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EDINBURG — Six people accused of a February drug-related slaying faced capital murder charges Thursday morning. The sextet of suspects are allegedly part of a local drug smuggling group that ordered a hit of one of their own after he allegedly stole a load of marijuana delivered to a customer in February, investigators said. Hidalgo County sheriff's deputies found Gilberto Aguilar beaten and shot to death on Feb. 6 in a remote field north of Palmview. Investigators believe Aguilar was kidnapped, beaten with brass knuckles and fatally shot after he stole a load of marijuana. Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño...

New details have emerged in the search for missing 19-year-old Middlebury College freshman Nicholas Garza that could link him to the so-called "Smiley Face Gang," which a group of retired detectives believes is responsible for the apparent drowning deaths of dozens of young men across the country. Searchers have found smiley-face graffiti near Garza's campus like that painted near some of the locations where about 40 bodies have been discovered across 11 states, FOX 44 News reported. Garza’s mother thinks that discovery could link her son's disappearance to the deaths of the other mostly college-age victims. Volunteer searchers have come...

Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/0904/090410elpaso.htm April 10, 2009 ICE deports former drug cartel top lieutenant to Mexico Criminal alien was wanted in Mexico for organized crime and drug charges EL PASO, Texas - A former high-ranking member of the Gulf Cartel criminal drug organization, who was wanted in Mexico for organized crime and drug-related activity, was deported Friday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. José Manuel Garza Rendon, 56, was transferred to Mexican authorities in the morning April 10 at the middle of the Stanton Street Bridge at the El Paso Port of Entry. He...

HEREFORD — The founder of a new Web cast recorded in Cochise County that focuses on border and illegal immigration issues says the program is already popular among listeners and he is hopeful it will only get better. “On the Border with Al Garza,” which first aired July 14, is hosted by Garza, who is perhaps best known for his role as national executive director of the border watch group Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. Chuck Alton decided to start Cochise Talk due to the lack of local originated radio in Sierra Vista and Cochise County. Garza consented to be the...

Mexico has a radical idea for a rational immigration policy that most Americans would love. However, Mexican officials haven’t been sharing that idea with us as they press for our Congress to adopt the McCain-Kennedy immigration reform bill.   That’s too bad, because Mexico, which annually deports more illegal aliens than the United States does, has much to teach us about how it handles the immigration issue. At a time when the Supreme Court and many politicians seek to bring American law in line with foreign legal norms, it’s noteworthy that nobody has argued that the US look at how Mexico...

How the Mexican constitution treats foreign residents, workers and naturalized citizens  Introduction Every country has the right to restrict the quality and quantity of foreign immigrants entering or living within its borders. If American policymakers are looking for legal models on which to base new laws restricting immigration and expelling foreign lawbreakers, they have a handy guide: the Mexican constitution.[1] Adopted in 1917, the constitution of the United Mexican States borrows heavily from American constitutional and legal principles. It combines those principles with a strong sense nationalism, cultural self-identity, paternalism, and state power. Mexico's constitution contains many provisions to protect the country from...

President Bush neared a decision on a new nominee for the Supreme Court as Republican lawmakers suggested Sunday he should pick a solid conservative with a track record as a judge. But the Senate's top Democrat raised the possibility of "a lot of problems" if Bush settles on federal appeals judge Samuel Alito to succeed retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, a swing voter on abortion and other social issues.

The White House decided to employ a politically-palatable, pundit-prescribed exit strategy with the withdrawal of Harriet Miers. Because of that, Miss Miers is no longer a nominee to the United States Supreme Court, and much of America may believe the Bush Administration's contention that she withdrew over a request for documents. In actuality, she withdrew because her 1993 pro-abortion speech came to light, and that was the straw that broke the camel's back for the great Dr. James Dobson, Senator Sam Brownback, Senator John Thune, and any members of the conservative base who had reserved judgment up to that point....

Factions line up for two Texas Hispanics By MICHAEL HEDGES Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - The two Texas conservative Hispanics seen as among the front-runners for a U.S. Supreme Court nomination are drawing support from different ends of the political spectrum. Many conservative activists back federal appeals Judge Emilio Garza, while liberals and moderates see U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales as a less extreme option. As President Bush examines a select list of possible nominees, there is speculation that he would make history by nominating a Hispanic for the first time. Garza, of San Antonio, tops the...

While the question of who will become the next U.S. Supreme Court justice is a full-time guessing game in Washington, San Antonio faces a mystery on its own doorstep: Emilio who? The San Antonio native widely considered a leading contender to fill the vacancy created by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's resignation Friday is virtually unknown in the county where he was born, raised and still resides. A low profile comes with the job of federal appeals judge — glamour seldom shines in quiet law libraries — but Judge Emilio M. Garza, who declined interview requests, lowers the profile even more....

So, a new poll is up already. Since I was among those who voted for Brown in the last one, I'll have to make a new choice. Unfortunately, I know very little about the other candidates on the list. When I have time, I'll Google around for any scraps of information, but in the meantime all honest and constructive comments are welcome. My Number One criterion in the new pick is that he should have to give due respect to the 4th amendment and other limitations on the arbitrary power of government. This is especially important in today's WOT environment....

