over a six-week period during a crackdown on illegal entries, according to U.S. Department of Homeland Security figures obtained by The Associ-

ated Press Friday.

The figures show that 1,995 minors were separated from 1,940 adults from April 19 through May 31. The separations were not broken down by age, and included separations for illegal entry, immigration violations, or possible criminal conduct by the adult.

Under a “zero tolerance”

policy announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Department of Homeland Security officials are now referring all cases of illegal entry for criminal prosecution. U.S. protocol prohibits detaining children with their parents because the children are not charged with a crime and the parents are.

Policy continues on A3

In Brief A2 | Saturday, June 16, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

CALENDAR

AROUND THE NATION

TODAY IN HISTORY

MONDAY, JUNE 18

ASSOCIATED PRE SS

Ray of Light Anxiety and Depression Support Group Meeting in Spanish. 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. Holding Institute, 1102 Santa Maria Ave., classroom #1. The support group welcomes adults suffering from anxiety and/ or depression to participate in free and confidential support group meetings.

Contact information: Anna Maria Pulido Saldivar, gruporayitodeluz@gmail.com, 956-307-2014.

TUESDAY, JUNE 19 Tiny Toes Virtual Tour – English. 11 a.m.-12 p.m. 1700 East Saunders.

Tower B, 1st floor. The virtual tour gives mothers-to-be detailed information about what to expect upon arrival and during their stay at Laredo Medical Center. To reserve a space, call 956796-4019 or visit www.laredomedical.com/tiny-toes.

Tiny Toes Prenatal Class – English.

6-7:30 p.m. This class gives mothersto-be the most important information to help them deliver a healthy, fullterm baby from the start of labor until birth. To reserve a space, call 956796-4019 or visit www.laredomedical.com/tiny-toes.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 1220 McClelland Ave. 10 a.m. to noon. Hard cover $1, paperbacks $0.50, magazines and children’s books $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.

Domestic Violence Coalition Meeting. 12 p.m. 1700 East Saunders. Tower B, 1st floor. The Webb County Domestic Violence Coalition holds its monthly meeting. The luncheon is open to those interested in learning more about resources available to help victims and their children who find themselves in dangerous situations.

For more information, call Sister Rosemary Welsh at 956-718-6810.

Joint Replacement Surgery Seminar.

6 p.m. Learn more about this innovative program, offered by the Laredo Bone and Joint Center at Laredo Medical Center. To reserve a space, call 956-796-3009 or 7963223.

Weight Loss Surgery Seminar. 6:30 p.m. Learn more about this innovative program, offered by the Laredo Bone and Joint Center at Laredo Medical Center. To reserve a space, call 956796-3223.

Monthly walk: Un paso más de fe. 6 p.m.-7 p.m. North Central Park. Performing physical activity regularly helps keep oneself encouraged, reduces stress levels, controls depression and anxiety, and strengthens selfesteem. If you suffer from depression and/ or anxiety we invite you to come out every third Wednesday of every month. Contact information: Anna Maria Pulido Saldivar, gruporayitodeluz@gmail.com, 956-307-2014.

THURSDAY, JUNE 21 Tiny Toes Prenatal Class – Spanish.

6-7:30 p.m. 1700 East Saunders.

Tower B, 1st floor. This class gives mothers-to-be the most important information to help them deliver a healthy, full-term baby from the start of labor until birth. To reserve a space, call 956-796-4019 or visit www.laredomedical.com/tiny-toes.

Cancer Friends Meet. 6 p.m. Laredo Medical Center, 1700 East Saunders, Tower A, 1st floor. The Laredo Cancer Society, in partnership with Laredo Medical Center, holds its monthly meeting for cancer patients and their families. For more information, call 956-796-4725.

Celiac Support Group Meeting. 7:15 p.m. Laredo Medical Center, 1700 East Saunders, Tower B, 1st floor. The Laredo Chapter of the Celiac Disease Foundation invites the community to attend. For more information, email laredo@celiac.org.

SATURDAY, JUNE 30 Sunny and the Sunliners. 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. L.I.F.E. Down pavilion. For information call 480-5843.

TUESDAY, JUNE 26 Tiny Toes Virtual Tour – Spanish. 11 a.m.-12 p.m. 1700 East Saunders.

Tower B, 1st floor. The virtual tour gives mothers-to-be detailed information about what to expect upon arrival and during their stay at Laredo Medical Center. To reserve a space, call 956796-4019 or visit www.laredomedical.com/tiny-toes.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 1220 McClelland Ave. 10 a.m. to noon. Hard cover $1, paperbacks $0.50, magazines and children’s books $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.

SATURDAY, JULY 7 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.

MONDAY, JULY 9 AHEC Summer Biomedical Enrichment Program. 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. UT Health Regional Campus Laredo, 1937 Bustamante St. A three-day workshop for high school students to explore opportunities in health care professions. To register: https://summerbio2018.eventbrite.com.

NASA / Associated Press

Astronaut Peggy Whitson poses for a photo in the cupola of the International Space Station, with the Earth in the background. On Friday, NASA announced the 58-year-old Whitson had retired.

WOMAN ASTRONAUT RETIRES FROM NASA CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s record-breaking astronaut, Peggy Whitson, retired Friday less than a year after returning from her last and longest spaceflight.

She’s spent more time off the planet than any other American: 665 days over three space station missions. She’s also the world’s most experienced female spacewalker, with 10 under her spacesuit belt. Whitson was the first woman to command the International Space Station, holding the position twice, and the oldest woman ever to fly in space. She was also

Sheriff: 1 deputy killed, another wounded by inmate KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A sheriff’s deputy was killed and another was critically wounded Friday when an inmate being transported to a court hearing in Kansas somehow got ahold of a weapon and shot them, authorities said.

The suspect was also injured during the confrontation in a gated area behind a court services building across the street

the only woman to have served as chief of NASA’s male-dominated astronaut corps.

“It’s been the greatest honor to live out my lifelong dream of being a (at)NASA Astronaut,” Whitson said via Twitter, thanking “all who have supported me along the way.”

“As I reminisce on my many treasured memories, it’s safe to say my journey at NASA has been out of this world!”

The 58-year-old biochemist joined NASA as a researcher in 1986 and became an astronaut in 1996. — Compiled from AP reports

from the Wyandotte County Courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas. The wounded officer and the suspect were undergoing surgeries Friday afternoon.

The inmate was being transported across the street from the jail to the services building for a court hearing, according to sheriff’s spokeswoman Maj. Kelli Bailiff. The inmate was taken in a van to a gated area behind the building, and when the inmate got out of van, he somehow overtook and shot the deputies, possibly with their own guns, Bailiff said.

Authorities haven’t released the deputies’ names. They also said it was too early in the investigation to give specific details of how the shootings could have happened. Video from the scene shows the courthouse surrounded by yellow police tape, several police vehicles parked in the street and numerous uniformed law enforcement officers walking the grounds. Bailiff said investigators do not believe the public is in any danger. — Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE STATE Texas jobless rate holds steady at 4.1 percent in May AUSTIN — The Texas unemployment rate for May held steady at 4.1 percent, the Texas Workforce Commission reported Friday.

The latest statewide jobless figure was the same as April, while nationwide unemployment for May hit an 18-year low at 3.8 percent.

Midland had the lowest unemployment rate in Texas, at 2.1 percent. The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area had the highest jobless rate in the state last month at 6.2 percent, according to the commission’s report .

