Chihuahua Attorney General Cesar Gustavo Jauregui Moreno told reporters that the bodies were found Friday behind the installations of the federal electricity commission outside of Ojinaga a border town across the Rio Grande from Presidio Two of the bodies had been decapitated and there was a threatening message left apparently by La Linea crime group stating that gruesome deaths is what would happen to traitors The deaths took place in confrontations away from Ojinaga before the bodies were dumped outside the town The killings are believed to be due to fighting between rival narcotraffickers belonging to La Linea (also known as the Juárez drug cartel) and a group allegedly run by a person code-named “El 04,” pronounced "El Cero Cuatro," the attorney general said State police and the Mexican military have deployed reinforcements to the Ojinaga border region in an attempt to quell the violence State investigators and soldiers discovered a liger during raids of three houses and buildings in the Coyame del Sotol area in connection with investigations into the violence the state's attorney general's office said Saturday The buildings were abandoned and had walls pockmarked with bullet holes The liger was found inside a cage in the backyard of a house which was believed to be about 14 months old appeared to be in good health and was taken away by federal environmental protection officials various rifle cases and a 2020 Toyota Tundra that had been reported stolen in Texas A liger — which is a "ligre" in Spanish — is a hybrid offspring of a male lion and a tigress A tigon is the offspring of a male tiger and a lioness ligers only exist in captivity because lions and tigers live in different habitats Downtown Galveston | 2300 Strand (Directions)Website One of over 20 bands to perform live at Mardi Gras! Galveston La Fiera de Ojinaga will bring their latin sound to Fiesta Gras! Galveston’s annual celebration of Hispanic Heritage Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application  Jesucita “Chita” Bustamante Visitation will be from 11am to 9pm on October 30 Funeral services will be 4pm on November 1 Burial will follow at Colinas del Eden Cemetery The arrangements are by Funeraria de Valle.  Chihuahua to Fortunata Contreras and Victorian Ramos on June 8 She went to school at Estacion Alamo Chapo y Ejido Barranco Azul She married Roberto Bustamante on August 4 Jesucita is preceded in death by Fortunata Contreras (Mother) and Victoriano Ramos (Father) Jesucita is survived by her husband Roberto Bustamante sons and daughter-in-law Roberto and Valeria Bustamante Manuel "Piolin" Ortega and her daughter Itzmira Bustamante Guadalupe Lujan and brothers Gustavo Gonzalez She also had 5 grandchildren Nestor A Zuniga Roberto A and Allison V Bustamante and Angel A Arredondo.  Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors the volume of cattle exports through the port of Ojinaga to the United States will increase with an estimated daily flow of up to 1,100 head Director of Livestock of the Secretariat of Rural Development (SDR) approximately 25% of the cattle exported come from other states which underscores Chihuahua's relevance in the national and international marketing of the livestock sector.  the number of days of operation of the Ojinaga quarantine station will be increased from three to five days per week which will allow the export of up to 5,000 cattle per week.  Flores highlighted the collaboration between the SDR and the Chihuahua Regional Livestock Union to keep producers informed about the requirements and regulations established by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).  he said that an increase in livestock crossing through the San Jeronimo quarantine station is expected and that coordination with producers is being maintained in preparation for the future opening of the Palomas port We’re in the business of providing relevant information through print and electronic media organizing events to bring industrial value chain actors together and services to create new business relationships Our goal is to improve our clients’ competitiveness Karen via Flickr (CC BY 2.0) The Presidio International Bridge spans a rural section of the Rio Grande compared to some border crossings – just one lane going to Mexico Currently, the State of Texas operates the American side of the crossing, but that could soon change. The Presidio County Commissioners Court recently decided to ask the state to transfer ownership of the bridge to the county Sam Karas spoke to the Texas Standard about the proposed transfer This transcript has been edited lightly for clarity: can you briefly explain this arrangement between the State of Texas and Presidio County as it relates to this international bridge Sam Karas: It’s kind of an unusual one where throughout Texas and most of the Southwest all of these international bridges that see a lot of trade are owned either by a special taxing entity or by the city or the county that they’re located in So in some ways that’s great because they foot the bill for all kinds of different stuff and oversee the maintenance and construction of the bridge because they’re all the way in Austin and we’re all the way out in the Big Bend why are county commissioners so keen to take control of it this has been an issue for almost 70 years now But essentially what they want is to be able to have a say in how the bridge is operated A lot of that has to do with the federal government But the day-to-day kind of deciding when to do construction projects and how to promote the bridge and