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☆ Autopsy Shows Nex Benedict Died of Suicide
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Edgar Sandoval | More About Edgar Sandoval | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old nonbinary student in Oklahoma who died a day after a physical altercation in a high school girls’ bathroom, died as a result of suicide, according to an autopsy report released on Wednesday. A medical examiner’s report said that the teenager had been found with a “combined toxicity” of diphenhydramine, an antihistimine commonly used for allergies, and fluoxetine, a drug often used to treat depression. Reports of the Feb. 7 altercation at Owasso High School, a day before Nex’s death at home, drew outrage from gay and transgender rights groups who cited reports from the family that Nex had been bullied at school. The cause of death had remained unclear in the weeks that followed. In a police interview conducted at the hospital in the hours following the fight, Nex reported having “blacked out” while being beaten on the bathroom floor.

Persons: Nex Benedict, Nex Organizations: Owasso High Locations: Oklahoma

A near-total breakdown in policing protocols hindered the response to the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that left 21 people dead — and the refusal to rapidly confront the killer needlessly cost lives, the Justice Department concluded on Thursday after a nearly two-year investigation. The department blamed “cascading failures of leadership, decision-making, tactics, policy and training” for the delayed and passive law enforcement response that allowed an 18-year-old gunman with a semiautomatic rifle to remain inside a pair of connected fourth grade classrooms at Robb Elementary School for 77 minutes before he was confronted and killed. The “most significant failure,” investigators concluded, was the decision by local police officials to classify the incident as a barricaded standoff rather than an “active-shooter” scenario, which would have demanded instant and aggressive action. Almost all of the officials in charge that day have already been fired or have retired. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, speaking to reporters in Uvalde, said that the officers who converged on the school within minutes of the attack intended to storm the classrooms, but were told to stand down.

Persons: General Merrick B, Garland Organizations: Justice, Robb Elementary School Locations: Uvalde , Texas, Uvalde

☆ U.S. Appeals Court Orders Texas to Remove Buoy Barrier in Rio Grande
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Edgar Sandoval | More About Edgar Sandoval | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A federal appeals court on Friday ordered the state of Texas to remove a barrier of floating buoys in the Rio Grande installed at the direction of Gov. Greg Abbott to block migrants trying to cross from Mexico, delivering a blow to the state’s efforts to curtail unauthorized immigration. The decision came after months of legal wrangling between Governor Abbott’s office and the federal government. The previous judge had ordered the state to remove the barrier because it was an impediment to navigation on the river and a “threat to human life” for those trying to cross. The appeals court had issued an order temporarily keeping the buoys in place while the complex legal issues were resolved in court.

Persons: Greg Abbott, Abbott’s, Abbott, Biden, ” Organizations: U.S ., Appeals, Fifth Circuit, Constitution Locations: Texas, Rio, Mexico, New Orleans, U.S

All 80 employees of their company, Premier Energy Services, are Hispanic, reflecting a shift that has slowly transformed Texas’ oil-rich western expanse. Where a roughneck — the grease-stained symbol of Texas’ economic identity — was once typically a white man hoping to strike black gold, the average oil field worker is now a Hispanic man who was born in Texas. “Growing up, my dad used to take me to work in the oil fields. It was a white man’s industry,” said a foreman, Alfredo Ramirez, 31, a third-generation Mexican American. “Today it is us Latinos.”Mark Matta, a city councilman in Odessa, chuckled as he described a television series about a Texas oil rig in which most of the workers were white.

