09/20/2008
By JEREMY ROEBUCK / Associated Press
Adrianna Gomez wakes her 14-year-old son before dawn every morning, lays out his coat and tie and drives him across an international boundary just to go to school.
With a full day of classes at Pharr's Oratory Academy followed by soccer and tennis afterward, he often won't return to his spacious Reynosa, Mexico, home until nearly 12 hours later.
Angelita Martinez Morales also hoped her children could attend Rio Grande Valley schools. U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested her Aug. 10 as she guided them across the river near Pharr.
She later told a federal magistrate judge she had to get her children — all U.S. citizens — back into the country before the start of the school year.
The two women may be divided by economic status, but ultimately both want the same thing for their children: the best educational opportunities they can provide.
Like hundreds of other families just south of the U.S.-Mexico border, they adjust their schedules, idle in bridge traffic every morning and sometimes break the law — all to send their children to U.S. schools.
"It's a sacrifice," said Gomez, 36, in Spanish. "But the river is inconsequential. It's just a problem of geography."
Some more affluent families like Gomez's attend legally by paying tuition to private schools or even buying homes to establish residency in public school districts. Her son, Ernesto, has his student visas in order and has been preparing to enter U.S. schools since his first English classes in kindergarten.
Plenty of others, though, ignore the rules. They provide fake addresses to enroll at public schools or — like Martinez — enter the country illegally in hopes of staying the whole school year.
While cities in the interior United States have only begun to seriously address this increasing immigrant population at their schools, this daily migration has been a way of life in the Valley for decades.
"In so many families, the community is not divided by a border like the land," said Elaine Hampton, a University of Texas-El Paso professor who has studied educational systems on both sides of the border. "It makes it hard to peg exactly where you live. What constitutes a permanent address?"
UNCERTAIN ENROLLMENT
Nobody knows exactly how many Mexican residents attend schools in the Valley, but some districts estimate they make up as much as 10 percent of their total enrollment.
A 1982 federal court ruling bars public schools from inquiring into the legal residency of students, but those enrolling must prove they live within the district — usually by providing a utility bill.
Some parents are so eager to have their children attend school here they will send them to live with an aunt or grandparent during the week and pick them up to spend their weekends in Mexico.
Others, however, "borrow" the addresses of relatives and friends to enroll their students even though the Mexican family never actually lived there.
"If they come and register with an address that's in the district, we can't deny them," McAllen schools spokesman Mark May said.
But the signs of illegal enrollment are everywhere.
Minivans with Mexican plates stack the pick-up and drop-off lines at schools in Hidalgo, La Joya and Brownsville. Each day, students in school uniforms groggily amble away from the Roma-Miguel Alemán international bridge.
In the predawn fog, teenagers loaded down with book bags avoid eye contact with passersby because of past problems they have had with their district residency.
LACKING RESOURCES
The proliferation of maquiladoras in many Mexican border towns in the past decade has brought dozens of families to cities like Reynosa and Matamoros looking for work, but the region's public school system has not kept up with the growth. Students in Mexican schools attend half-days in cinderblock buildings and go to class in shifts because of school overcrowding.
Parents must pay for uniforms, bus fare and supplies, and in some cases are expected to supplement the school's operating budget.
And a lack of secondary schools prompts many students to drop out after the elementary level. Only 66 percent of 15-year-olds south of the border attend classes on a daily basis, according to a 2003 Mexican government survey.
IT'S NOT FAIR
While some students know they are breaking the law, small districts like Roma don't always look at the students as a problem.
They are often more eager to learn and their parents are more involved because of the effort their families have undertaken to secure their education, district spokesman Ricardo Perez said.
"It's not like they're dumping their kids over here," he said. "They're actively seeking out a better education."
And the higher the school's enrollment, the more state and federal money the district receives.
But larger, more affluent districts like the McAllen school system can't afford to allow students who live outside the district to attend its campuses, said John Wilde, director of student support services for the district.
In addition to straining school resources, students with limited English speaking abilities routinely score lower on standardized tests.
