Buckets filled with 216 pounds of methamphetamine seized by CBP officers at World Trade Bridge. USCBP Image
Texas Border Business
LAREDO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers seized methamphetamine in one enforcement action that totaled over $4,300,000 in street value.
“This drug bust exemplifies our ongoing efforts to fight against mass production of hard narcotics and attempts to smuggle them through the southern border,” said Port Director Alberto Flores, Laredo Port of Entry.
The seizure occurred on Monday, July 18, 2022, at the World Trade Bridge when a CBP officer referred a 2020 Freightliner tractor trailer hauling a shipment of water-based rubber for a secondary inspection. The truck was referred for a canine and non-intrusive inspection system examination, resulting in the discovery of five containers holding 216.09 pounds of alleged methamphetamine within the shipment. The narcotics had an estimated street value of $4,321,897.
CBP seized the narcotics. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) special agents are investigating the seizure.
Packages containing nearly 12 pounds of heroin seized by CBP officers at Eagle Pass Port of Entry. USCBP Image
Texas Border Business
EAGLE PASS, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Eagle Pass Camino Real International Bridge intercepted $306,600 worth of alleged black tar heroin on July 12, 2022.
“Narcotics interceptions like these are a prime example of CBP’s dedication to our border security mission and our continued effort to keep our streets safe from unlawful activity,” said (A)Port Director Gilbert Calderon, Eagle Pass Port of Entry.
On July 12, 2022 CBP officers assigned to the Eagle Pass Camino Real International Bridge encountered an adult male U.S. citizen driving a vehicle making entry from Mexico. The vehicle was selected for inspection utilizing non-intrusive inspection (NII) equipment. After physically inspecting the vehicle, officers discovered the packages concealed within the vehicle. The packages contained approximately 12 pounds of alleged heroin.
The narcotics and vehicle were seized by CBP officers. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) special agents initiated an investigation and one arrest was made.
El Paso Sector U.S. Border Patrol Agents disrupted three human smuggling stash houses last Friday, encountering 103 migrants. USCBP Image for illustration Purposes
Texas Border Business
EL PASO, Texas – El Paso Sector U.S. Border Patrol Agents disrupted three human smuggling stash houses last Friday, encountering 103 migrants.
On Friday, July 14 at 9:50 a.m., El Paso Sector Integrated Targeting Team, Special Operations Detachment, El Paso Sector Anti-Smuggling Unit, Santa Teresa Station Anti-Smuggling Unit, Texas Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security Investigations led an operation that rescued 59 migrants. This law enforcement agency alliance received information from previous smuggling attempts that indicated multiple migrants were being harbored in several small apartment complexes near Diana Drive in northeast El Paso.
The migrants from Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador, Mexico and Honduras were hidden inside the small properties. All migrants including three accompanied children were medically evaluated and processed accordingly. Three other individuals from Mexico were arrested in this encounter are pending prosecution on human smuggling charges.
Later the same day, at 11:40 a.m., agents assigned to the Ysleta Station Anti-Smuggling Unit received information from the El Paso Sector Intelligence Unit that several rooms were being utilized to house migrants at a motel located in east El Paso near Lomaland Drive. As a result, agents discovered 31 smuggled migrants, inside four rooms, on the property. Migrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Honduras and Colombia, including a 5-year-old accompanied child, were found in good health.
And at 5:30 p.m., El Paso Station Agents responded to an El Paso County Sheriff’s Office call at a house near Alabama street where they discovered a total of 13 smuggled migrants. The agents were guided to the stash house by information given by EPSO who were serving a narcotics warrant on the property. Although no drugs were found in the place, agents discovered migrants from Mexico who were in the United States illegally. All migrants were medically screened and evaluated. Those migrants amenable to Title 42 were expelled back to Mexico and others transported to the Central Processing Center to be processed under Title 8.
“Sheltering migrants in unsanitary and unsafe conditions is a common practice by Transnational Criminal Organizations that disregard the safety of the migrants they exploit,” said El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez. “We appreciate the assistance we receive from the public and our law enforcement partners in disrupting these criminal smuggling organizations.”
During Fiscal Year 2022, Border Patrol Agents in El Paso Sector have located more than 175 stash houses, leading to the rescue or interception of 1,975 migrants.
LAREDO, Texas – Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Laredo South Station in collaboration with local law enforcement shut down a stash house yielding the apprehension of several undocumented individuals in Laredo, Texas.
Reynaldo Garza was nominated to the United States District Court, Southern District of Texas, in March 1961 by President John F. Kennedy. Image Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/downontherio
Texas Border Business
Reynaldo Guerra Garza was born in Brownsville, Texas, on July 7, 1915. He was the child of Ygnacio and Zoila Garza, emigrants from Mexico. He passed away on September 14, 2004, due to complications of pneumonia at the age of 89. He was survived by his wife, Bertha Champion Garza after 61 years of marriage, five children, twelve grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1937, and a degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 1939.
He practiced law in Brownsville from 1939 until 1942. Garza proudly served his country in WWII as a part of United States Army Air Corps. He returned to his law practice from 1945 until 1961.
