Free Republic

Fort Huachuca, the nation's largest intelligence-training center, changed security measures in May after being warned that Islamist terrorists, with the aid of Mexican drug cartels, were planning an attack on the facility. Fort officials changed security measures after sources warned that possibly 60 Afghan and Iraqi terrorists were to be smuggled into the U.S. through underground tunnels with high-powered weapons to attack the Arizona Army base, according to multiple confidential law enforcement documents obtained by The Washington Times. "A portion of the operatives were in the United States, with the remainder not yet in the United States," according to one...

Two construction contracts valued at nearly half a billion dollars have been awarded to build 40 new miles of border wall in the South Texas city of Laredo, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials announced Wednesday. A $201 million contract for a 13-mile section of border wall to be built in Laredo was awarded to Southwest Valley Constructors Company, CBP and U.S. Army Corps of Engineer officials said. The other contract, worth $283 million for a 27-mile long stretch of a new border wall and the accompanying infrastructure system, was awarded to Fisher Sand & Gravel Company. Construction is scheduled...

Although the City of Laredo passed a resolution against a border wall and were sued by the federal government for access to survey land back in June, they ultimately agreed to allow the federal government to go in and survey land along the city property... On Thursday (24 Sep 2020), surveyors were seen working on behalf of the federal government... Congress appropriated 69 miles of border wall to be built in the Laredo sector. To date, 31 miles of border wall have been awarded to government contractors, but in the coming weeks the remainder of the 38 miles will be...

Thousands of President Donald Trump’s supporters came together for a parade in downtown Laredo, Texas, on Saturday. “We had a great, peaceful event with over 4,000 vehicles participating and over 7,000 people participating in the event,” organizer and National Border Patrol Council Vice President Hector Garza told the Laredo Morning Times. “We opened up the event by honoring God in prayer and honoring the U.S. flag with the Pledge of Allegiance. The Laredo Trump Train expanded for over 15 miles along IH-35, Bob Bullock Loop and Del Mar,” he continued.

US Border Patrol agents in Laredo, Texas found a missing girl inside a tractor-trailer at the I-35 checkpoint crossing into Mexico. The girl was missing out of Odessa, Texas -- nearly a seven-hour drive north of Laredo where she was found. The girl was not publicly identified, but officials confirmed she is a juvenile. It's unclear how long she had been missing. The Webb County Sheriff's Office took the driver into custody. No further information was available.

Mexican military forces killed a total of 16 gunmen from a faction of Los Zetas in the border city of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas... The shootout took place on Friday early morning in the Los Fresnos neighborhood when members of the Mexican army were patrolling the streets of Nuevo Laredo. The soldiers encountered a convoy of SUVs filled with cartel gunmen in military-style uniforms, Breitbart Texas initially reported... The deceased gunmen are believed to be members of a paramilitary group known as Hell’s Troops or Tropa del Infierno. The group is part of the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas....

(Laredo, TX) City Council reaches agreement with government providing right of entry for 982 acres along the Rio Grande. The city is the largest landowner in the Laredo area to have been sued over this right of entry, the first document the federal government needs signed by any property owner with land that could be impacted by a border wall. If a landowner does not agree to sign this form, the Department of Justice will pursue a condemnation case against them in federal court. A landowner has never won a right of entry case against the government... The agreement, which...

Through a public information request, Border Report has learned the projected position for 14 of the 69 miles of border wall that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to build between Laredo and the river. The 14 miles are to start at the international railroad bridge near the riverfront outlet mall in downtown Laredo and run northwest to Pico Road and the private and historic DeAnda Ranch (from Downtown to the NW)... “Overall what we’re seeing is that the government is really moving forward with all these cases. There is no slowing down in terms of surveying,” said Karla...

The Trump administration announced Friday that it is waiving several regulations in order to fast-track construction of nearly 70 miles of border barriers and roads in Webb and Zapata counties (Texas, around Laredo)... The move marks a significant step in fulfilling Trump's election-year goal to have hundreds of miles of fencing or wall in place by the end of the year. The waiver allows the Department of Homeland Security to circumvent regulations mandated in the National Environmental Policy Act, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and the National Historic Preservation Act, among others, according to text of the notice posted...

The Trump administration announced Friday that it is waiving several regulations in order to fast-track construction of nearly 70 miles of border barriers and roads in Webb and Zapata counties. The move marks a significant step in fulfilling Trump's election-year goal to have hundreds of miles of fencing or wall in place by the end of the year. The waiver allows the Department of Homeland Security to circumvent regulations mandated in the National Environmental Policy Act, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and the National Historic Preservation Act, among others, according to text of the notice posted in the federal...