The Texas economy added 34,700 seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs in May, which marked 23 consecutive months of employment growth. Over the year, Texas added 352,100 jobs, for an annual employment growth rate of 2.9 percent,

Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle

Manuel Gomez builds shipping containers at a company in El Paso. The Texas jobless rate for May held steady at 4.1 percent.

according to labor officials.

“Private-sector employers have accounted for the addition of 346,300 positions in Texas over the past year as the state has continued to expand its workforce,” said Commissioner Ruth R. Hughs.

Private-sector employers added 34,300 positions over the month. The education and

health services second added 8,100 positions over the month, and led all industries in job growth for May. Professional and business services added 4,300 jobs during May in Texas.

Texas unemployment figures for June are scheduled to be released on July 20. — Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE WORLD Tropical Storm Carlotta forms off coast of Acapulco MEXICO CITY — Tropical Storm Carlotta formed in the Pacific Ocean near Mexico’s Acapulco on Friday while the former Hurricane Bud weakened to a tropical depression after passing over the Baja Peninsula.

Carlotta, the third named storm of the Pacific hurricane season, was forecast to make

landfall Saturday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

It said that Carlotta had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, and its center was located about 60 miles southsoutheast of Acapulco. The storm was moving toward the northeast at 5 mph.

The hurricane center says the storm threatens torrential rains for the coastline of the southern states of Guerrero and Oaxaca, with up to 10 inches possible in some areas.

Today is Saturday, June 16, the 167th day of 2018. There are 198 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History: On June 16, 1963, the world's first female space traveler, Valentina Tereshkova, 26, was launched into orbit by the Soviet Union aboard Vostok 6; Tereshkova spent 71 hours in flight, circling the Earth 48 times before returning safely.

On this date: In 1858, accepting the Illinois Republican Party's nomination for the U.S. Senate, Abraham Lincoln said the slavery issue had to be resolved, declaring, "A house divided against itself cannot stand."

In 1903, Ford Motor Co. was incorporated.

In 1933, the National Industrial Recovery Act became law with President Franklin D. Roosevelt's signature.

(The Act was later struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.) The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was founded as President Roosevelt signed the Banking Act of 1933.

In 1943, comedian Charles Chaplin, 54, married his fourth wife, Oona O'Neill, the 18-year-old daughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill, in Carpinteria, California.

In 1944, George Stinney, a 14-yearold black youth, was electrocuted by the state of South Carolina for the murders of two white girls, Betty June Binnicker, 11, and Mary Emma Thames, 7.

In 1958, the Supreme Court, in Kent v. Dulles, ruled that artist Rockwell Kent could not be denied a passport because of his communist affiliations.

Imre Nagy (IM'-ray nahj), premier of Hungary during the 1956 rebellion, was executed in Budapest for treason.

In 1978, President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos signed the instruments of ratification for the Panama Canal treaties during a ceremony in Panama City.

In 1988, impeached and ousted Arizona Governor Evan Mecham and his brother, Willard, were acquitted by a Phoenix jury of concealing a $350,000 campaign loan.

In 1996, Russian voters went to the polls in their first independent presidential election; the result was a runoff between President Boris Yeltsin (the eventual winner) and Communist challenger Gennady Zyuganov.

Sportscaster Mel Allen died in Greenwich, Connecticut, at age 83.

In 2015, real estate mogul Donald Trump launched his successful campaign to become President of the United States with a speech at Trump Tower in Manhattan.

Ten years ago: Former Vice President Al Gore announced his endorsement of fellow Democrat Barack Obama for president. A California Supreme Court ruling that overturned the state's bans on same-sex marriage became final at 5:01 p.m. Pacific time, prompting dozens of gay couples to tie the knot. Tiger Woods, playing on a throbbing injured knee, won an epic U.S. Open after a 19-hole playoff at Torrey Pines with Rocco Mediate.

Five years ago: Riot police firing tear gas and water cannons repelled thousands of anti-government protesters attempting to converge on Istanbul's central Taksim Square while Prime Minister Recep Tayipp Erdogan defended the crackdown at a rally of his supporters. Justin Rose captured his first major championship and became the first Englishman in 43 years to win the U.S. Open, shooting a closing 70 at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, for a 1-over 281 total. Connecticut accountant Erin Brady won the Miss USA pageant in Las Vegas.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Eileen Atkins is 84. Actor Bill Cobbs is 84.

Author Joyce Carol Oates is 80. Country singer Billy "Crash" Craddock is 80.

Songwriter Lamont Dozier is 77.

Rhythm and blues singer Eddie Levert is 76. Actress Joan Van Ark is 75. Actor Geoff Pierson is 69. Rhythm and blues singer James Smith is 68. Boxing Hall of Famer Roberto Duran is 67. Pop singer Gino Vannelli is 66. Actress Laurie Metcalf is 63. Actor Arnold Vosloo is 56. Actor Danny Burstein is 54. Model-actress Jenny Shimizu is 51.

Actor James Patrick Stuart is 50.

Rapper MC Ren is 49. Actor Clifton Collins Jr. is 48. Golfer Phil Mickelson is 48. Actor John Cho is 46. Actor Eddie Cibrian is 45. Actor Fred Koehler is 43. Actress China Shavers is 41.

Actor Daniel Bruhl is 40. Bluegrass musician Caleb Smith is 40. Actress Sibel Kekilli is 38. Actress Missy Peregrym is 36.

Thought for Today : "We seldom stop to think how many people's lives are entwined with our own. It is a form of selfishness to imagine that every individual can operate on his own or can pull out of the general stream and not be missed." — Ivy Baker Priest, former U.S. Treasurer (1905-1975).

CONTACT US Tropical Storm Bud left the Baja Peninsula early Friday and re-emerged over the Gulf of California where it weakened again to a tropical depression after dumping heavy rains on the resorts of Los Cabos.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center downgraded Bud on Friday morning when its sustained winds dropped to 35 mph.

It was moving north at 12 mph toward the Mexican mainland and the state of Sonora. — Compiled from AP reports

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The Zapata Times

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, June 16, 2018 |

A3

FROM THE COVER

Sessions cites Bible to defend separating families

By Colleen Long A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Jeff Sessions cited the Bible on Thursday in his defense of his border policy that is resulting in hundreds of immigrant chil-

DACA From page A1 border facilities and enforce immigration laws.

Spotlighting the political sensitivity of the issue, congressional Republicans have distanced themselves from the Trump administration’s policy of separating children from their parents at the southern border. The White House has cited the Bible in defending its “zero tolerance” approach to illegal border crossings.

House Speaker Paul Ryan has said that Trump backs the compromise plan. GOP aides said Trump’s remark caught party leaders off-guard, and White House officials did not immediately respond to requests to clarify the president’s comment.

While the conservative measure is seen as virtually certain to lose, party leaders have nurtured hopes that the compromise bill could pass.

Trump’s backing has been seen as crucial, and his apparent pullback of support would be an embarrassing setback.

INDICTED From page A1 Village Blvd., and Good Fortune, 2300 E. Saunders St. At each location, police recorded payouts ranging from $15 to $240, according to an affidavit.

Villarreal-Lopez and Ruben Villarreal removed profits made from the 8-liner slot machines, authorities said. Both allegedly conducted financial transactions by depositing cash derived from illegal gambling proceeds to facilitate the ongoing gambling operation. They also attempted to legitimize the currency derived from the operation, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Authorities said the investigation revealed patterns of activity and consistent movement of large amounts of money from the maquinitas to a residence owned by Villarreal-Lopez in the 3000 block of Robert Frost in the D&J Alexander Estates Subdivision. Her husband, Joel Lopez, also owns the home. He was the head coach of the Alexander High School football team until he was reassigned in the

dren being separated from their parents after they enter the U.S. illegally.

