MEXICO LOOKS FOR GROUP WIN
WEDNESDAYJUNE 27, 2018
FREE
MEXICO FACES SWEDEN IN WORLD CUP, A13
SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Help needed to find missing Zapata County woman Law enforcement says she has been missing for several weeks By César G. Rodriguez Courtesy photo / Zapata County Sheriff’s Office
Zapata County authorities are asking the community for assistance in locating Rachel Gutierrez.
ZAPATA TIME S
The Zapata County Sheriff’s Office is asking the community for assistance in
LAW ENFORCEMENT
locating a missing woman. The Sheriff’s Office identified her as Rachel Gutierrez, of Zapata. Relatives said they are in desperate need of finding her and are asking the
community for continued prayers for her safe return. “The family is concerned because she has not come home for a few weeks,” said Sheriff’s Office Chief Raymundo Del Bosque Jr. To report Gutierrez’s whereabouts, call the Sheriff’s Office at 765-9960 or Zapata Crime Stoppers at 765-TIPS (8477). A cash reward is being offered for information leading to her whereabouts.
BORDER PATROL
ZAPATA AGENT GETS Del Bosque named NATIONAL TOP DOG AWARD president of 2 canine from association teams Laredo Sector Sheriff’s Office chief says he is focused on training
recognized By Maria Gardner ZAPATA TIME S
By César G. Rodriguez ZA PATA T I ME S
A Zapata lawman has been named the president of the Texas Chief Deputies Association for the 2018-19 year. “This has been a very humbling experience being a member of the Texas Chief Deputies Association and working my way up to president,” said Raymundo Del Bosque Jr., chief of the Zapata County Sheriff’s Office. Del Bosque has been a member since 2013. He has previously served in the association as direcDel Bosque tor, sergeant at arms, second vice president and first vice president. “I am dedicating myself to regional networking and training with other chief deputies across the state, in concentrating on transnational criminal organizations, border issues and border security,” he said. Del Bosque said he is interested in making sure that all agencies are trained in the latest trends and tactics to protect the border and maintain the citizens’ safety. Chief continues on A14
FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION FILINGS
Rep. Cuellar among highest funded by GEO By Mitchell Ferman TH E M ONIT OR
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, has received $32,400 in political contributions from a company that operates immigrant detention centers — the second most of any elected official in the country this election cycle. Most recently, in March, Cuellar received two contributions of $5,000 from the GEO Group's political action committee, according to Federal Election CommisCuellar sion filings. The GEO Group donation is Cuellar's largest contribution from the 2018 election cycle. GEO, a company that specializes in private prisons on four continents, has made millions from U.S. Immigration and Customs EnforceCuellar continues on A16
Two canine teams from the Laredo Sector Border Patrol have received the National Top Dog Award for seizing the most marijuana and cocaine in 2017. That’s the highest recognition received for the agency’s canine handlers. While on duty at the I-35 Border Patrol checkpoint, agent Sergio Guriano was conducting a routine inspection when his canine, Harry, picked up a scent that he had been carefully trained to detect. In a semi-trailer truck, 247 pounds of cocaine was found, earning Guriano the top award for most cocaine seized by a canine team in 2017. Border Patrol agent Marco Aguilar, who has been a dog Aguilar trainer for four years, won in the category of highest amount of marijuana seized. In seven different incidents, a combined
Danny Zaragoza / Laredo Morning Times
Border Patrol agent David Cervantes Jr. plays with his canine Nelly-A on Friday, June 22, 2018 at the Laredo North Border Patrol Station during a presentation.
6,700 pounds of marijuana was intercepted. Aguilar is stationed in the Zapata area, covering brush, Falcon Lake and part of the Rio Grande. He
uses a 15-foot leash to allow his dog, Bux, to cover more terrain when at work. “The wind was perfect and he took me to where it was at,” Aguilar said of the
time Bux found marijuana in the brush. The canines are trained to detect marijuana, cocaine, human smuggling, Canine continues on A14
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
Authorities abandon 'zero-tolerance' immigration policy for families By Elliot Spagat and Morgan Lee ASSOCIATED PRE SS
McALLEN, Texas — The Trump administration has scaled back a key element of its zero-tolerance immigration policy amid a global uproar over the separation of more than 2,300 migrant families, halting the practice of turning over parents to prosecutors for charges of illegally entering the coun-
try. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said Monday that President Donald Trump's order last week to stop splitting immigrant families at the border required a temporary halt to prosecuting parents and guardians, unless they had criminal history or the child's welfare was in question. He insisted the White House's zero tolerance policy to-
ward illegal entry remained intact. McAleenan's comments came shortly after Attorney General Jeff Sessions defended the administration's tactics in a speech in Nevada and asserted that many children were brought to the border by violent gang members. Together, their remarks added to the nationwide confusion as mothers and fathers struggled to reunite
families that were split up by the government and sometimes sent to different parts of the country. Families are growing increasingly frustrated in trying to reunite with their children after weeks apart. A mother from Guatemala wiped tears from her eyes Monday as she told reporters in El Paso, Texas, about her 4-year-old son being taken away after they crossed the border. The boy ended up at a Policy continues on A14