"It's a significant issue," he said. "Imagine if you're paying taxes on a half-million-dollar home because you want your child to go to Garcia Elementary, and then we have to transfer you to another school because Garcia's too crowded. "It's not fair that there may be people that don't live in the district taking your child's spot."
Wilde's office investigates dozens of cases each year of students suspected of lying on their enrollment papers. Using returned mail, reports from other parents and red flags from campus administrators, his employees drop by the listed addresses in the early morning hours to see who really lives where they say they do.
Lying on a public document is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,000, but the district rarely seeks prosecution against the parents. Expulsion is a more likely response.
A week into the school year, Wilde had already received 30 to 40 red-flag reports that the district will investigate.
GREATER OPPORTUNITIES
Angelita Martinez, the mother arrested for bringing her children across the river, never even got that far. A federal judge sentenced her to 10 days of confinement in a federal detention center. The fate of her children — all of whom she said were U.S. citizens — remains unknown.
Adrianna Gomez, meanwhile, hopes to send her younger children to Oratory's school in Pharr once they reach seventh grade.
She says she has already seen the payoff for her family's sacrifices in her teenage son, Ernesto. A confident 14-year-old who can speak eloquently in Spanish and English, he hopes to go to Yale University and become a lawyer after graduation.
"You can see a big difference between my friends here and over there," he said. "The opportunities over here are just greater."
Showing posts with label Pharr. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pharr. Show all posts
September 20, 2008
August 30, 2008
Migrant Minds: The border is no boundary for some Mexican students
August 30, 2008 - 11:06PM
Jeremy Roebuck
Adrianna Gomez wakes her 14-year-old son before dawn every morning, lays out his coat and tie and drives him across an international boundary just to go to school.
With a full day of classes at Pharr's Oratory Academy followed by soccer and tennis afterward, he often won't return to his spacious Reynosa home until nearly 12 hours later.
Angelita Martinez Morales also hoped her children could attend Rio Grande Valley schools. U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested her Aug. 10 as she guided them across the river near Pharr.
She later told a federal magistrate judge she had to get her children - all U.S. citizens - back into the country before the start of the school year.
The two women may be divided by economic status, but ultimately both want the same thing for their children: the best educational opportunities they can provide.
Like hundreds of other families just south of the U.S.-Mexico border, they adjust their schedules, idle in bridge traffic every morning and sometimes break the law - all to send their children to U.S. schools.
"It's a sacrifice," said Gomez, 36, in Spanish. "But the river is inconsequential. It's just a problem of geography."
Some more affluent families - like Gomez's - attend legally by paying tuition to private schools or even buying homes to establish residency in public school districts. Her son, Ernesto, has his student visas in order and has been preparing to enter U.S. schools since his first English classes in kindergarten.
Plenty of others, though, ignore the rules. They provide fake addresses to enroll at public schools or - like Martinez - enter the country illegally in hopes of staying the whole school year.
While cities in the interior United States have only begun to seriously address this increasing immigrant population at their schools, this daily migration has been a way of life in the Valley for decades.
"In so many families, the community is not divided by a border like the land," said Elaine Hampton, a University of Texas-El Paso professor who has studied educational systems on both sides of the border. "It makes it hard to peg exactly where you live. What constitutes a permanent address?"
UNCERTAIN ENROLLMENT
Nobody knows exactly how many Mexican residents attend schools in the Valley, but some districts estimate they make up as much as 10 percent of their total enrollment.
A 1982 federal court ruling bars public schools from inquiring into the legal residency of students, but those enrolling must prove they live within the district - usually by providing a utility bill.
Some parents are so eager to have their children attend school here they will send them to live with an aunt or grandparent during the week and pick them up to spend their weekends in Mexico.
Others, however, "borrow" the addresses of relatives and friends to enroll their students even though the Mexican family never actually lived there.
"If they come and register with an address that's in the district, we can't deny them," McAllen schools spokesman Mark May said.
But the signs of illegal enrollment are everywhere.
Minivans with Mexican plates stack the pick-up and drop-off lines at schools in Hidalgo, La Joya and Brownsville.
Each day, students in school uniforms groggily amble away from the Roma-Miguel Alemán international bridge.