Sessions, speaking in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on immigration, pushed back against criticism he had received over the policy. On Wednesday, a

Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., the GOP’s No. 2 vote counter, told reporters that leaders were seeking “clarity” from the White House about what Trump meant. Meanwhile, he suggested that plans for votes next week were being reconsidered.

“House Republicans are not going to take on immigration without the support and endorsement of President Trump,” McHenry said.

Democrats are expected to solidly oppose both GOP bills, giving Republicans little leeway for losing support.

Underscoring the confusion, leaders canceled plans to use votes Friday on unrelated bills to try rounding up support for the compromise legislation, said another leading Republican, Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma.

Cole said Trump was “confused,” reflecting hopes by some Republicans that Trump’s position might change.

The leader of the hardright House Freedom Caucus — many of whose members have not endorsed the compromise plan — said Trump’s

days following his wife’s arrest. In April, he was named head coach of the Hawks football team for Zapata County ISD. On Jan. 5, authorities raided six maquinitas and two homes in the Laredo, Zapata and Falcon Heights. The execution of the search warrants resulted in the arrest of the Villarreals, two maquinita employees and Villarreal-Lopez’s mother, Hilda Villarreal.

Authorities said they found almost $1.5 million at Hilda Villarreal’s home and over $140,000 at Lopez-Villarreal’s house in north Laredo.

Combined, law enforcement said it seized almost $1.9 million from the two homes and six maquinitas.

The multi-agency operation included local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

Laredo Police Department’s narcotics/vice unit led the operation with the assistance of the Webb County District Attorney’s Office, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church said that separating mothers from their babies was “immoral.”

Sessions said many of the recent criticisms were not “fair or logical and some are contrary to law.”

“I would cite you to the

Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order,” he said.

“Orderly and lawful processes are good in themselves and protect the

weak and lawful.”

Last month, the attorney general announced a “zero tolerance” policy that any adult who enters the country illegally is criminally prosecuted.

U.S. protocol prohibits detaining children with their parents because the

children are not charged with a crime and the parents are.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, more than 650 children were separated from their parents at the U.S.Mexico border during a two-week period in May.

conservative bill would extend DACA protections for renewable six-year periods.

The GOP compromise would let Dreamers apply to stay in the U.S. for six-year, renewable periods. It would also cover an expanded number of children who arrived legally with parents who have obtained work visas.

After five years, those immigrants apply for green cards — permanent legal status — on a point system. Credit would be granted for education, military service, jobs and English language proficiency. Once they had green cards, they could follow the existing process to apply for citizenship.

The middle-ground bill curbs legal immigration, ending a lottery that distributed visas to lowimmigration countries and paring down the relatives that U.S. citizens can sponsor for legal status. It also makes it easier to deport some immigrants and harder for some to enter the U.S. seeking asylum because they have been persecuted at home.

backing would be key.

“He’s just responding to the people who elected him,” said Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C. “His voice on immigration probably carries more weight” among Republicans than anyone else, “So obviously you have to pay attention to that.”

Both the conservative and compromise GOP bills contain stringent security provisions and money to build Trump’s proposed wall with Mexico. But only the compromise measure gives young

immigrants who arrived in the U.S. illegally as children a chance to ultimately become citizens.

Conservatives are leery of legislation protecting from deportation immigrants who arrived illegally, calling it amnesty. A vote for such a measure, no matter what is also included for border security, could make them vulnerable to future challenges from even more conservative candidates.

Centrists, many from districts with many Hispanic and moderate vot-

ers, want to demonstrate they’re trying to protect the immigrants.

In a further confusing note, Trump added, “I need a bill that gives this country tremendous border security. I have to have that. We have to have the wall. Don’t have the wall, there’s no bill.”

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., criticized Trump’s stance.

“When the president says he’s not going to sign it, just shows how low his standards are,” she said.

Both bills, which are still undergoing changes, contain provisions aimed at helping young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children, often called Dreamers.

Hundreds of thousands of them have been protected by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. Trump has terminated that program, though federal courts have temporarily kept it functioning. DACA has let the immigrants live and work in the U.S. in renewable two-year increments, but does not give them permanent legal status.

The latest version of the

SHELTER From page A1

will have air conditioning.

The numbers of children in existing facilities have surged as the Trump administration institutes a policy of trying to prosecute all people who cross the southern U.S. border without legal permission. Hundreds of families have been separated, with parents detained and their children placed in

government shelters.

On Wednesday, government officials gave a tightly controlled tour of a shelter in Brownsville, Texas, on the other end of the state. Located inside a former Walmart, the shelter is housing nearly 1,500 children. Many other facilities in the U.S. government network are at or close to capacity.

State Rep. Mary Gonzalez, a Democrat whose

district includes the port of entry, said government officials had contacted her about two weeks ago to offer a tour of the port of entry, but included few other details.

“It’s kind of in the middle of nowhere,” she said. “It’s in the desert.

There is nowhere to go outside, really.”

She added, “I don’t understand where they’re going to put these kids.”

On Thursday, Sessions cited the Bible in defending his policy, arguing the recent criticisms were not “fair or logical and some are contrary to law.”

“I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained

them for the purpose of order,” he said.

The new figures are for people who tried to enter the U.S. between official border crossings. Asylum seekers who go directly to official crossings are not separated from their families, except in specific circumstances including if officials can’t confirm the

relationship between the minor and adults, safety of the children, or if the adult is being prosecuted.

There were an additional 35 minors separated at ports of entry in May through June 6. There were more than 50 at the official crossings in April and March each, according to the figures.

J. Scott Applewhite / AP

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill. joins supporters of "dreamers" as they mark the 6th anniversary of the announcement of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program on Capitol Hill in Washington on Friday.

dren in “the next few days,” said the spokesman, Kenneth Wolfe.

Asked if children will be kept in tents, Wolfe said the facility would have “soft-sided structures,” but didn’t immediately clarify what those structures would be. He added that the structures

POLICY From page A1 The policy has been widely criticized by church groups, politicians and children’s advocates who say it is inhumane. A battle in Congress is brewing in part over the issue.

Letters to the editor Send your signed letter to editorial@lmtonline.com

A4 | Saturday, June 16, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

COLUMN

OTHER VIEWS

Borderland locals rise up and resist walls

By Sonya Kumpuckal TR IBUNE NEWS SE RV ICE

Even a girl from Chicago like me can appreciate the uniqueness of a place like the American Southwest.

And it’s also very clear to me that border walls forever damage these places — places that so eloquently represent a melting pot of people and wildlife.

To protect the communities and environment of the border, more than 400 people gathered at All Against the Wall rally earlier this month.

It was at the construction site of Donald Trump’s newest wall of hate — a 20-mile, $73 million lawless monstrosity at Santa Teresa just west of El Paso.

We rallied in opposition to Trump’s thinlyveiled monument to white supremacy. Instead, we built love and stronger communities through song, spoken word, marching, dance, and of course, voter registration!

This wall is illegal.

Trump’s Department of Homeland Security waived 25 laws along the 20-mile project area at Santa Teresa. DHS used a Bush-era loophole to exempt itself from laws that protect clean air, clean water, public participation, Native American graves, religious freedom and much, much more.

It is unfair that border residents, be they wildlife or people, don’t get the same protections that the rest of America can count on for health, safety, freedom of religion and environmental protection.