how it should operate on a day-to-day basis they’d like more say in that so that they can undertake projects that would allow the bridge to expand and to grow our trade » GET MORE NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE: Sign up for Texas Standard’s weekly newsletters You know the saying “watch out what you ask for” – I would imagine there are some pretty big costs associated with maintaining an international bridge like this They’re kind of asking for folks to have a little faith in the process Presidio County is one of the poorest counties in Texas But they’re hoping they’re seeing the vision of other cities and counties like Laredo which used to be one of the poorest cities in Texas and now their bridge crosses in one day what we cross in 14 months They don’t want us to become huge and super And so they’re hoping by putting in a little bit of money that we don’t have up front that someday we could have a piece of that pie I understand there’s a bit of a dark history surrounding a former operator of this bridge Dupuy got the presidential permit to build the first vehicle crossing at Presidio It used to be a guy with a rowboat who eventually figured out how to put two rowboat together to take cars Dupuy owned and operated the bridge for a long time and in the 50s started retaliating against the Mexican government They wanted to be able to operate a toll booth he made a lot of enemies and unfairly targeted Mexican-Americans and Mexican nationals And that resulted in a huge push for the county to take over control of the bridge to the point that there was such animosity between the county commissioners and Mr Dupuy that the Precinct 3 county commissioner shot and killed Mr Dupuy in the street in what he said was self-defense What happens next with the county now pushing for control Essentially what needs to happen is that our local representatives need to go to the Legislature and essentially get TxDOT to express that they are interested in transferring ownership of the bridge to Presidio County and then the State Department takes it to the White House So it’s ultimately up to whoever is going to be president in early November to decide If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it here. Your gift helps pay for everything you find on texasstandard.org and KUT.org ©2024 Texas Standard. A service of the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin | Contact us An investigation is advancing into a shooting that killed five teenagers at a quinceañera celebration at a Juárez home over the weekend The victims ranged in age from 14 to 19 years old Border smuggling: CBP El Paso arrests drivers, seizes 92,000 rounds of ammo in Mexico-bound bus at border The investigation into the multi-homicide is advancing with witnesses statements along with the analysis of cellphone video and footage from the Centinela (sentinel) public safety camera network chief of staff for the Chihuahua state police Investigators have gathered specific details in the case and arrests are expected in the coming days A quinceañera is a celebration of a girl's 15th birthday traditionally marking her transition into adulthood Chihuahua state police and Mexican military reinforcements have been deployed to conduct sweeps and reinforce patrols after six people were killed and a police officer was wounded in a series of gun battles on Sunday in the Ojinaga border region More: Mass grave may contain bodies of Mexican migrants who vanished near Texas border The bodies were found along with bullet-damaged vehicles at various scenes in the area of Ojinaga State forces were also sent to the small nearby towns of Coyame del Sotol and Manuel Benavides State police seized a burned Chevrolet Avalanche without plates Police also found two "Cuerno de Chivo" rifles (a nickname for the AK-47 rifle) a ballistic vest and two backpacks loaded with ammunition It is rumored that the fighting was an attempt by cartel members to dislodge rival narcotraffickers from a part of the border traditionally held by the Juárez drug cartel military groups formedNew task force groups combining Chihuahua state police with members of the Mexican army and National Guard are starting operations to tackle high-impact crimes State Public Safety Secretary Gilberto Loya said at a Monday news conference More: Police investigate mass killing after 8 bodies dumped along Chihuahua City-Juárez highway The first group is made up of military and police crime analysts based in Juárez and Chihuahua City The second group will combine detectives with military members focusing on investigations The third group features the state police SWAT team in specialized operations and interventions with assistance and training from special forces of the Mexican army and National Guard It is the first time that special forces of the Mexico's National Guard and military are training with the state police SWAT team as part of larger strategies to combat violent crime Customs and Border Protection Presidio/Ojinaga Port of Entry between Presidio Among his earliest actions in office, President Donald Trump discontinued use of the CBP One app which had been developed by Customs and Border Patrol and rolled out under the Biden administration to facilitate asylum appointments at the southern border countless asylum hearing appointments were canceled said the app was first rolled out in October 2020 for a different purpose “It was an app that was going to help commercial truckers with scheduled cargo inspections that functionality was expanded to include unauthorized migrants seeking protection from violence persecution and that sort of thing,” Jaime said the Biden administration really ramped it up and made it the only way for individuals to get asylum appointments along the U.S.