Reynaldo Garza was nominated to the United States District Court, Southern District of Texas, in March 1961 by President John F. Kennedy. Reynaldo became the nation’s first Mexican American federal district judge and later served as chief judge of the court from 1974 until 1979.
President Jimmy Carter nominated Judge Garza to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit; he was confirmed by the United States Senate in July 1979.
Garza was also the first Mexican American elected to the Brownsville School Board, and he worked with the League of United Latin American Citizens.
Biography by Norman Rozeff, Handbook of Texas Online
Published by the Texas State Historical Association
Outfielder Freddy Rojas Jr., who played with The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) baseball team from 2020-22, is now playing professionally with the Boise Hawks of the Pioneer League. UTRGV Photo
Texas Border Business
BOISE, Idaho – Outfielder Freddy Rojas Jr., who played with The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) baseball team from 2020-22, is now playing professionally with the Boise Hawks of the Pioneer League.
The Pioneer League is a designated “Partner League” of Major League Baseball.
Rojas made his professional debut on July 13 and is currently 4-for-23 with one home run, one double, three RBI, three runs scored and seven walks in seven games for a .367 on-base percentage.
This past season at UTRGV, Rojas hit .293/.409/.529 with 11 home runs, tied for the ninth-highest single-season total in program history, 10 doubles, one triple, 44 RBI and 42 runs scored in 56 games.
For his career, Rojas hit .287/.405/.500 with 21 home runs, tied for the second-highest total in program history, 22 doubles, one triple, 85 RBI and 79 runs scored in 122 games (117 starts).
Rojas came to UTRGV after one season at Hillsborough Community College (2018) and one at Monroe College (2019).
He showed off his power early, hitting a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning of a win at Houston early in the 2020 season.
He then homered in six-straight games in the middle of the 2021 season, earning back-to-back Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week honors.
Rojas is currently working toward a Master of Public Affairs after completing a Bachelor of Multidisciplinary Studies last summer.
Rojas is one of five alumni known to currently be playing professional baseball along with Dusten Knight (2012-13), who has seen time in the majors with the Tampa Bay Rays while spending most of the season with the Durham Bulls (AAA), Andy Atwood (2019-21), who is playing with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (Single-A, Chicago White Sox), Christian Sepulveda (2019-21), who is playing for the ACL Angels (Rookie, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim), Kevin Stevens (2020-22), who signed with the New York Yankees organization on Tuesday, and Conrado Diaz (2019-21), who is playing with Algodoneros de Unión Laguna of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol.
U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Del Rio Sector recently apprehended two convicted sex offenders. USCBP Image for illustration purposes
Texas Border Business
DEL RIO, Texas – U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Del Rio Sector recently apprehended two convicted sex offenders.
July 12, Brackettville Station agents encountered Jose Francisco Perdomo-Amador, 61, a citizen of Honduras, after he illegally entered the United States by crossing the Rio Grande River along with another migrant. During processing, records checks revealed that in October 2017 Perdomo-Amador was convicted of sexual assault in Dallas, was subsequently sentenced to two years in prison, and deported in 2021.
July 13, Carrizo Springs Station agents encountered Henry Orosco-Miranda, 42, a Guatemalan national, after he illegally entered the United States by crossing the Rio Grande River along with four other migrants. During processing, records checks revealed that in July 2011, Orozco-Bautista was convicted of lewd and lascivious sexual battery upon the elderly/disabled in Orange County, Florida. He was later sentenced to four years in prison and deported in 2015.
As convicted felons with prior removals, they face charges of 8 USC § 1326 – Re-entry after Deportation, which carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
During fiscal year 2022, Oct. 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022, Del Rio Sector agents have encountered more than 1,651 criminal migrants.
To report suspicious activity, call the Del Rio Sector’s toll-free number at 1-866-511-8727.
My concern was only enhanced when the 2022 roster came out and Texas dropped further to fifth. North Carolina, Washington, Virginia, and Colorado all topped the Lone Star State. Image for illustration purposes
Texas Border Business
Dr. M. Ray Perryman President and Chief Executive Officer of The Perryman Group
About this time last year, I referred to Texas falling to fourth in the CNBC rankings of top states for business as “eerily disturbing.” That remark got more attention than I anticipated. My concern was only enhanced when the 2022 roster came out and Texas dropped further to fifth. North Carolina, Washington, Virginia, and Colorado all topped the Lone Star State. Although fifth certainly isn’t catastrophic, it perpetuates a trend that needs to be reversed.
CNBC evaluates 85 areas within 10 broad categories. In most areas, Texas compares relatively well. Texas ranked second to Colorado (after topping the rankings for several years) in the most important category to the overall rank – Workforce. This measure includes the concentration of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workers; educational attainment; talent attraction; net migration of educated workers; worker training programs; right to work laws; and productivity. Companies can’t locate or expand in areas where they can’t get essential workers; this measure is crucial indeed.
Texas also compared reasonably well in several other areas. In addition, the rankings rely on some methodology decisions that may skew the outcome to some extent (including strength of the economy).