Each time I see wall construction happening in Santa Teresa, I am frightened. I’m met with bulldozers, trash and the building of an eye-sore fence-like structure — the very concrete beginnings of Donald Trump’s border wall.

If you try to visit a border wall construction site, you may be met by a masked private security guard carrying an AR-15, as we were a few weeks ago, or by the army of Border Patrol vehicles, cameras, checkpoints and armed agents that borderlands residents have to deal with every day.

That is not the kind of militarized environment that any of us want our children and future generations to grow up in.

Saying Southwest lands are special is an understatement.

They are cultural, ecological and historical havens in their own right.

Wildlife like the Mex-

ican gray wolf depends on international connectivity with our Mexican neighbors as well as corridors to roam and increase their range.

The same applies to the jaguar and ocelot — critically endangered species living in our region who would suffer in the face of a border wall.

Even worse, the people — our neighbors and own communities — would be the ones paying the highest price for this wall.

The way Trump and his supporters paint the borderlands is incorrect, offensive and could have irreversible effects on the spaces so many people and creatures depend on.

We’ve seen the damage of border walls before Trump, but his motivation to expand it in such a big way will prove detrimental.

What started as racist and inflammatory sound bites of an "America first" campaign has somehow convinced Congress to allot nearly $2 billion of taxpayer money to this dangerous reality.

We must hold leadership — both right and left — accountable for the damage they’re inflicting on people and places in the borderland states.

The enthusiastic crowd at the All Against the Wall event demonstrated that border residents are united in opposition to the militarization of our border.

Yet over the last two decades, the United States has militarized the southern border region with little regard to its negative impact on our communities, wildlife, and environment.

With increased flooding and damage caused from walls that already exist, Americans and Mexicans are still paying the costs of this damage — some that can never be truly repaired nor forgotten.

It’s clear we are being subjected to blatant disregard and disrespect for human life and sacred lands.

The barriers that separate us physically and metaphorically warrant the need for all communities to come together in resistance to this destructive and divisive border wall.

I urge you to contact your U.S. senators — be they independent, Democrat or Republican — and tell them the wall is not the answer.

It’s a waste of money and an insult to American values.

Sonya Kumpuckal is a Tribune News Service columnist.

COLUMN

Inspector general’s report faults Comey

By Noah Feldman BL OOMBERG NEWS

Blame Comey. That’s the main takeaway of the much-awaited Justice Department inspector general’s report on the Hillary Clinton email investigation.

The report faulted former FBI Director James Comey both for saying in July 2016 that there were no grounds for a reasonable prosecutor to go after Clinton and for saying in October of that year that the investigation of her emails had been reopened.

The report released Thursday is intended to rebuke Comey and send a message about keeping the rule of law separate from politics.

Comey has said that he had no choice but to act as he did under the circumstances, and that he would do it again.

The inspector general, speaking as the disembodied voice of an independent entity within a Justice Department that is also supposed to be independent, is directly refuting Comey’s argument.

Comey should not have broken the rules the first time, in discussing the Clinton email investigation publicly.

Doing so led him to the second infraction — the one that harmed Clinton’s chances at the presidency.

The report says that there’s no evidence that Comey was motivated by partisan support for either side. But that doesn’t matter for the main point of the report, which is that Comey should have followed the rules and kept his mouth shut.

If he had, he would have avoided putting the Justice Department into the political mess from which it has not yet emerged.

The principle at stake here is that law enforcement and prosecution are supposed to be outside partisan politics.

The report says that there’s no evidence that Comey was motivated by partisan support for either side. But that doesn’t matter for the main point of the report, which is that Comey should have followed the rules and kept his mouth shut.

This is one of the most important unwritten constitutional norms we have.

Other democracies try to separate law enforcement from politics by creating formally independent police and prosecutors.

We haven’t chosen to do that, and even if we tried, it would be tricky, because the Constitution creates an executive branch but doesn’t provide for independent law enforcement or prosecution.

Instead, we try to assure law enforcement independence from politics and safeguard the rule of law by powerful norms.

One of these is that law enforcement shouldn’t comment on ongoing investigations — especially when they are about politicians running for office.

Even before he became president, Donald Trump wanted to break the unwritten norm of against politicization. He made that clear by leading chants of "lock her up" and by saying in the presidential debates that he would try to prosecute Clinton if he won.

Faced with a challenge to the nonpoliticization norm, Comey tried to fight back with his July 2016 statement.

His implicit logic was that Trump was using the email investigation to taint Clinton. Comey’s statement was an attempt to stop that by

saying there wasn’t going to be a prosecution.

That impulse seems to have come from purely professional motives and from the desire to protect law enforcement from being politicized. But the inspector general condemns it anyway — because in breaking the unwritten rules, it was a step toward politicization.

The report notes that in the July statement, Comey said no reasonable prosecutor would have gone after Clinton based on the evidence.

The report makes it clear that Comey did not consult with the Department of Justice before making his statement.

The report further says that Comey should have taken his statement to the attorney general before making it. After all, Comey wasn’t then a prosecutor — he was FBI director, which meant he was only in charge of investigations, not prosecutions.

The report says this action of Comey’s was "insubordinate. " This infraction might sound minor, because Comey was also a career prosecutor. But it isn’t.

It’s the voice of the Department of Justice saying that all the rules need to be followed, including the one that says the director of the FBI is answerable to the attorney general when it comes to prosecutions.

That’s how the rule of law gets justified and

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DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

normalized.

Once Comey had gone on record once, he had to do it again when the Anthony Weiner investigation seemed to reveal more Clinton emails. This, too, was likely an act aimed at avoiding politicization.

Comey thought Clinton would win, and didn’t want it said that he had withheld the fact of the reopening the investigation after he had publicly said there was nothing worth prosecuting.

The IG report makes it clear that this was no excuse. Comey was again breaking the rules. And in a rule-of-law system, the rules are everything.

The upshot is that the inspector general’s report is the voice of genuine independence — speaking about the danger of being so independent-minded that you break the norms, the way Comey did.

To a law enforcement professional like Comey, it’s as close to the voice of God as a human institution can be.

And its message to Comey is, "Son of man, you have sinned."

Comey responded Thursday in an op-ed article in the New York Times, in which he defends himself, but deep down he must get the message. The person who enforces the rules should be extra careful not to break any.

I’ll leave the politics to others to analyze the fallout. But from the standpoint of the norm against politicizing prosecutions and the rule of law, the report speaks loud and clear: Don’t break the rules — any of them — if you are the nation’s chief law enforcement official. Sin leads to sin. Politics breeds politics.

It’s a lesson we are now all learning the hard way.

Noah Feldman is a Bloomberg News columnist.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, June 16, 2018 |

A5

NATIONAL

Anti-Trump texts ‘cast a Trump slaps tariffs on cloud’ over Clinton probe Chinese imports

By Mary Clare Jalonick A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

WASHINGTON — As the FBI investigated both candidates running for president in 2016, two FBI employees exchanged thousands of personal texts and messages that included a running political commentary — including newly released messages in which one of them expressed a desire to “stop” the election of Donald Trump.

In a highly anticipated report released Thursday, the Justice Department’s internal watchdog said those messages sullied the FBI’s reputation and “cast a cloud” over its investigation into Democrat Hillary Clinton’s emails, even if they did not affect the investigation itself. The report, which faulted former FBI Director James Comey for his handling of the probe, also cited antiTrump communications sent by three other unnamed FBI employees.