-Mexico border.” The app went offline on Monday and existing appointments were taken off the books those early morning appointments were still honored those appointments were canceled,” he said “So that essentially meant anyone who would be adjudicating these cases had a clear schedule.” The app being taken offline coincided with other immigration-related executive actions signed by Trump including one that severely limits who can cross the border and request asylum Jaime said he and his coworkers spoke to those directly impacted by this move View this post on Instagram A post shared by El Paso Times (@elpasotimes) Jaime said border policy has reverted back to what it was the first time Trump was in office – often called the “Remain in Mexico” program – requiring asylum-seekers to remain in that country while their cases are being petitioned about 30,000 CBP One appointments across the southern border were canceled with about 270,000 migrants continuing to log on to that app still seeking appointments,” he said the border reopens to “non-essential travel” by fully vaccinated foreigners Residents of Presidio and Ojinaga are celebrating the reopening after nearly two years of economic and social strain From Marfa Public Radio: things at the Dollar General on the edge of Presidio have been pretty quiet The store is just a few minutes’ walk from the international port of entry Manager Azucena Romero says it’s been like this since the border closed to Mexican shoppers in March of 2020 She estimates that 70% of her customers come from across the border “We used to have like 700 customers a day,” she says “And now it’s like 300 customers a day Romero still doesn’t quite believe travel restrictions are lifting today But she has a message for shoppers in Ojinaga: “We’re ready Azucena Romero is the manager at the Dollar General by the port of entry in Presidio She says she’s lost more than half her daily clients under the pandemic travel restrictions That’s true for businesses across Presidio The local economy relies heavily on Ojinaga where the population’s close to 25,000 — about five times that of Presidio and local officials estimate Presidio has lost up to $350,000 in sales tax revenue — which is a lot for a town with a total budget of just under $4 million the economic impact of the travel restrictions hasn’t been as intense citizens were still allowed to travel into Mexico who represents the Mexican federal government in Ojinaga thinks the restrictions may actually have helped local businesses there “We learned to value the local market more because before if something occurred to you you could go to Presidio to buy it,” she says in Spanish Ojinaga residents are eager to be able to visit the U.S “We’re very excited for the opening because we’ll be able to visit our family members and friends,” he says in Spanish “We’re waiting anxiously for the eighth of November because sister cities have to live together.” Ojinaga Mayor Andres Ramos and city ombudsman Dr Usmar Lara are both looking forward to the lifting of the reopening of the U.S The restrictions dealt a greater economic blow to Presidio but Ojinaga residents haven’t been able to visit family and friends in the U.S Figuring out how to live together over the last twenty months has been complicated But the cities have managed to stay connected in small ways In May, Ojinaga parents got special permission to cross into the U.S. to see their kids graduate high school in Presidio. And a few times, the Ojinaga fire department has been allowed to come to Presidio to help fight wildfires And the toll of the restrictions went beyond economics: For many families with relatives on both sides they meant the loss of crucial moments together if there might be any allowance for my son-in-law to be able to come over to see the birth of his daughter,” he says But Ferguson wasn’t able to get permission couldn’t meet his newborn daughter until she was brought to Mexico Mexican truckers like Efrain Olivas Mendoza are gearing up for the big day at the port Olivas Mendoza’s job –– transporting merchandise to the U.S –– was deemed “essential,” so he was allowed to keep crossing during the pandemic he’s worried about the increase in traffic Even as travel restrictions reduced the number of people crossing it took several hours to cross into Presidio on a busy day “It’ll be a little difficult,” Olivas Mendoza says in Spanish because the line is going to be long.” Ojinaga resident Efrain Olivas Mendoza crosses through the port every day He worries that the reopening will mean even longer lines to cross into Presidio Port Director Jesus Luis Chavez does expect to see an increase in wait times He says visitors can help by having all their documents –– including And he says customs officers at the port plan to do everything they can to make things move quickly “We do have four lanes that are available Presidio city administrator Brad Newton says the town is ready for things to get back to normal despite politics and international borders and everything we kind of locally think of us as being all in the same town with an inconvenient border between us,” he says “We’re glad to have our family come home.” If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it here. Your gift helps pay for everything you find on texasstandard.org and Marfa Public Radio Congressional Representative