The two rankings where Texas received a failing grade are Business Friendliness (a D) and Life, Health, and Inclusion (an F). Nothing else was less than a B-, which was the grade in both Education and Infrastructure, two areas where Texas must invest to prepare for the future. The state lost its coveted perennial top spot in Workforce, and will no doubt fall further in the absence of world-class learning opportunities.
More problematic is the bottom-of-the-barrel rank of 49th in Life, Health, and Inclusion. The big issues here are the high uninsured rate and the lack of inclusiveness in state laws. As CNBC puts it, “Combine an era of enhanced social consciousness with a growing worker shortage, and it explains why, now more than ever, companies are demanding that states offer a welcoming and inclusive environment for employees.”
Although Texas has many advantages, the state needs to be more inclusive to successfully compete for many types of high-growth companies. Our firm has measured the potential effects of a variety of social policies (such as voting rights and gender identity). The benefits of being more inclusive are measurable and real, and, in the wake of the recent reproductive rights decision, are likely to become much more important in the future. Stay safe!
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Dr. M. Ray Perryman is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Perryman Group (www.perrymangroup.com), which has served the needs of over 2,500 clients over the past four decades.
988 has been designated as the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now known as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) and is now active across the United States. Courtesy Image for illustration purposes
Texas Border Business
988 has been designated as the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now known as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) and is now active across the United States.
When people call, text, or chat 988, they will be connected to trained counselors that are part of the existing Lifeline network. These trained counselors will listen, understand how their problems are affecting them, provide support, and connect them to resources if necessary.
The previous Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available to people in emotional distress or suicidal crisis.
The Lifeline’s network of over 200 crisis centers has been in operation since 2005 and has been proven to be effective. It’s the counselors at these local crisis centers who answer the contacts the Lifeline receives every day. Numerous studies have shown that callers feel less suicidal, less depressed, less overwhelmed and more hopeful after speaking with a Lifeline counselor.
Answer the call! These centers are looking to bring on new volunteers and paid employees. You will receive training, so if you are a caring person who wants to help those in crisis, apply today. Find your opportunity: samhsa.gov/988-jobs
For ways to support your local Lifeline network crisis center, visit our Crisis Centers page here.
To learn about the impact of the Lifeline, visit our new By the Numbers page.
To learn about what happens when you call, text, or chat with the Lifeline, click here.
To learn more about the history of 988, visit here.
To learn how Vibrant Emotional Health, the nonprofit administrator of the Lifeline, has been supporting states’ implementation planning for 988 through grants, check here.
If you’re a Veteran, Service Member or loved one and want to know more about how 988 will affect the Veterans Crisis Line, click here.
Right-handed pitcher Kevin Stevens, who pitched for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) baseball team from 2020-22, signed a free agent contract with the New York Yankees organization on Tuesday. UTRGV Image
Texas Border Business
RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Texas – Right-handed pitcher Kevin Stevens, who pitched for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) baseball team from 2020-22, signed a free agent contract with the New York Yankees organization on Tuesday.
Stevens will report to Tampa, which houses both the Yankees’ spring training complex and Single-A affiliate, in the coming days.
Stevens is looking to become the sixth alum to ever reach the major leagues as a player. Five have done it previously, including Dusten Knight, who made his debut with the Baltimore Orioles last season and has seen time with the Tampa Bay Rays this year, third baseman George Williams, who played for the Oakland A’s from 1995-97 and the San Diego Padres in 2000, catcher Dan Firova, who played for the Milwaukee Brewers from 1981-82 and the Cleveland Indians in 1988, infielder Wayne Tyrone, who played for the Chicago Cubs in 1978, and outfielder Jim Tyrone, who played for the Cubs in 1972, 1974 and 1975 as well as the A’s in 1977.
A two-time All-WAC First Team and a 2022 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings NCAA Div. I All-Central Region Second Team selection, Stevens went 9-2 with a 2.66 ERA this past season. In 81.1 innings, he racked up 100 strikeouts, tied for the 10th-highest single-season total in program history, while walking 29, allowing 69 hits, and holding opponents to a .230 batting average.
Stevens finished his career with 228 strikeouts, the sixth-highest total in program history.
For his career, Stevens went 18-7 with a 2.99 ERA. In 33 games and starts, he pitched four complete games, including two shutouts, and was a part of two one-hitters. In 195.2 innings, Stevens allowed 162 hits, holding opponents to a .226 batting average. He also issued just 56 walks, giving him better than a 4:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Stevens is one of five alumni known to currently be playing professional baseball along with Dusten Knight(2012-13), who has seen time in the majors with the Rays while spending most of the season with the Durham Bulls (AAA), Andy Atwood (2019-21), who is playing with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (Single-A, Chicago White Sox), Christian Sepulveda (2019-21), who is playing for the ACL Angels (Rookie, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim), Freddy Rojas Jr. (2020-22), who is playing with the Boise Hawks (Pioneer League), and Conrado Diaz (2019-21), who is playing with Algodoneros de Unión Laguna of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol.