[SNIP] On Friday, with the announced retirement of Sandra Day O'Connor from the Supreme Court, It took a few minutes for the news to set in on Capitol Hill, among Republicans and Democrats alike. After all, even the White House in briefing Republican leadership on the Hill spoke in the belief that it would be Chief Justice William Rehnquist who is retiring. "The White House seemed to be expecting Rehnquist first, that was what my boss was getting briefed on," says a staffer for a Senator sitting on the Judiciary Committee. "We were told Rehnquist in July, possibly later this...

From VA Beach, interrupting our 4th of July holiday weekend - as many are - to update Supreme Court wanna-be's list... Buzz in Capital is that O'Connor's replacement is right now a horse race between Cornyn, Garza and Clement. Out: Gonzales. It appears that Cornyn is the wildcard, with Garza the 'it' candidate for the time being. Falling: Roberts, Luttig. Situation is fluid, with the president not expected to pick a successor until after G8. Of note: White is thrilled to finally appoint a justice, but those in the know thought that it would be Chief Justice, and are surprised...

I'm working multiple sources and have this wrap up before I head off for the 4th of July. A source close to the Attorney General says that Garza is still the frontrunner. This source speculates that Cornyn has been asked to do interference for the President. A White House source tells me Garza is still at the top of the list for O'Connor, but Cornyn was there and people are being relatively silent on his situation. My primary source tells me Cornyn should not be discounted, but Garza is who the source has said all along for O'Connor, with the...

Mexico said it was working to improve security in the border region but suggested the U.S. State Department had overreacted by renewing a warning to U.S. travelers about drug violence in northern Mexico. As with the original travel advisory, the repeat warning on Tuesday angered Mexicans. The update blamed the continuing violence in Mexican border cities on turf battles between drug gangs but noted that was in part the result of Mexico's success in locking up cartel leaders. "Imprecisions and generalizations that hurt the spirit of cooperation in law enforcement and the fight against organized crime should be avoided," the...

A DRUG MOLE IN FOX'S CABINET?  By Michelle Malkin   ·   February 06, 2005 05:15 PM  Mexican media are reporting on the arrest of Nahum Acosta, an aide to President Vicente Fox and key member of the National Action Party (PAN) in the border state of Sonora, a notorious drug hotspot favored by the Tijuana cartel: Federal authorities have detained the head of President Vicente Fox's travel staff on suspicions he was feeding information to drug lords, Attorney General Rafael Macedo de la Concha said Saturday. Nahúm Acosta, director of the office coordinating presidential tours, was arrested by federal agents...

Garza and bride take Mexico by storm The ambassador and the beer queen grab the headlines by Jeremy Schwartz AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Thursday, February 3, 2005 MEXICO CITY -- It is a wedding story that has captured the imagination of this country and set tongues wagging throughout the capital. Ever since the news broke Sunday that U.S. Ambassador and Brownsville native Tony Garza is engaged to Mexico's wealthiest woman and heiress to the Modelo beer empire, the couple's picture has been plastered across front pages, and they have been subject to probing speculations among the Mexican media. Will the glamorous, 41-year-old...

1200 WOAI'S Bud Little reports exclusively today that Mayor Ed Garza has asked City Manager Terry Brechtel to resign, and is trying to get support from city council to fire her if she refuses. Councilman Carroll Schubert, who is not part of the oust Brechtel effort, tells 1200 WOAI's Bud Little the move at city hall reminds him of a 'coup in a third world country.' "Mayor Garza called me last night late and told me that was the case, that he has six other individuals, plus himself, who are ready to call for the resignation of the city manager....

The U.S. ambassador says the rising death toll among Mexicans trying to cross the border illegally gives the issue 'a sense of urgency.' U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza on Tuesday said the U.S. Congress will likely approve limited migration reform in the next few months. Garza said the rising death toll among migrants trying to cross the border illegally has given the issue "a sense of urgency," and ventured that migration reform could come in "a couple of months, [perhaps] three months." "You'll see a lot of movement here pretty quickly," he told participants at an American Chamber of Commerce conference....

School teacher admits making death threat BY ADRIANA ARCE Times staff writer A Zapata elementary school teacher, who threatened to kill government agents, told a federal judge Wednesday he was angry because U.S. Border Patrol agents had caused over $100 in damage to his property. Maurilio V. Morales, 52, entered a plea of guilty before U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison to mailing a threatening communication to a federal law enforcement officer. Federal investigators claimed that the defendant had addressed a letter, dated March 20, to Gene Garza, the interim port director for Laredo under the Department of Homeland Security....

WASHINGTON (AP)--After a 14-month impasse, U.S. and Mexican officials will see if they can establish common ground on ways to revamp laws governing Mexican migration to the United States. Migration issues is one of the topics Secretary of State Colin Powell and five other senior Bush administration officials will deal with Monday and Tuesday during talks in Mexico City. Powell and his colleagues will be looking for progress in persuading Mexico to repay a huge water debt based on a 1944 treaty. Mexico's inability to pay the debt has angered many Texas ranchers. A major concern for Mexico is the...