Will Hurd (R-Texas) is also a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security So his visit to the border town of Ojinaga stands out in an otherwise negative narrative that says “I spent nine years as an undercover officer in the CIA," he said there have been less than a dozen reported murders in Ojinaga Hurd wants to leverage his connections at the State Department that he said were forged when he was a CIA agent State Department to reconsider its recent warning concerning traveling here “My basic back-of-the-envelope math is that Ojinaga is pretty safe," he continued "But I need to sit and talk with the professionals that are looking at this and see how they made their decision and see how we can influence that so that the State Department's advisory is actually reflective of the situation here.” Ojinaga matters because it’s a principal entry point for Mexican beef used by the U.S Helping to move that Mexican livestock into the U.S. the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reversed what it said was a security-based decision banning its inspectors from checking U.S.-bound livestock in Ojinaga That decision is helping to move that Mexican livestock into the U.S Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto has unveiled plans to create a manufacturing and logistics hub here to serve northern Mexico oil and gas companies looking to use Ojinaga as a base to work in Mexico’s recently opened domestic energy market Ojinaga Mayor Miguel Carreón is a member of Mexico’s ruling party He helped Peña Nieto craft his economic stimulus plan for northern Mexico Carreón concedes that Chihuahua is a violent state and that the state as a whole is seeing a reduction in crime we had the lowest number of serious crimes like murder in several years," Carreón said implying that the State Department might not be aware of that many Mexicans don’t believe major crime is going down There’s conflict over the definition of organized crime-related killings And even Mexico’s federal government says that organized kidnapping is still an ugly Many Mexicans will tell visitors that the threat of kidnapping is a serious concern in parts of Mexico Carreón and Congressman Hurd agreed to work to change Washington’s view of Ojinaga But both men concluded that change is never quick In an empathetic and lighthearted response Carreón said,"I understand what you saying," concluding with the notion that the same is often true in Mexican politics “What you need in San Diego is very different than what you need in Presidio," Hurd said explaining that there is room for nuance in border security policy in certain areas The State Department rejects any notion that Ojinaga is safe which foreshadows some interesting conversations when Congressman Hurd returns to D.C a State Department spokesperson wrote that Ojinaga is on the travel advisory because of ”threats to safety and security posed by organized criminal groups.” Mexican authorities have found 11 bodies in a mass grave in Chihuahua believed to possibly contain the remains of a group of migrants who disappeared near the Texas border two years ago The migrants may have been killed by drug cartel members fighting for control of human smuggling routes along the Texas border The bodies were found by state police on Wednesday buried about four feet in the ground near the small community of El Mimbre in the Coyame del Sotol region of eastern Chihuahua Crime: Two El Paso men arrested, 13-year-old girl found locked in suspected stash house The Chihuahua Attorney General's Office said DNA tests would be done to determine if the bodies were those of a group of men who disappeared while heading to the Mexican border town of Ojinaga located across the Rio Grande from Presidio in the Big Bend region of Texas TexasA group of 13 migrants departed from Chihuahua City and Aldama heading toward Ojinaga on Sept The migrants had paid smugglers to get them across the U.S Drug cartels: Reputed patriarch of Los Salazar narco-group tied to reporter's murder, extradited to US The migrants were all men and Mexican citizens It is unclear where the others were originally from A boy traveling with the group told investigators that the migrants were detained before reaching Ojinaga Volunteers and state police equipped with search dogs and drones conducted several searches of the ranches dirt roads and ravines looking for the missing men in the vast The searches continued for years until the mass grave was found One person has been arrested as part of the investigation alias "El Roque," who was taken into custody on Feb 28 on a charge of "deprivation of liberty" in connection with the abductions A report by El Heraldo de Juárez citing internal documents from the Chihuahua Attorney General's Office alleges the migrants were possibly killed by the Sinaloa drug cartel and then buried in a clandestine grave by the rival Juárez cartel in an effort to hide the massacre and keep the heat off the region The migrants may have been killed because a "pollero," or human smuggler was trying to avoid paying the "derecho de piso," a toll or tax for transporting contraband through a territory Sinaloa cartel members allegedly intercepted and killed the migrants mistaking them for rival members of La Linea More: 4 dead as Mexican drug cartels battle on new Samalayuca-Tornillo highway outside Juárez Juárez cartel members discovered the massacre and decided to bury the bodies in a hidden grave to keep the murders a secret and keep law enforcement pressure away from that part of the Chihuahua-Texas border PRESIDIO — Molly Ferguson was 14 when she met Miguel Rodriguez Vasquez at a quinceañera in Mexico Ferguson isn’t from Mexico — she’s lived in Presidio that means she’s essentially lived her whole life in Ojinaga as well the Mexican city right across the shimmery green-brown Rio Grande nearly a decade later on a warm July evening It might seem remarkable that their eight-year-long relationship spanned an international divide especially given that Rodriguez’s immigration status has prevented him from ever entering Ferguson’s city Ferguson doesn’t see Presidio and Ojinaga as cities in separate countries — no one in Presidio really does Presidio feels more like an extension of Ojinaga “I guess I cross to a different country every day but I really don't see it as a different country,” Molly Ferguson said framed by the foothills of the Sierrita de Santa Cruz Mountains And yet, politicians in Washington, D.C., talk of building a wall between the communities. Donald Trump rooted his presidency in this idea: that the border is awash in criminals and drugs, and the U.S. needs a physical barrier for its own protection. Trump this summer threatened to shut down the federal government in the fall if Congress fails to authorize construction of a wall “If we don’t get border security after many, many years of talk within the United States, I would have no problem doing a shutdown,” Trump said The U.S. Senate passed a short-term spending bill on Sept 16 — and Trump signed it shortly thereafter — to keep the government running through Dec postponing a fight over funding for the border wall until after the midterm elections Presidio is one of six communities the Center for Public Integrity is profiling this month on the eve of a critical midterm election that will decide the balance of power in Washington These communities are connected by their profound needs and sense of political abandonment at a time when Trump’s administration has declared the nation’s war on poverty “largely over and a success.” There are certainly some towns along the U.S.-Mexico line that face an influx of illegal border crossings and related criminality. But Presidio is different. Numerous residents feel Trump’s wall talk excludes them entirely, including Molly Ferguson’s father, John — he’s the mayor of Presidio John Ferguson said the Trump administration’s keep-Mexicans-in-Mexico rhetoric is vastly out of touch with what his town needs impoverished town has far more to worry about like the lack of a nearby hospital and new tariffs that could destroy their only hope for economic viability And they don’t need a wall like other border communities might illegal border crossings appear relatively few in number and residents cherish and rely on their relationship with the community across the river A wall wouldn’t just be an ugly blot on the south end of Presidio; it would be a mortal wound breathing organism — a community and culture that doesn’t end when it hits the border — it would cut people in Presidio off from a culture to which they belong “The solution absolutely is not to just build a wall The United States doesn't have to look at it anymore burnt oranges and gray yellows — the more dull is vibrant and bustling — it boasts more grocery stores restaurants and bars than Presidio could ever hope to have Houses empty and families pile into cars and shuttle toward the international bridge The streets become even emptier than they are on weekdays Ojinaga is cheaper and has more options: fruits and vegetables that aren’t wilted Beyond the amenities Ojinaga provides Presidio residents who works at the Presidio-Brewster County Indigent Healthcare Program it’s where her mom was born and where her grandma lives and where her vast extended family congregates each weekend for coffee and pound cake “Presidio is the sort of town that most Texans will never see and wouldn't understand if they did. So little do its location, climate, economy, and culture fit the patterns of America that it is more realistically regarded as a suburb of Mexico than as a village in Texas,” Dick Reavis wrote in a Texas Monthly article in October 1983 “We’re literally one big city divided by a river,” Presidio City Councilwoman Isela Nunez said represents the two communities on either side of the U.S.-Mexico border with a doorway between them and while the cluster of potential votes in Presidio is small those who do vote are reliable and potentially important Ortiz Jones has visited the city of Presidio at least twice while campaigning over the last eight months Hurd hasn’t visited the city once in that same span of time said praise for Hurd’s work by local city and county officials speaks for itself “Will Hurd has done some very helpful things for Presidio I have problems with his voting record in Congress Notable projects Hurd's office has worked on in the county include improvements to the Presidio port of entry the Presidio rail bridge that handles cross-border rail traffic and work to pass legislation to create public-private partnerships at ports of entry to invest in infrastructure that Hurd's approach to immigration fronts as moderate but is "kind of like someone set your house on fire and showed up with a pail of water at the end," she said She cites his weak commitment to programs like the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program an immigration policy that shields some undocumented young adults from deportation She said the biggest issue she sees in the district is access to health care "People are fearful they are not going to be able to afford it in the