In the predawn fog, teenagers loaded down with book bags avoid eye contact with passersby because of past problems they have had with their district residency.
But 16-year-old Alemania was eager to explain why she risks the morning commute.
"My parents thought this was a better option," she said.
LACKING RESOURCES
Alemania, who spoke on the condition that she not be fully identified, attended public schools in Miguel Alemán, Tamps., until three years ago.
Although she says she preferred her friends in Mexico, she recognizes that the schools in Roma have better resources such as high-tech computer labs, extracurricular activities and English-language training.
The proliferation of maquiladoras in many Mexican border towns in the past decade has brought dozens of families to cities like Reynosa and Matamoros looking for work, but the region's public school system has not kept up with the growth.
Students in Mexican schools attend half-days in cinderblock buildings and go to class in shifts because of school overcrowding.
Parents must pay for uniforms, bus fare and supplies, and in some cases are expected to supplement the school's operating budget.
And a lack of secondary schools prompts many students to drop out after the elementary level. Only 66 percent of 15-year-olds south of the border attend classes on a daily basis, according to a 2003 Mexican government survey.
Fifteen-year-old Joseph has spent time in classrooms on both sides of the river. But as he crossed the Roma-Miguel Alemán bridge last week, he said there is no doubt where he would rather attend.
"Living in Roma is boring," he said. "But the education is much better."
‘IT'S NOT FAIR'
While Alemania and Joseph both know they are breaking the law, small districts like Roma don't always look at students like them as a problem.
They are often more eager to learn and their parents are more involved because of the effort their families have undertaken to secure their education, district spokesman Ricardo Perez said.
"It's not like they're dumping their kids over here," he said. "They're actively seeking out a better education."
And the higher the school's enrollment, the more state and federal money the district receives.
But larger, more affluent districts like the McAllen school system can't afford to allow students who live outside the district to attend its campuses, said John Wilde, director of student support services for the district.
In addition to straining school resources, students with limited English speaking abilities routinely score lower on standardized tests.
"It's a significant issue," he said. "Imagine if you're paying taxes on a half-million-dollar home because you want your child to go to Garcia Elementary, and then we have to transfer you to another school because Garcia's too crowded.
"It's not fair that there may be people that don't live in the district taking your child's spot."
Wilde's office investigates dozens of cases each year of students suspected of lying on their enrollment papers.
Using returned mail, reports from other parents and red flags from campus administrators, his employees drop by the listed addresses in the early morning hours to see who really lives where they say they do.
Lying on a public document is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,000, but the district rarely seeks prosecution against the parents. Expulsion is a more likely response.
A week into this school year, Wilde has already received 30 to 40 red-flag reports that the district plans to begin investigating in the coming weeks.
GREATER OPPORTUNITIES
Angelita Martinez, the mother arrested for bringing her children across the river, never even got that far. A federal judge sentenced her to 10 days of confinement in a federal detention center. The fate of her children - all of whom she said were U.S. citizens - remains unknown.
Adrianna Gomez, meanwhile, hopes to send her younger children to Oratory's school in Pharr once they reach seventh grade.
She says she has already seen the payoff for her family's sacrifices in her teenage son, Ernesto.
A confident 14-year-old who can speak eloquently in Spanish and English, he hopes to go to Yale University and become a lawyer after graduation.
"You can see a big difference between my friends here and over there," he said. "The opportunities over here are just greater."
Jeremy Roebuck covers courts and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4437.ok
Jeremy Roebuck
Adrianna Gomez wakes her 14-year-old son before dawn every morning, lays out his coat and tie and drives him across an international boundary just to go to school.
With a full day of classes at Pharr's Oratory Academy followed by soccer and tennis afterward, he often won't return to his spacious Reynosa home until nearly 12 hours later.
Angelita Martinez Morales also hoped her children could attend Rio Grande Valley schools. U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested her Aug. 10 as she guided them across the river near Pharr.
She later told a federal magistrate judge she had to get her children - all U.S. citizens - back into the country before the start of the school year.
The two women may be divided by economic status, but ultimately both want the same thing for their children: the best educational opportunities they can provide.