The messages between FBI agent Peter Strzok and FBI lawyer Lisa Page — both of whom worked on special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe — have also given Republicans ample fodder to criticize the Clinton investigation, which eventually cleared her, and to question the department’s ongoing probe into Russian election intervention and whether President Donald Trump’s Republican campaign was involved. That investigation, now led by Mueller, is also looking into whether Trump obstructed justice.

“Peter Strzok should not have a job anywhere near our Justice Depart-

ment,” said North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows, a Republican who is close Comey to Trump, after a briefing on the report. The House Judiciary Committee said Thursday they would subpoena Strzok to testify.

Both Strzok and Page worked on the Clinton probe. Strzok was a respected, veteran counterintelligence agent who helped lead that investigation. Page, who has now left the agency, was less well-known.

The two also had roles on the Mueller investigation. Strzok was removed from the Russia probe in the summer of 2017 after the department found out about the texts. Page only briefly worked on Mueller’s team and left before the texts were discovered.

Texts between the two included their observations of the 2016 election and criticism of Trump.

They used words like “idiot,” ‘’loathsome,” ‘’menace” and “disaster” to describe him. In one text four days before the election, Page told Strzok that the “American presidential election, and thus, the state of the world, actually hangs in the balance.”

Many of the texts had already been made public after the FBI sent them to Congress. But in a new, inflammatory text revealed in the report, Page wrote Strzok in August 2016: “(Trump’s) not ever going to become president, right? Right?!”

Strzok responded: “No. No he won’t. We’ll stop it.”

The inspector general’s report said that exchange “is not only indicative of a biased state of mind but, even more seriously, implies a willingness to take official action to impact the presidential candidate’s electoral prospects.

This is antithetical to the core values of the FBI and the Department of Justice.”

Trump weighed in on the exchange on Twitter Friday morning, tweeting: “Doesn’t get any lower than that!”

Still, investigators said they did not find “documentary or testimonial evidence” that the bias affected the probe — a point echoed by Strzok’s lawyer, Aitan Goelman, on Thursday.

“After a year-long investigation that included a review of millions of communications and interviews of scores of witnesses, the IG concluded that there is no evidence that the political views of Special Agent Strzok and others in the FBI impacted the handling of the Clinton email investigation,” Goelman said in a statement.

In interviews included in the report, both Strozk and Page acknowledged that some of their texts could be read as showing their bias against Trump, both during the early stages of the collusion investigation and after Trump assumed office in January 2017.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said that “conduct in the report” had already been referred to the department’s disciplinary arm, but he would not say which employees had been referred.

By Paul Wiseman and Ken Thomas ASSOCIATED PRE SS

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump brought the world’s two biggest economies to the brink of a trade war Friday by announcing a 25 percent tariff on up to $50 billion in Chinese imports to take effect July 6.

Beijing quickly responded that it would retaliate with penalties of the same scale on American goods.

In announcing the U.S. tariffs, Trump said he was fulfilling a campaign pledge to crack down on what he contends are China’s unfair trade practices and its efforts to undermine U.S. technology and intellectual property.

“We have the great brain power in Silicon Valley, and China and others steal those secrets,” Trump said on “Fox & Friends.” “We’re going to protect those secrets.

Those are crown jewels for this country.”

The prospect of a U.S.China trade war jolted financial markets Friday.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down more than 220 points in midafternoon trading. Other stock averages also sank.

The U.S. tariffs will cover 1,102 Chinese product lines worth about $50 billion a year. Included are 818 items, worth $34 billion a year, from a list of 1,333 the administration had released in April.

After receiving public comment, the U.S. removed 515 product lines from the list, including TVs and some pharmaceuticals, according to a

senior administration official who briefed reporters on condiTrump tion of anonymity.

The administration is targeting an additional 284 Chinese products, which it says benefit from Beijing’s strong-armed industrial policies, worth $16 billion a year. But it won’t impose those tariffs until it gathers public comments. U.S. companies that rely on the targeted imports — and can’t find substitutes — can apply for exemptions from the tariffs.

The Trump administration has sought to protect consumers from a direct impact from the tariffs, which amount to a tax on imports. The tariffs target mainly Chinese industrial machinery, aerospace parts and communications technology, while sparing such consumer goods as smartphones, TVs, toys and clothes that Americans purchase by the truckload from China.

These tariffs will impose higher costs on U.S. companies that use the equipment. And over time, those costs could be passed on to consumers.

But the impact won’t be as visible as it would be if consumer products were taxed directly.

By contrast, the Trump administration earlier this year imposed steep tariffs on imported washing machines. By May, the cost of laundry equipment had jumped 17 percent from two months earlier, according to government data.

The administration characterized the tariffs it announced Friday as entirely proper.

“It’s thorough, it’s moderate, it’s appropriate,” U.S. Trade Rep. Robert Lighthizer said on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings With Maria.”

Lighthizer added, “Our hope is that it doesn’t lead to a rash reaction from China.”

But Beijing’s Commerce Ministry retorted in a statement: “The Chinese side doesn’t want to fight a trade war, but facing the shortsightedness of the U.S. side, China has to fight back strongly. We will immediately introduce the same scale and equal taxation measures, and all economic and trade achievements reached by the two sides will be invalidated.”

A ministry statement gave no details of what U.S. goods would be hit by Beijing’s retaliatory tariffs.

But China in April had announced possible targets, including light aircraft, orange juice, whiskey, beef and soybeans — an economically and politically important export from America’s heartland.

Trump has already imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico and European allies, sparking anger and retaliatory threats from some of America’s closest longtime allies. But his proposed tariffs against China risk igniting a damaging trade war involving the world’s two biggest economies.

Trump’s decision follows his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Sports&Outdoors

A6 | Saturday, June 16, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

INTERNATIONAL SOCCER: WORLD CUP

NBA: SAN ANTONIO SPURS

Kawhi Leonard wants a trade from Spurs Ryan Pierse / Getty Images

With a goal in the 89th minute, Edinson Cavani and Uruguay claimed a 1-0 victory over Egypt to open the World Cup.

URUGUAY TOPS EGYPT Uruguay claims its first opening-match victory at the World Cup in 48 years A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

YEKATERINBURG, Russia — In a team that boasts one of the World Cup’s most potent attacks, two defenders combined to give Uruguay a late 1-0 victory over Egypt on Friday.

Uruguay captain Diego Godin and teammate Jose Gimenez, who anchor the back line at Atletico Madrid as well as the national team’s traditionally solid defense, did their job in front of their own goalkeeper and then combined for the winning strike in the 89th minute.

Godin, who was making his 117th international appearance, sent a free kick from the right into the area. Gimenez jumped and got his head to the ball, directing it into the net and giving Uruguay its first opening-match victory at the World Cup in 48 years.

“Sometimes the ball will go to the back of the net, sometimes it won’t,” Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez said. “I’m very proud of the team and the attitude

they played with throughout the match.”

Uruguay now has three points in Group A, but still trails Russia on goal difference after the host nation’s 5-0 victory over Saudi Arabia on Thursday.

Egypt forward Mohamed Salah was on the bench for his country’s first World Cup match since 1990 after injuring his shoulder while playing for Liverpool in last month’s Champions League final. Salah was the Premier League’s player of the season after scoring a league-leading 32 goals, with 44 in all competitions.

He left the Champions League final in tears on May 26 after he was injured during a collision with Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos.

“He didn’t play today because we didn’t want to have any risk or danger,” Egypt coach Hector Cuper said. “But I think he will be OK for the next match.”