Persons: —, ”, Alfredo Ramirez, ” Mark Matta Organizations: Premier Energy Services, “ Locations: West Texas, Odessa, Texas, chuckled

☆ Mother of Uvalde Shooting Victim Loses Mayor’s Race to Political Veteran
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Edgar Sandoval | More About Edgar Sandoval | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Kimberly Mata-Rubio, whose daughter was killed last year in a mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, lost a special election to become mayor of a city that has struggled with divisions in the aftermath of the tragedy, The Associated Press reported. Mr. Smith, a senior vice president at First State Bank of Uvalde, was first elected to the City Council in 1994, and then as mayor in 2008 and in 2010. In his campaign, he also called for better communications among police agencies and mobilizing volunteers from the community to help those in need. During her campaign, many voters responded to Ms. Mata-Rubio’s many tributes to the daughter she lost, Lexi Rubio, whose image and favorite color were enshrined on some of her mother’s campaign materials. Ms. Mata-Rubio demanded more accountability for the slow police response to the shooting and advocated stronger gun laws, in addition to calling for more attention to fixing roads and adding stop signs.

Persons: Kimberly Mata, Rubio, Cody Smith, Smith, Mata, Lexi Rubio Organizations: Associated Press, First State Bank of Uvalde, City Council Locations: Uvalde , Texas, Uvalde

☆ ‘A Bright Light in a Dark Time’: A New School for Uvalde
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Edgar Sandoval | More About Edgar Sandoval | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

In the year since a teenage gunman strode into Robb Elementary School in Uvalde and killed 19 fourth graders and two teachers, the building has stood empty, its windows boarded over, its students dispersed to other campuses with little chance to maintain the bonds they once shared. That was poised to change on Saturday, as residents of the small town in South Texas prepared to break ground for a new elementary school in place of the one that became the scene of one of the worst school mass shootings in American history. “The new school, it’s a symbol of moving forward. We will always remember what the new school means. It’ll be a bright light in a dark time.”

Persons: strode, ”, Eulalio Diaz Organizations: Robb Elementary School Locations: Uvalde, South Texas

☆ ‘We Still Don’t Have Answers’: A Uvalde Mother Is Running for Mayor
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Edgar Sandoval | More About Edgar Sandoval | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On a recent Saturday morning, a day after what would have been Lexi Rubio’s 12th birthday, dozens gathered in the Texas city of Uvalde for a run in her honor. Blasting Lexi’s playlist, Kimberly Mata-Rubio, her mother, took off from under a towering mural of Lexi, one of 19 children and two teachers killed in a shooting at her school last year. This was more than a fund-raising run for charity — it was also a campaign event of sorts, as Ms. Mata-Rubio and the other competitors made their way past a series of signs in yellow (Lexi’s favorite color) announcing her candidacy for mayor. Ms. Mata-Rubio, a former news reporter, would be the first woman and only the third Latino to lead the Hispanic majority city, one that has been bitterly divided in the aftermath of one of the nation’s deadliest mass shootings. Her campaign, in which she is vying with a veteran local politician and an elementary school art teacher, often prominently features her daughter’s favorite color and reminders of a tragedy that many would prefer to leave in the past.

Persons: Lexi Rubio’s, Kimberly Mata, Rubio, Lexi, Mata Locations: Texas, Uvalde

☆ ‘My Vote Was Rejected’: Trial Underway in Texas Over New Voting Law
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Edgar Sandoval | More About Edgar Sandoval | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For years, Stella Guerrero Mata, a 73-year-old retired school bus driver who lives near Houston, has been able to cast her vote through the mail with little hassle. Ms. Mata, who uses a cane to walk and suffers from a long list of ailments, including diabetes, worsening eyesight and back pain, expected the 2022 midterm elections to be no different. But sometime after she placed her ballot in the mail, she received a letter with news that left her angry and confused. “My vote was rejected,” Ms. Mata said, adding that she had realized it was too late for her to correct her mistake. The law was passed by a Republican majority even after Democratic lawmakers staged a 38-day walkout, leaving the state in an unsuccessful effort to prevent the bill from coming to a vote.

