Free Republic

A New Mexico restaurant generated controversy -- and profits -- this summer with a play on "Black Lives Matter." Now it's coasting on the uproar that began with its sign and has printed hats and T-shirts with the phrase, jumping straight into the seemingly never-ending national conversation on race. Rick Camuglia, owner of Paisano's, an Italian restaurant in Albuquerque, put the phrase "black olives matter" on his sign last month to help sell a new tuna dish with black olive tapenade. It worked like a charm, bringing in more business, with some people adding black olives to every dish they...

Paisano’s Italian restaurant was accused of making a joke in poor taste against the “Black Lives Matter” protest when it shared the “Black Olives Matter Try Our Tapenade” slogan out the front of its Alburquerque, New Mexico, premises. People have taken to social media to slam the slogan, with Claudia Sanchez writing: “As a woman of color I find your posting offensive and in very bad taste. “You simply wish to rub salt in an ugly festering wound which evil minded people refuse to allow to heal. The civilized world no longer has any tolerance for your hateful public display...

The owner of an Italian restaurant in New Mexico says he’s seen a surge in business after posting a billboard that featured a food-centric pun playing off the Black Lives Matter slogan. Rick Camuglia, owner of Paisano’s in Albuquerque, posted what he thought would be a well-received joke on the marquee sign in front of his restaurant last week. It read: "BLACK OLIVES MATTER — TRY OUR TAPENADE."

Outlaws lurking as many nationals soon will return from U.S. for holidays. Alfonso Cabañas isn’t driving to Monterrey, Mexico, to visit family this Christmas. Not after what happened the last time. Three years ago, the 31-year-old lawyer was headed south on one of Mexico’s toll roads when he pulled over for a group of men who had placed orange traffic cones across the highway and were directing motorists to the shoulder. It was too late when he saw the guns. “As you’re driving, you see these people waving you down, asking you to pull over and pull you aside. You...

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- The Mexican government is telling migrants driving home for the holidays that they should form convoys for their own safety while traveling through Mexico. The Interior Department said the government could even provide escorts for such convoys to get them through dangerous areas. It said the Mexican army would assist in the program to help migrants return safely from the United States.

Paisanos run for cover as bullets fly between Mexican soldiers and another group of men. It happened about a mile from Bridge Number Two Sunday night. In the shooting one unidentified man was killed, another two were seriously injured. Mexican media is reporting that those shot were paisanos but the vehicle they were riding in clearly had Mexican plates with tinted windows and bulletproof siding. Many locals in Nuevo Laredo have been upset by the military's presence. They say the soldiers’ pursuit of drug traffickers has hurt business and tourism.

The Municipal authoritiees are expecting more than 100 thosuand vehicles of "paisanos" to start crossing through this land port into Mexico. LAREDO, Tx.- Local authorities are expecting over 100 thousand paisanos to arrive next weekend to this land port. "We are ready to receive them, we have established a plan together with the Mexican Consulate General in Laredo, with the Police Department, the Sherriff's Office, the Bridge System and the Customs Port of Laredo, as well as with the Texas Department of Transportation and Nuevo Laredo authorities, in order to assist the paisanos," Salinas mentioned. The first part of the...

The city of Laredo is preparing for paisanos to visit the Gateway City next week. The paisano rest stop will be opening and officials say this year they are more prepared for this 48-hour event. " We have made a bigger effort this year to look at the big picture to see overall how they impact our community” It’s a bi-national project offered only in the gateway city. The paisano rest stop offers assistance to travelers headed to Mexico. This year officials are expecting more than one hundred thousand paisanos to cross our border. " We have seen an influx...

If you're planning to spend Christmas in Nuevo Laredo, leave early. A crush of paisanos has southbound bridge traffic nearly at a standstill, and on Saturday morning cars were backed up all the way to the north side of the city as they waited to cross. "We all knew this was going to happen," said Mucia Dovalina, a spokeswoman for U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. "We knew we were going to get an onslaught." Officials opened extra lanes at the bridge and extended vehicle processing hours in anticipation of the rush on the U.S. side of the border, and vehicles...

Police arrested a City of Laredo bridge traffic employee Wednesday who was recently suspended for coercing paisanos to pay him before proceeding through the Colombia-Solidarity International Bridge.Arturo Jesus Leyva, 23, was arrested on five counts of official oppression, a Class-A misdemeanor, and five counts of theft, a Class-B misdemeanor. A Class A offense is punishable by up to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine. Class B misdemeanors are punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine. Police questioned Leyva for several hours and he voluntarily submitted a written admission of his actions. His bond...

TUCSON, Ariz. – For the third straight year, fewer illegal immigrants are returning to Mexico from Arizona for the holiday season, likely fearing tightened borders will make it too tough to re-enter the U.S., a Mexican consular spokesman says. "It is happening," said Rodolfo Aguilar, a spokesman for the Mexican consulate in Nogales, the busiest port of entry between Arizona and the Mexican state of Sonora. Mexican immigration figures show a trend of decline in the number of late-year southbound crossings through Nogales since 2003, as well as through all but one of the four other ports of entry between...

MEXICO CITY — As more than 1 million immigrants living in the United States head south of the border for the holiday season, President Vicente Fox is warning that shakedowns by police or border guards won't be tolerated. Making what has become an annual pledge to protect immigrants, whom he refers to as "heroes," Fox is taking to the airwaves to remind the returning immigrants, known as paisanos, to report corrupt police, border guards and other officials. "My countrymen, I will personally make sure you get the treatment you deserve," Fox says in a series of public service announcements. "Welcome...