Like hundreds of other families just south of the U.S.-Mexico border, they adjust their schedules, idle in bridge traffic every morning and sometimes break the law - all to send their children to U.S. schools.
"It's a sacrifice," said Gomez, 36, in Spanish. "But the river is inconsequential. It's just a problem of geography."
Some more affluent families - like Gomez's - attend legally by paying tuition to private schools or even buying homes to establish residency in public school districts. Her son, Ernesto, has his student visas in order and has been preparing to enter U.S. schools since his first English classes in kindergarten.
Plenty of others, though, ignore the rules. They provide fake addresses to enroll at public schools or - like Martinez - enter the country illegally in hopes of staying the whole school year.
While cities in the interior United States have only begun to seriously address this increasing immigrant population at their schools, this daily migration has been a way of life in the Valley for decades.
"In so many families, the community is not divided by a border like the land," said Elaine Hampton, a University of Texas-El Paso professor who has studied educational systems on both sides of the border. "It makes it hard to peg exactly where you live. What constitutes a permanent address?"
UNCERTAIN ENROLLMENT
Nobody knows exactly how many Mexican residents attend schools in the Valley, but some districts estimate they make up as much as 10 percent of their total enrollment.
A 1982 federal court ruling bars public schools from inquiring into the legal residency of students, but those enrolling must prove they live within the district - usually by providing a utility bill.
Some parents are so eager to have their children attend school here they will send them to live with an aunt or grandparent during the week and pick them up to spend their weekends in Mexico.
Others, however, "borrow" the addresses of relatives and friends to enroll their students even though the Mexican family never actually lived there.
"If they come and register with an address that's in the district, we can't deny them," McAllen schools spokesman Mark May said.
But the signs of illegal enrollment are everywhere.
Minivans with Mexican plates stack the pick-up and drop-off lines at schools in Hidalgo, La Joya and Brownsville.
Each day, students in school uniforms groggily amble away from the Roma-Miguel Alemán international bridge.
In the predawn fog, teenagers loaded down with book bags avoid eye contact with passersby because of past problems they have had with their district residency.
But 16-year-old Alemania was eager to explain why she risks the morning commute.
"My parents thought this was a better option," she said.
LACKING RESOURCES
Alemania, who spoke on the condition that she not be fully identified, attended public schools in Miguel Alemán, Tamps., until three years ago.
Although she says she preferred her friends in Mexico, she recognizes that the schools in Roma have better resources such as high-tech computer labs, extracurricular activities and English-language training.
The proliferation of maquiladoras in many Mexican border towns in the past decade has brought dozens of families to cities like Reynosa and Matamoros looking for work, but the region's public school system has not kept up with the growth.
Students in Mexican schools attend half-days in cinderblock buildings and go to class in shifts because of school overcrowding.
Parents must pay for uniforms, bus fare and supplies, and in some cases are expected to supplement the school's operating budget.
And a lack of secondary schools prompts many students to drop out after the elementary level. Only 66 percent of 15-year-olds south of the border attend classes on a daily basis, according to a 2003 Mexican government survey.
Fifteen-year-old Joseph has spent time in classrooms on both sides of the river. But as he crossed the Roma-Miguel Alemán bridge last week, he said there is no doubt where he would rather attend.
"Living in Roma is boring," he said. "But the education is much better."
‘IT'S NOT FAIR'
While Alemania and Joseph both know they are breaking the law, small districts like Roma don't always look at students like them as a problem.
They are often more eager to learn and their parents are more involved because of the effort their families have undertaken to secure their education, district spokesman Ricardo Perez said.
"It's not like they're dumping their kids over here," he said. "They're actively seeking out a better education."
And the higher the school's enrollment, the more state and federal money the district receives.
But larger, more affluent districts like the McAllen school system can't afford to allow students who live outside the district to attend its campuses, said John Wilde, director of student support services for the district.
In addition to straining school resources, students with limited English speaking abilities routinely score lower on standardized tests.
"It's a significant issue," he said. "Imagine if you're paying taxes on a half-million-dollar home because you want your child to go to Garcia Elementary, and then we have to transfer you to another school because Garcia's too crowded.