Uruguay strikers Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, the pair of players who make up that potent offense, missed their chances at the Yekatarinburg Arena. Suarez failed to beat Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El Shennawy in two one-on-one situations and Cavani hit the post from a free kick two minutes from the end.

“We’ve tried to play in a very orderly fashion,” Tabarez said.

“I don’t think some of the players played as well as they can.”

Egypt, which had zero corner

kicks in the match, has yet to win a World Cup game. It managed two draws at the 1990 tournament and lost its only match in 1934.

With its focus on defense, Egypt failed to capitalize on several mistakes from the Uruguay midfield.

“Mo Salah is an important player for us, that is without a doubt,” Cuper said. “Perhaps if Mo had been on the pitch today the outcome could have been different, but we’ll never know that.”

Own-goal earns Iran 1-0 win over Morocco at World Cup ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Aziz Bouhaddouz headed a free kick into his own net in the fifth minute of injury time to gift Iran a 1-0 victory over Morocco on Friday at the World Cup. Only on the field as a 77thminute substitute, the Morocco striker dived to reach a curling cross from the left but headed the ball past goalkeeper Monir El Kajoui.

There was an explosion of joy among the Iran squad, with coaching staff and substitutes sprinting onto the field and jumping for joy.

It was Iran’s second win in 13 matches at the World Cup, and Asia’s first since the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

With Spain and Portugal the other teams in Group B, Friday’s match in St. Petersburg was regarded as a must-win game for the two outsiders.

Eric Gay / Associated Press file

All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard has reportedly told the San Antonio Spurs that he would like to be traded this summer.

Leonard say he’s unhappy with San Antonio situation

By Tim Reynolds ASSOCIATED PRE SS

Kawhi Leonard’s time with the San Antonio Spurs may soon be over.

A person familiar with the situation says Leonard has told the Spurs that he would like to be traded this summer, the clearest sign yet that the relationship between the team and the All-Star is in disrepair.

The person said Leonard has decided that he is “unhappy with the situation” in San Antonio. The person spoke with The Associated Press Friday on condition of anonymity because neither the player nor the team commented publicly.

Yahoo Sports first reported Leonard’s hope for a trade.

Leonard played in only nine game with the Spurs this past season because of a leg injury — officially described as right quadriceps tendinopathy, and the Spurs listed him as out on their injury reports for much of the year citing “injury management.” In the 2016-17 season, he averaged a career-best 25.5 points and was third in the MVP voting.

Leonard is due just over $20

million next season, and can become a free agent in the summer of 2019. It’s unclear if the Spurs will go ahead and try to trade him, or if the team will try to patch things up with the 2014 NBA Finals MVP and two-time NBA defensive player of the year.

There were signs of strain in the relationship this past season while Leonard was sidelined.

The Spurs were reduced to giving only cryptic answers about Leonard’s status. While San Antonio was in the playoffs, losing in the first round to eventual repeat champion Golden State, Leonard was rehabbing in New York — which meant that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, when asked for the situation, deferred all comment to “Kawhi and his group.”

Teammates also were tightlipped about Leonard’s situation, even by Spurs standards.

“He has to do what’s best for him,” Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge told USA Today Sports back in April.

All of Leonard’s nine appearances with the Spurs this season were prior to the AllStar break, none of them coming after Jan. 13.

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: HOUSTON TEXANS

Texans’ attorneys request judge to dismiss the cheerleader lawsuit claiming sex discrimination

By David Barron H OUSTO N CHRONI CLE

Attorneys for the Houston Texans have asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed against the team by five former cheerleaders or to delay proceedings while the former cheerleaders’ complaints are submitted to arbitration.

Team attorneys, in a motion filed with U.S. District Judge David Hitner, cite several flaws in what they describe as a “frivolous” lawsuit filed by former cheerleaders Hannah Turnbow, Ainsley Parish, Morgan Wiederhold, Ashley Rodriguez and Kelly Neuner.

The suit is one of two filed last month by former Texans cheerleaders, complaining of wage violations, breach of contract, negligence and other issues.

Among the lawsuit’s flaws, the Texans say, is that former cheerleaders acted improperly by filing legal action despite sign-

ing contracts that require mandatory arbitration for disputes. If the suit is not dismissed, the team says, it at least should be stayed pending arbitration.

Attorney Gloria Allred speaks during a press conference announcing a lawsuit on behalf of five former Houston Texan NFL cheerleaders at the law offices of Kimberley Spurlock, 17280 West Lake Houston Parkway, in Humble, Friday, June 1, 2018. ( Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle ) Media: Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle Cheerleaders complain they were not paid for hours worked, but the team says the cheerleaders violated their contracts if they filed to report to the team the actual number of hours they worked during a given week. Other complaints, the team, adds, lack proof or are not subject to court action because they are governed by the Texas Workers Compensation Act.

Melissa Phillips / Houston Chronicle

Houston Texans’ attorneys say that the lawsuit filed by the team’s former cheerleaders has several flaws.

The former cheerleaders also “want to rewrite history,” the team says, by complaining about their treatment after several posted complimentary messages on social media about their association with the team.

“Above all, the plaintiffs want to ignore the law, which dictates that their claims fail, whether in arbitration … or in this court,” lawyers add.

The standard cheerleader contract includes a clause in which both sides

agree that the NFL commissioner will preside over binding arbitration to settle any disputes. The commissioner also has authority to refer the dispute to an outside arbitrator.

In a separate filing, attorneys for the team say that Neuner’s complaint against the team because she has not been a cheerleader since the summer of 2011 and that that her complaints fall outside the statute of limitations, which range from 300

days to four years, along with being “factually invalid.”

The five former cheerleaders, who filed suit late last month, are represented by Houston attorney Kimberly Spurlock and by noted women's rights attorney Gloria Allred.

Accusations include violations of federal labor laws and minimum-wage regulations and, in Turnbow’s case, damages for humiliation, emotional distress and what she says was the Texans’ “malicious and recklessly indifferent conduct.”

The Texans are represented by David Gregory of the Houston office of the law firm Locke Lord.

The Texans are the only defendant in the lawsuit filed by Spurlock on behalf of her five clients. An earlier lawsuit filed by Houston attorney Bruse Loyd on behalf of another former cheerleader also lists Texans cheerleader director Alto Gary as a defendant.

The suit also seeks

class action status on behalf of other former Texans cheerleaders who say they were not paid for hours worked. The contract sets pay at the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, but former cheerleaders say they were told

by Gary that a cheerleader’s position was a fulltime job with part-time salary.

Four of Loyd’s clients appeared Friday morning on ABC News’ “Good Morning America” to complain about their treatment by the team and were scheduled to appear Friday night on the network’s “Nightline.”

“Making the team was everything you thought it could be. It was glitter, glitz, glam,” said a former cheerleader identified only by her first name, Ashlyn. “And then the bad things started happening. The harassment, the bullying. … People were being called ugly names. And we were being called ‘jelly belly’ and ‘chunky cheeks.’”

Frontera THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, June 16, 2018 |

RIBEREÑA EN BREVE

SAN ANTONIO

SERVICIOS DE GENEALOGÍA

Inmigrantes en tráiler

1 ¿Quiere conocer sobre sus raíces familiares? Visite el centro Roma Birding Center/ Computer Lab en Roma, cada martes a las 6:30 p.m., para obtener información.