Persons: Stella Guerrero Mata, Mata, “, ” Ms Organizations: Social, Republican, Democratic Locations: Houston, San Antonio

☆ Acquitted by the Texas Senate, Ken Paxton Still Faces Legal Problems
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Edgar Sandoval | More About Edgar Sandoval | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

His lawyer, Dan Cogdell, predicted that the securities case would be quickly dealt with. He was less willing to make a prediction about the investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department’s public integrity section. Mr. Paxton has faced a cloud of legal troubles since he was sworn in as attorney general in 2015, replacing Greg Abbott, who is now governor. He has been twice re-elected, in part by aligning himself with the right-leaning politics championed by former President Donald J. Trump. Voters delivered comfortable victories to Mr. Paxton even after his indictment and after several of his top aides came forward with claims that he had abused his office by helping a wealthy donor, the subject of the recent attempt to oust him from office.

Persons: Ken Paxton, Dan Cogdell, we’ll, ”, —, Paxton, Greg Abbott, Donald J Organizations: State Senate, U.S . Justice Department, Mr, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Justice, Trump . Voters Locations: Texas, State

The Texas Senate voted on Saturday to acquit the state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton, after a nine-day impeachment trial that focused on allegations of corruption and divided the Republican Party. Mr. Paxton, a three-term incumbent who had been suspended from the post since his impeachment in May, was immediately reinstated. The impeachment case has deepened the rift in the Republican Party in Texas, with those who lined up behind Mr. Paxton attacking Republicans in the Texas House who backed impeachment by a wide margin. The process was overseen by Republicans, with Republicans in both the defense and in the prosecution, but ultimately, most Republicans in the Senate supported Mr. Paxton. With a two-thirds vote required for conviction, no article received even a majority vote.

Persons: Ken Paxton, Paxton Organizations: Texas, Republican Party, Republican Party in, Texas House Locations: Republican Party in Texas, Texas

And it has been that way for years. Intent on highlighting the large number of people crossing the border in recent years, which he blames on the Biden administration’s immigration policies, Mr. Abbott devised a plan to approach migrants after they had been processed by the border authorities and offer them free rides on chartered buses. “I’m going to take the border to President Biden,” he said at a news conference after introducing his plan in April 2022. Greg Abbott of Texas. Credit... Christopher Lee for The New York TimesMany migrants have been grateful for the free transportation, because they often have little money left by the time they complete a monthslong trek to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Persons: Abbott, I’m, Biden, ”, Greg Abbott of, Christopher Lee Organizations: Biden, Greg Abbott of Texas ., The New York Times Locations: Texas, Greg Abbott of Texas, U.S, Mexico

☆ Scorching Heat Is Contributing to Migrant Deaths
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Edgar Sandoval | More About Edgar Sandoval | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Through the long summer, temperatures have lingered for days at a time at 100 degrees or higher. The heat has been stifling for many Texans, but deadly for some of those making their way through the hot, barren shrub land where migrants travel to avoid detection from Border Patrol agents. “These are old,” Deputy White said, gesturing at the faint tracks in the dirt. “No one is in danger right now.” For now, at least, he said under his breath. In 2022, among the deadliest in recent years, there were 853 confirmed deaths.

Persons: Don White, White, gesturing, — Organizations: Texans, Border Patrol Locations: South Texas, Brooks, Mexico

☆ At Texas Border, Some Support for Abbott’s Crackdown Is Waning
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Edgar Sandoval | More About Edgar Sandoval | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hugo Urbina, who owns a pecan farm next to the Rio Grande, was unhappy with the constant foot traffic on his land, sometimes dozens of people a day. Jessie Fuentes, who owns a canoe and kayak business, did not want migrants to think America had an “open border.” The town’s mayor, Rolando Salinas Jr., saw the Border Patrol being overwhelmed. “People cannot be arriving by the thousands without consequence,” Mr. Urbina said. The recent reports of injuries and at least two deaths near the 1,000-foot string of river buoys has raised the level of concern. “He went too far,” Mr. Fuentes said.