"It's not fair that there may be people that don't live in the district taking your child's spot."
Wilde's office investigates dozens of cases each year of students suspected of lying on their enrollment papers.
Using returned mail, reports from other parents and red flags from campus administrators, his employees drop by the listed addresses in the early morning hours to see who really lives where they say they do.
Lying on a public document is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,000, but the district rarely seeks prosecution against the parents. Expulsion is a more likely response.
A week into this school year, Wilde has already received 30 to 40 red-flag reports that the district plans to begin investigating in the coming weeks.
GREATER OPPORTUNITIES
Angelita Martinez, the mother arrested for bringing her children across the river, never even got that far. A federal judge sentenced her to 10 days of confinement in a federal detention center. The fate of her children - all of whom she said were U.S. citizens - remains unknown.
Adrianna Gomez, meanwhile, hopes to send her younger children to Oratory's school in Pharr once they reach seventh grade.
She says she has already seen the payoff for her family's sacrifices in her teenage son, Ernesto.
A confident 14-year-old who can speak eloquently in Spanish and English, he hopes to go to Yale University and become a lawyer after graduation.
"You can see a big difference between my friends here and over there," he said. "The opportunities over here are just greater."
Jeremy Roebuck covers courts and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4437.ok
August 14, 2008
Reynosa man faces attempted murder charges in San Juan
August 14, 2008 - 6:51PM
Jared Taylor
Edgar Lucero Lozano is arraigned Thursday afternoon on a charge of attempted murder. San Juan Municipal Judge Ricardo Perez set a bond of $1 million.
SAN JUAN - Officers arrested a Reynosa man Wednesday on suspicion of shooting his friend last year during a drunken argument.
Edgar Lucero Lozano, 30, had been on the run since Sept. 7, when police say he shot Juan Cerda in the chest and leg five times.
Lucero and Cerda, 42, had been drinking and fighting at the Sheboygan Bar, near the intersection of Minnesota and "I" roads in Lopezville, according to authorities.
Lucero then followed Cerda to his house near the intersection of "I" Road and Border Breeze Street, where the drunken brawl escalated and ended in Cerda's shooting, said San Juan police Investigator Rolando Garcia.
Lucero had been on the run until Wednesday, when Garcia and fellow police officers caught a lead that the Mexican national's car was in Pharr, where they later caught up with him and arrested him at gunpoint.
He told police he had indeed shot Cerda but did so in self defense, Garcia said. Lucero claimed to have been on the run for fear he would not receive a fair trial, given that he was illegally in the United States, Garcia said.
But officers question the man's claims, noting police found a fake Mexican driver's license and fake vehicle registration card that Lucero apparently used to conceal his identity.
"He knew what he was doing and was out and about, trying not to get caught," Garcia said.
During a Thursday afternoon arraignment, Lucero stood without handcuffs before San Juan Municipal Judge Ricardo Perez, who charged him with attempted murder, a second-degree felony, and set his bond at $1 million. If convicted, Lucero faces up to 20 years in prison and a possible fine of up to $10,000.
Cerda, also a Mexican national who was illegally living in the United States at the time of the shooting, took months to recover from his gunshot wounds, Garcia said. He is now back in Mexico, Garcia said.
The shooting isn't the only violent incident to have taken place at the Sheboygan Bar in the past year. A fatal stabbing in July outside the bar led to murder charges against three men. Those cases are still pending.
____
Jared Taylor covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4439.
Jared Taylor
Edgar Lucero Lozano is arraigned Thursday afternoon on a charge of attempted murder. San Juan Municipal Judge Ricardo Perez set a bond of $1 million.
SAN JUAN - Officers arrested a Reynosa man Wednesday on suspicion of shooting his friend last year during a drunken argument.
Edgar Lucero Lozano, 30, had been on the run since Sept. 7, when police say he shot Juan Cerda in the chest and leg five times.
Lucero and Cerda, 42, had been drinking and fighting at the Sheboygan Bar, near the intersection of Minnesota and "I" roads in Lopezville, according to authorities.