Encuentran a 54 personas dentro de vehículo

CONSULADO MÓVIL 1 El Consulado General de México en Laredo invita a la comunidad de Zapata y zonas cercanas para que acudan al Consulado Móvil que se llevará a cabo el 16 de junio en las instalaciones del centro Zapata County Technical and Advance Education Center, de 8 a.m. a 2 p.m. Se brindarán servicios de expedición de matrícula consular y pasaportes, así como expedición de copias certificadas de actas de nacimiento para personas que hayan sido registradas en México. Para hacer cita y para solicitar requisitos, pueden comunicarse a MEXITEL al 1-877-6394835 ó visitar el sitio oficial de MEXITEL 4 DE JULIO 1 Celebración del 4 de julio en el Distrito Histórico de la Ciudad de Roma, el 4 de julio de 6 a 11:30 p.m.

CLASE DE ZUMBA 1 El Departamento de Bomberos del Condado de Zapata invita a la Clase Maestra de Zumba para gastos médicos y de viaje de Ike Gutiérez, el 14 de julio, en Muscle & Fitness Center, 5500 Tesoro Plaza en Laredo, de 10 a.m. a 12 p.m.

Por Elizabeth Zavala SAN ANTONIO EXPRE SS-NEWS

Un hombre de Laredo de 36 años se enfrenta a cargos federales de contrabando humano después que 54 inmigrantes indocumentados fueran encontrados el martes por la noche en un callejón al noreste de San Antonio dentro de un tráiler con aire acondicionado.

Oficiales federales identificaron al conductor como Gerardo Javier Carreón. Los registros de la corte indican que fue liberado de una cárcel del Departamento de Justicia Criminal de Texas en febrero de 2016 tras cumplir una sentencia por posesión de droga.

El Agente Especial a Cargo de Investigaciones de Seguridad Nacional Shane Folden dijo en una conferencia de prensa el miércoles que las personas dentro del tráiler provenían de México, Guate-

mala, El Salvador y Brasil. Él confirmó que las 54 personas habían sido detenidas, pero no dijo dónde estaban localizadas.

No fue claro sobre el origen del reporte de 55 inmigrantes había salido y dijo que entre los detenidos se encontraban hombres, mujeres y menores de edad. Se negó a discutir las edades de los inmigrantes.

Cinco personas fueron llevadas a un hospital local el martes por la noche por heridas menores. Una permanece hospitalizada hasta hoy.

Folden dijo que Carreón, un ciudadano estadounidense, se espera sea acusado en la corte federal de tráfico humano.

Los inmigrantes encontrados dentro del tráiler en la cuadra 8400 de Laurelhurst Drive estaban hambrientos, dijo el Jefe de Bomberos de San Antonio Charles Hood, así que los bomberos pidie-

William Luther / San Antonio Express-News

Supuestos inmigrantes indocumentados caminan en fila hacia a un autobús después de ser encontrados el martes 12 de junio en la caja de un tráiler en la intersección del Loop 410 y Broadway en San Antonio.

ron pizza y los alimentaron.

Conforme la policía inspeccionaba a cada persona, un hombre fue visto sentado esposado en la caja de una ambulancia.

Alrededor de las 11:30 p.m., las personas restantes encontradas en el tráiler fueron escoltadas en una sola fila a un autobús VIA. La escena estaba despejada poco después de la medianoche, después que los investigadores examinaron el tráiler.

Jenny Hixon, directora de educación y enlace en RAICES, dijo que fueron

ESCUELA LLEVARÁ NOMBRE DELIA GONZÁLEZ GARCÍA La primera alumna egresada con las mejores calificaciones de la preparatoria Roma High School en 1949, Delia González García, aparece junto a Joe Henry Doria, el 70avo. estudiante con las mejores calificaciones egresado de esta escuela. La junta directiva del distrito escolar Roma Independent School District ha anunciado oficialmente que la nueva escuela primaria del distrito llevará el nombre de González García por sus logros en educación y porque es un modelo a seguir para las generaciones futuras.

VERANO SOCIAL

ZAPATA HS CLASE DE 1993 1 Reunión de la generación de 1993 de Zapata High School, celebrarán su 25 aniversario en Patno’s Patio Bar & Grill, 313 Lake Shore Dr., el sábado 11 de agosto a las 8 p.m. Solo estudiantes y sus parejas.

1 La Ciudad de Roma invita a visitar el aviario Roma Bluffs World Birding Center en el distrito histórico de Roma. El aviario estará abierto desde el jueves a domingo de 8 a.m. a 4 p.m. hasta enero. Mayores informes al 956849-1411 BOTES DE BASURA 1 La Ciudad de Roma informa a la comunidad que sólo estará recolectando basura contenida en botes propiedad de la ciudad. Informes al 849-1411 PAGO DE IMPUESTOS 1 Desde diciembre, los pagos por impuestos a la propiedad de la Ciudad de Roma deberán realizarse en la oficina de impuestos del Distrito Escolar de Roma, 608 N. García St.

llamados a la escena por la policía como parte de un acuerdo entre la organización y la ciudad de informar a los pasajeros de sus derechos y ofrecer acceso a trabajadores sociales.

“Para que sepan a lo que se enfrentan ahora que han sido llevados bajo custodia”, dijo Hixon.

Ella dijo que los agentes de Investigaciones de Seguridad Nacional no estaban permitiendo a los integrantes de RAICES hablar con las personas el martes por la noche.

“Necesitamos respetar la humanidad básica de

ROMA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

1 Sabor de verano en Dairy Queen, Hwy 83 N., disfrute de un sundae gratis en Zapata DQ el jueves 9 de agosto de 3 a 5 p.m. todas las edades están invitadas. Habrá estaciones para hacer tu propio sundae, premios, souvenir bowls y diversión familiar.

AVIARIO

A7

Foto de cortesía / RISD

esas personas y asegurarnos que tengan acceso a información sobre sus derechos y que sus derechos sean respetados en cada etapa”, ella dijo.

Antonio Fernández, CEO de Caridades Católicas, dijo que su organización también estaba ahí para dar seguimiento a cualquier necesidad adicional que la gente pudiera tener.

Hixon y Fernández aplaudieron el trabajo de la policía y de los bomberos sobre cómo trataron a los hombres, mujeres y adolescentes encontrados dentro del tráiler.

TAMAULIPAS

Capacitan sobre notificaciones de alto impacto E SPECIAL PARA TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

Ciudad Victoria, México— Personal de la Procuraduría General de Justicia de Tamaulipas recibió capacitación por parte de la Sub Procuraduría de Derechos Humanos de la Procuraduría General de la República en el tema de protocolos de atención psicosocial para las notificaciones de alto impacto emocional identificación y entrega de restos humanos.

Personal de la Fiscalía Especializada en la atención de personas no localizadas o privadas de su libertad, de las Unidades Generales de Investigación, peritos y agentes de la Policía Investigadora asistieron a la capacitación en el marco de las obligaciones contenidas en la Ley General en materia de desaparición forzada de personas, desaparición cometida por particulares y del Sistema Nacional de Búsqueda.

Los psicólogos de la dependencia federal abordaron temas como los derechos humanos de las familias en un proceso de identificación forense, protocolos especializados en niños, niñas y adolescentes, perspectiva de género y roles de los servidores públicos en la notificación y entrega de cuerpos localizados sin vida a sus familiares.

COLUMNA

Inundaciones luego de gran sequía Por Raúl Sinencio Chávez E SPECIAL PARA TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

Extensa frontera comparten México y EU. La define en buena parte el río Bravo, cuyos trechos extremos separan a Tamaulipas de Texas. Ahí los fenómenos meteorológicos pueden tener por ende repercusiones internacionales.

Los grandes infortunios parecen concretarse de improviso.