Persons: Greg Abbott, Hugo Urbina, Jessie Fuentes, Rolando Salinas Jr, Mr, Urbina, Abbott, “, Fuentes Organizations: Gov, America, Patrol, National Guard Locations: Texas, Mexico, Eagle, Rio

A 3-year-old child died while traveling on a bus chartered by the state of Texas as it transported asylum seekers from the border city of Brownsville to Chicago as part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s program to send migrants from Texas to Democratic-run cities in other states, officials said. The child’s parents were also on the bus when the child began showing symptoms of an illness, including a fever and diarrhea, before losing consciousness, according to Representative Joaquin Castro, a Democratic congressman from San Antonio whose office was briefed on the death. “Following this check, prior to boarding, no passenger presented with a fever or medical concerns,” the statement said, without specifying when the death had taken place. A spokesman did not respond to requests for additional information, including the timing of the death, the nature of the illness, the name or sex of the child or the country of origin of the family.

Persons: Greg Abbott’s, Joaquin Castro Organizations: Gov, Democratic, Texas Department of Emergency Management, . Customs, Border Protection Locations: Texas, Brownsville, Chicago, San Antonio

☆ In Border Towns, a ‘Dangerous Combination’ of Heat and Water Cutoffs
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Edgar Sandoval | More About Edgar Sandoval | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Water pressure has always been spotty, she said, but the problems became more acute with the arrival of summer this year. The water went out in mid-June and did not return until mid-July, she said. She quickly rallied her neighbors to pack meetings with the water district, Agua Special Utility District, to complain about the lack of water, to no avail. She pulled the containers out of her trunk and filled them with water from a garden hose. She hauled the heavy water containers back out of the trunk.

Persons: ”, Quilatan, ’, “, it’ll Locations: Agua

Before the president’s asylum changes took effect on May 11, border patrol officials were encountering about 7,500 migrants trying to cross the border illegally each day — record-breaking numbers that were putting severe strains on the immigration officials and border communities. Since then, the numbers have declined to about 3,000 migrants each day. That is still historically high, but dramatically lower. On Tuesday, a federal judge ruled that Mr. Biden’s changes to the asylum system were illegal. Here is a look at the various forces at play when it comes to migration at the southern border.

Persons: Jon S, “ Organizations: U.S, ” Locations: Northern California, Central, South America, United States

The abrupt maneuver caused a young woman to hit her face on a spike, leaving a gash on her forehead, Ms. Escobar recalled. She said several of the agents stood still for several minutes, until an officer wearing what looked like a soldier’s uniform offered help to the wounded woman. State officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the incident. “I was still in the river, about to jump over, when I saw what that agent did and was horrified,” she said of the officer in the cowboy hat. “What I am against is the use of tactics that hurt people.”The tactics by Texas appear to have intensified in the lead-up to the lifting in late May of Title 42, a public health policy imposed during the coronavirus pandemic that allowed federal agents to rapidly expel most arriving migrants.

Persons: “, Escobar, ”, Rolando Salinas Jr Locations: Mexico, Texas, Eagle

☆ Gunman in El Paso Mass Shooting Sentenced for Federal Hate Crimes
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Edgar Sandoval | More About Edgar Sandoval | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A self-described white nationalist who wrote that Hispanics were “invading” America before fatally shooting 23 people at a Walmart store in El Paso was sentenced on Friday to 90 consecutive life terms for his conviction on federal hate crimes charges. Several of the victims’ relatives had hoped the gunman, Patrick Crusius, would be sentenced to death. Texas prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty when the gunman is tried on murder charges in state court later this year. “Life sentence is not justice for you,” Luis Juarez Jr., who lost his father in the massacre, told the gunman. The federal sentencing in the attack, one of the deadliest on Latinos in U.S. history, follows a plea agreement in February that recommended that the defendant be imprisoned for life in exchange for pleading guilty to hate crimes and weapons charges.

Persons: Patrick Crusius, ” Luis Juarez Jr Organizations: ” America, Walmart, AK Locations: ”, El Paso, Texas

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