Lucero then followed Cerda to his house near the intersection of "I" Road and Border Breeze Street, where the drunken brawl escalated and ended in Cerda's shooting, said San Juan police Investigator Rolando Garcia.
Lucero had been on the run until Wednesday, when Garcia and fellow police officers caught a lead that the Mexican national's car was in Pharr, where they later caught up with him and arrested him at gunpoint.
He told police he had indeed shot Cerda but did so in self defense, Garcia said. Lucero claimed to have been on the run for fear he would not receive a fair trial, given that he was illegally in the United States, Garcia said.
But officers question the man's claims, noting police found a fake Mexican driver's license and fake vehicle registration card that Lucero apparently used to conceal his identity.
"He knew what he was doing and was out and about, trying not to get caught," Garcia said.
During a Thursday afternoon arraignment, Lucero stood without handcuffs before San Juan Municipal Judge Ricardo Perez, who charged him with attempted murder, a second-degree felony, and set his bond at $1 million. If convicted, Lucero faces up to 20 years in prison and a possible fine of up to $10,000.
Cerda, also a Mexican national who was illegally living in the United States at the time of the shooting, took months to recover from his gunshot wounds, Garcia said. He is now back in Mexico, Garcia said.
The shooting isn't the only violent incident to have taken place at the Sheboygan Bar in the past year. A fatal stabbing in July outside the bar led to murder charges against three men. Those cases are still pending.
____
Jared Taylor covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4439.
August 8, 2008
Pharr Missing Man
Thursday , August 07, 2008 Posted: 10:56 PM
Family asks for help in finding missing man.
Pharr - The family of 71 year old Keith Conquest is asking for help in finding him. He was supposed to be going into Nuevo Progreso on Wednesday, but he never returned.
He called his wife just before noon on Wednesday, to tell her he was heading south of the border. He liked to go to Nuevo Progreso to learn Spanish.
The only sign of him after the phone call, was an ATM withdrawal about 45 minutes later at a Pharr bank.
Tonight his family is worried he may have fallen victim to a crime, or had a heath emergency.
If you have any information on Keith Conquest's where abouts you're asked to call Pharr Police at 787-8546.
Family asks for help in finding missing man.
Pharr - The family of 71 year old Keith Conquest is asking for help in finding him. He was supposed to be going into Nuevo Progreso on Wednesday, but he never returned.
He called his wife just before noon on Wednesday, to tell her he was heading south of the border. He liked to go to Nuevo Progreso to learn Spanish.
The only sign of him after the phone call, was an ATM withdrawal about 45 minutes later at a Pharr bank.
Tonight his family is worried he may have fallen victim to a crime, or had a heath emergency.
If you have any information on Keith Conquest's where abouts you're asked to call Pharr Police at 787-8546.
June 30, 2008
Texan found dead in car trunk in Mexico
June 30, 2008, 7:13PM
© 2008 The Associated Press
MEXICO CITY — A Mexican police official says a Texas man has been found beaten to death in the trunk of a car in a Mexican border town.
Tamaulipas chief homicide investigator Fernando Miranda says 25-year-old Ramiro Torres Hernandez was found dead Friday on a back road in Reynosa.
Guerrero said Monday that Torres was a resident of Pharr, Texas, but it was unclear if he was a U.S. citizen. He was identified by a sister who lives in Mexico.
The U.S. Embassy had no information on the case.
The Tamaulipas investigator said a cousin told police he was with Torres at a store when two armed men forced him into a car Wednesday. Police were investigating why the cousin did not report the abduction.
Miranda said the motive was unknown but could involve drugs.
© 2008 The Associated Press
MEXICO CITY — A Mexican police official says a Texas man has been found beaten to death in the trunk of a car in a Mexican border town.
Tamaulipas chief homicide investigator Fernando Miranda says 25-year-old Ramiro Torres Hernandez was found dead Friday on a back road in Reynosa.
Guerrero said Monday that Torres was a resident of Pharr, Texas, but it was unclear if he was a U.S. citizen. He was identified by a sister who lives in Mexico.
The U.S. Embassy had no information on the case.
The Tamaulipas investigator said a cousin told police he was with Torres at a store when two armed men forced him into a car Wednesday. Police were investigating why the cousin did not report the abduction.