Sólo después suele descubrirse que por delante mandan advertencias, ignoradas en las prisas cotidianas. Sea lo que fuere, algo de verdad insólito ocurre poco antes.

El año previo registra prolongada sequía. Los especialistas concuerdan en considerarla severa. Tanto, que la franja limítrofe sufre los rigores de inusual hecho. “El río Grande”, informa la agencia United Press, “se secó totalmente por primera vez en la historia”.

Abre ello camino a brusco giro de 180 grados, en términos cli-

máticos. Durante la primavera de 1954, como si los tiempos de seca lo atrajeran, el huracán Alicia golpea con furia el oriente texano. Derrama copiosas lluvias, que de inmediato saturan y destruyen los diques del río David, perteneciente al Tío Sam. Receptor último, el río Bravo en cauces medios se muestra incapaz de contener los grandes volúmenes del vital líquido.

Pronto acontece terrible desbordamiento. Lo resiente Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, el martes 29 de junio de 1954.“Para la 1:30 p.m., por las avenidas Galeana y Reynosa, una corriente de agua cenagosa, de una extensión de 2.700 metros, cae como cascada, destruyéndolo todo a su paso, la sirena de la estación de bomberos dio la primera alarma” que oyeron los vecinos del polígono urbano, rememora Genaro González Gaucín.

“Dos helicópteros de la Fuerza Aérea” gringa recorren la banda fluvial. En ambas orillas realizan labores de rescate de las familias.

Incluso llevan a cabo el salvamento de una familia que venía sobre el techo de una casa proveniente de Colombia, Nuevo León”.

La catástrofe amaina el jueves 1 de julio de 1954. Deja toneladas de basura, troncos y fétidos lodos. Ninguna vida humana se pierde, aunque hay cuantiosos daños materiales. “La miseria y el hambre se alivió con donativos” –asegura cierto reportaje–, “pero el dolor y la pobreza de quienes lo perdieron todo continúa en espera de indemnización”, tercia González Gaucín.

Inaugurada apenas el sábado 10 de octubre de 1953, la gigantesca presa Falcón capta los flujos extraordinarios. Impide esta obra binacional que el desastre avance tramos abajo, rumbo al Golfo de México, entre Nueva Ciudad Guerrero y Matamoros, por el costado tamaulipeco. Además de Nuevo Laredo, suman en cambio penosos saldos Acuña, Piedras Negras y Jiménez, Coahuila, junto con Del Río,

Laredo y otras localidades de Texas.

A dicha altura resultan peligrosos los puentes transfronterizos. Disposiciones preventivas cancelan mientras el tránsito peatonal, vehicular y ferroviario.

De Monterrey –indica la prensa–, “los trenes (prosiguen) hacia Matamoros para evitar la zona inundada y que los pasajeros y la carga no interrumpan su viaje, accediéndose justo enfrente a territorio estadounidense, por la ruta de Brownsville”.

El caudal del Bravo alcanza en su fase crítica 28.300 metros cúbicos. Análisis serios consideran aquella inundación la segunda en importancia desde 1746 y la mayor luego de 1865. Elena Poniatowska dijo, “el río Bravo a veces trae mucha agua y se las echa en torrentes a las poblaciones asentadas en sus márgenes. En otras épocas se retuerce, vacío, desaparece por completo, y hombres y animales esperan bajo el peso del calor infernal”.

A8 | Saturday, June 16, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

BUSINESS

US sales show highest rise in last six months

By Christopher Rugaber A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

WASHINGTON — U.S. retail sales rose by the most in six months in May, a sign that confident consumers are leading a strong economic rebound after a slow start to the year.

Yet with high gas prices and inflation eating away at income gains made by workers, Americans may not be able to

maintain this level of spending.

Retail sales jumped 0.8 percent last month, the Commerce Department said Thursday, the largest increase since November. Excluding the volatile gas and auto categories, sales rose 0.8 percent. April’s sales growth was revised higher, from 0.2 percent to 0.4 percent.

Americans are highly confident about the economy, buoyed by steady

job gains, an unemployment rate at an 18-year low, and the Trump administration’s tax cuts.

The solid job gains have meant more Americans are earning paychecks, and spending them.

Healthier consumer spending has boosted the economy after a sluggish first quarter. Analysts forecast growth is likely to reach 4 percent in the April-June quarter, up from 2.2 percent in the first three months of the

Stephen B. Morton / AP

Several ship to shore cranes work a vessel at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah, loading and unloading containers. On Thursday, the IMF issued its annual assessment of the U.S. economy at a news conference.

Report: Tax cuts boosting US now but will hurt later

By Martin Crutsinger A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

WASHINGTON — The International Monetary Fund believes the U.S. economy will post solid growth this year and next, helped by a sizable boost from tax cuts. But then it says growth will slide as huge budget deficits drag growth far below the Trump administration’s goals.

In its annual assessment of the U.S. economy, the IMF says growth will hit 2.9 percent this year and 2.7 percent next year.

Both are significant increases from last year’s 2.3 percent expansion.

However, after an initial boost from the $1.5 trillion tax cut package, the IMF forecasts growth will slow steadily in future years, dropping to 1.4 percent in 2023.

The economic growth, as measured by the gross domestic product, that the IMF is forecasting for this year would be the fastest pace since a similar gain in 2015. That gain

stood out in what has been the weakest economic recovery of the postwar period, with annual GDP growth averaging just slightly above 2 percent.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump pledged to double the growth rates with a program of tax cuts, deregulation and tougher enforcement of U.S. trade laws. Since taking office, Trump has often pointed to recent GDP gains as proof his economic program is beginning to work.

The IMF review lays out a less optimistic path, forecasting that GDP will grow 1.9 percent in 2020, then gradually slow to 1.4 percent in 2023.

The report said that with the tax cuts and expected increases in defense and domestic programs, the federal budget deficit as a percentage of the total economy will exceed 4.5 percent of GDP by next year — nearly double what it was just three years ago.

This big boost in the U.S. government deficit is “quite rare,” the IMF said. It has not been seen since in the United States since President Lyndon Johnson in the late 1960s boosted spending on the Vietnam War at the same time it was adopting the Johnson’s Great Society programs.

The IMF said this stimulus will provide a nearterm boost, but it will also increase future risks including exacerbating the “already unsustainable” rise in government debt. The IMF projected the level of the federal government’s debt will exceed 90 percent of GDP by 2024.

This report said the current policies will elevate future risks by increasing the government’s debt burden. The IMF suggests that to trim future deficits, the US may need to take politically painful steps such as trimming Social Security benefits and imposing higher taxes on consumers.

year.

“The consumer is on fire,” Stephen Stanley, chief economist at Amherst Pierpont Securities. “The combination of lower taxes and a drumtight labor market are producing very solid growth in disposable income.”

Sales at home and garden stores jumped 2.4 percent, the most in eight months, and rose 2 percent at gas stations.

Both partly reflect higher

prices, particularly gas sales, though home and garden stores are likely seeing higher prices for lumber and other building materials, partly because of strong demand for new housing.

Despite rising gas prices, Americans spent more at restaurants and bars, as well as at clothing stores, with sales rising 1.3 percent for both. Department store sales increased 1.5 percent.

Americans may not be able to maintain that spending pace. Inflation, led by pricier fuel, has picked up, leaving most Americans with paychecks that, adjusted for inflation, haven’t increased in the past year.

Many have dipped into savings. The U.S. saving rate slipped to 3.1 percent in the first three months of the year, down from 3.9 percent a year earlier and 4.9 percent in 2016.