A $275 million contract has been awarded to an Alabama company to start construction of a 14-mile border wall in Laredo, Texas. Similar to other portions of border wall being built in South Texas and throughout the Southwest, this project will consist of a 30-foot-high bollard wall with all weather roads, enforcement cameras and special lighting, according to a announcement made by U.S. Customs and Border Protection late Friday. This will be the first portion of a border wall to go up in Laredo, which sits across the Rio Grande from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. The contract was awarded to Caddell...

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - After Dallas salon owner Shelley Luther was released from jail Thursday afternoon, the question remained about what she would do with the $500,000 that a GoFundMe page raised for her since the situation began two weeks ago. **SNIP** Throughout her fight, supporters have been donating to a GoFundMe page that was set up for her. It eventually met its goal of $500,000. Now, Luther says she wants to spread that wealth to those who need it. After using some of that money to help pay her legal fees and mortgage, she says she has other plans in...

Two women allegedly violated the emergency management plan when they offered their beauty, cosmetic services from home. Their arrests were initiated for violations imposed by the COVID-19 Emergency Management Plan on Wednesday. Laredo police said they launched investigations on the cases after receiving anonymous tips via the LPD app. "Both of the violators independently solicited customers via social media. On both cases, an undercover officer working on the COVID-19 task force enforcement detail made contact with each solicitor to set up an appointment for a cosmetic, beauty service that is prohibited under the emergency ordinance," police said in a statement....

Pandemic or not, Border Patrol intends to award the contract to construct the initial 32 miles of border wall in the Laredo area by mid-May... When construction begins will depend on how much land is acquired. “So we won’t necessarily be acquiring all of the land to start the project, but we need to acquire sufficient real estate to allow the project to start,” he said. Federal agents have been working to convince local landowners to sign right of entry documents so that they can survey their properties without having to go through court proceedings, saving time and possibly leading...

The federal government on Monday released for the first time the proposed alignment of the border wall in Webb and Zapata counties, a continuous barrier for 69 miles starting at the Colombia Solidarity Bridge and ending just south of San Ygnacio. This is a proposed 30-foot-tall steel bollard structure with a 150-foot-wide “enforcement zone” that entails clearing all vegetation between the river and the wall. The maps show a proposed alignment running relatively close to the Rio Grande, following its contours.

Like Laredo City Council last week, Webb County Commissioners Court on Monday will be approached by the federal government as they attempt to fast-track construction of President Trump’s border wall... Government officials told the city that Congress’ recent $1.3 billion appropriation for the border wall has funded 52 miles of barrier in Webb County and 18 miles in Zapata County, which is essentially the span from the Colombia Solidarity Bridge to San Ygnacio. They have been granted the right of entry by about 40% of the affected landowners they have reached out to in the Laredo area, said Paul Enriquez,...

First local landowner receives notice of court action for border wall surveys. Last week Tony Medina Jr., who owns about three acres (near the Max A. Mandel Golf Course) right off Santa Isabel Creek — at the tip of a horseshoe bend in the Rio Grande — was notified that the government will be filing for the condemnation of his property in federal court, a process where the government seizes private property and compensates the owner. This is the first such case that has come to light in the Laredo area. “As of December 2, 2019, we have not received...

LAREDO, Texas -- The white tents that sit here on the very edge of the U.S border, with Mexico a literal stone’s throw away, represent one of the jewels in the crown of the Trump administration’s recent efforts to get a grip on the immigration crisis. They are the temporary courtrooms set up as part of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) -- known colloquially as the “Remain in Mexico” policy. That policy, established earlier this year, involves sending migrants who are trying to claim asylum back to Mexico during their proceedings -- instead of releasing them into the U.S. while...

Hearings in tent courts in South Texas are underway for asylum-seekers forced to wait in Mexico while their immigration applications are considered. Monday's hearings mark the formal opening of the courts. Twenty-one migrants lined up in Mexico to cross the border for their appearances. Officials say they want 200 migrants appear each day in the tents in Laredo. A judge in a brick courthouse in San Antonio is presiding over the Laredo court via video chat.

LAREDO, Texas — Three people landed behind bars for beating up a 60-year-old man, according to Laredo police. Dunick Edward Garcia, 18, Fernanda Robles, 17, and Luis Alberto Valdez, 20, were arrested on Tuesday after being served with warrants. Each was charged with aggravated assault. Laredo police officers responded to an aggravated assault report at about 12:30 p.m. June 15 at Laredo Medical Center. A 60-year-old man stated that, several individuals had assaulted him the night before. Officers said they noticed the man had facial, bodily and internal injuries. The man said the assailants forced their way into his...