Miranda said the motive was unknown but could involve drugs.
June 10, 2008
Border Patrol agent accused of smuggling cocaine, immigrant
Border Patrol agent accused of smuggling cocaine, immigrant
June 9, 2008 - 12:47PM
Jeremy Roebuck
McALLEN - A U.S. Border Patrol agent accused of helping drug and human smugglers made his first appearance in federal court Monday.
Federal authorities arrested Reynaldo Zuniga, 34, of Harlingen, on Friday after he allegedly helped two Mexican nationals sneak a kilogram of cocaine across the Rio Grande.
According to a criminal complaint filed in their case, Zuniga picked up accused smuggler Jose Luis "El Bebe" Arteaga Echazarrete, 24, of Reynosa, on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge. Zuniga then drove Arteaga in his official vehicle to the Whataburger in Hidalgo, just past the customs checkpoints.
From there, Arteaga's relative, Luis Alfredo Cruz Hurtado, 29, of Reynosa, drove him to a Wal-Mart parking lot in Pharr.
Zuniga told investigators after his arrest that he accepted $1,200 to sneak Arteaga into the country, the complaint states. But the document does not mention whether Zuniga admitted to knowing about the cocaine.
Investigators believe the agent had made six similar smuggling trips since April.
Zuniga, Arteaga and Cruz remained in custody of U.S. Marshals on Monday pending a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday.
Their case is the second smuggling investigation in less than a month targeting a local Border Patrol agent.
Agent Ramiro Flores Jr. was arrested May 15, after agents allegedly caught him using his Border Patrol badge to bypass checkpoints at McAllen-Miller International Airport. Once inside, authorities say Flores handed off a bag filled with cocaine to another man waiting in the bathroom before both boarded a plane to Houston.
Local Border Patrol spokesman Dan Doty said agents accused of criminal activity are routinely placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of their cases. But he said he could not specifically speak about Zuniga or Flores' cases.
Zuniga has been a Border Patrol agent for at least seven years, Doty said.
If convicted, he could face up to life in prison and $4 million in fines.
http://www.themonitor.com/news/zuniga_12965___article.html/arteaga_border.html
June 9, 2008 - 12:47PM
Jeremy Roebuck
McALLEN - A U.S. Border Patrol agent accused of helping drug and human smugglers made his first appearance in federal court Monday.
Federal authorities arrested Reynaldo Zuniga, 34, of Harlingen, on Friday after he allegedly helped two Mexican nationals sneak a kilogram of cocaine across the Rio Grande.
According to a criminal complaint filed in their case, Zuniga picked up accused smuggler Jose Luis "El Bebe" Arteaga Echazarrete, 24, of Reynosa, on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge. Zuniga then drove Arteaga in his official vehicle to the Whataburger in Hidalgo, just past the customs checkpoints.
From there, Arteaga's relative, Luis Alfredo Cruz Hurtado, 29, of Reynosa, drove him to a Wal-Mart parking lot in Pharr.
Zuniga told investigators after his arrest that he accepted $1,200 to sneak Arteaga into the country, the complaint states. But the document does not mention whether Zuniga admitted to knowing about the cocaine.
Investigators believe the agent had made six similar smuggling trips since April.
Zuniga, Arteaga and Cruz remained in custody of U.S. Marshals on Monday pending a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday.
Their case is the second smuggling investigation in less than a month targeting a local Border Patrol agent.
Agent Ramiro Flores Jr. was arrested May 15, after agents allegedly caught him using his Border Patrol badge to bypass checkpoints at McAllen-Miller International Airport. Once inside, authorities say Flores handed off a bag filled with cocaine to another man waiting in the bathroom before both boarded a plane to Houston.
Local Border Patrol spokesman Dan Doty said agents accused of criminal activity are routinely placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of their cases. But he said he could not specifically speak about Zuniga or Flores' cases.
Zuniga has been a Border Patrol agent for at least seven years, Doty said.
If convicted, he could face up to life in prison and $4 million in fines.
http://www.themonitor.com/news/zuniga_12965___article.html/arteaga_border.html
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