near future or they physically can't get to it,” Ortiz Jones said She said Hurd has dropped the ball on health care access and affordability “When I talk to people not in the district it always surprises them that our one issue is not immigration,” she said Immigration is not the issue — health care is the issue It's interesting how some of these issues playing out in our backyard are getting a lot of national attention.” and participating in endless drivel about immigration policy isn’t going to fix anything in Presidio Presidio doesn’t even have political pull in Austin so why would it have access on Capitol Hill “We’re not big enough to say Will Hurd’s not our party guy he’s not our ticket — everybody else can do that [House Minority Leader Nancy] Pelosi can do that with Trump “We’re going to work with whoever’s in office and we’re going to tell them what our needs are.” All Portillo can do is “let politics be politics” while he works tirelessly to ensure his tiny part of the world A group of women flipped tortillas and scooped brisket from pots as the inescapable summer sun beat down on a Saturday afternoon Cash and paper plates laden with warm food changed hands and was making regular trips to Midland for checkups Hernandez is lucky: He works for the county government and therefore has health insurance unlike the 44 percent of Presidio residents who lack it the costs of traveling to and from Midland for medical care are steep While temporary doctors staff two medical clinics within city limits five days a week the nearest hospital of any size is in Alpine The closest health specialists (and bigger hospitals) are in El Paso and Midland-Odessa — both are four-hour drives away Because of the distance between Presidio and comprehensive American medical care, everything from a minor checkup to a life-threatening surgery becomes a big deal. One must coordinate travel, hotel rooms, meals. It all amounts to a tremendous expense for a family to bear, especially considering census data show the median household income in Presidio is $24,767 who works the cash register at a family-owned furniture store in downtown Presidio doesn’t have health care and had her surgeries in Mexico — gallbladder Chronic infrastructure problems make steady care near impossible in the clinics Presidio does have said Presidio resident and nurse practitioner Robert Rice A few weeks before that a bad storm caused the whole area to lose electricity for over three hours The clinic had to buy a generator to help keep vaccines in the correct temperature range where a long drive in a personal vehicle isn’t viable residents either have to rush across the border to the hospital in Ojinaga or call an ambulance or airlift to Alpine wait times for emergency care are sometimes six to eight hours long and the city incurs incredible costs just to run the one ambulance it has EMS services account for more than a fifth of the city’s puny approximately $4 million budget Nearly everyone in in the small town seems to know someone or know of someone who died because they couldn’t get to a hospital in time Presidio has made some incremental improvements. In 2010, it installed a large battery system which reduced the frequency of its power outages Presidio financed booster pumps for the water system and in 2016 bought and installed 400 water meters to replace aging and malfunctioning meters through a community development block grant And local officials are in initial talks with Texas Tech University for a tentative plan to bring a “micro-hospital” to Presidio all the roads in Presidio were dirt — more accurately Currently, trade coming through Presidio is extremely low. Freight valued at about $18 million went through Presidio’s port of entry in June $6.6 billion went through El Paso to the northwest and $454 million through Del Rio to the east and announced he was going to build a model port of entry there “Mexico is definitely gearing up to come through here we're gearing up to accept their traffic,” Newton said and although it recently doubled its production tariffs could potentially increase prices to the point where it cuts production “One thing we’ve been banking on for the past 30 years is to try and grow international commerce with Mexico and all of a sudden you’ve got some trade tariffs that could put a damper on that,” John Ferguson said Even if the bridge expansion attracts more trade Presidio almost certainly can’t accommodate it without state or federal assistance It can barely support its own residents — during the holidays when families flow in parking is scarce and Presidio’s two small hotels quickly book up — and opening businesses and expanding city infrastructure is a notoriously slow process Her brother tried to construct a large office building in the area for their family company which serves both Presidio and Marfa — which is about an hour’s drive north — was busy the land surveyor still hadn’t completed the required survey Presidio County is vast — at almost 4,000 square miles it's three times the size of Rhode Island — and so sparsely populated that local government resources that affect people’s daily lives are scarce The Department of Motor Vehicles is only open for half a day each week The closest fully functioning county courthouse is in Marfa Hurd periodically sends staffers to visit Presidio but his closest permanent presence — a district congressional office in Fort Stockton — is 153 miles away Presidio’s public library has become a de facto help desk — a refuge of the cash poor said people visit her for all sorts of problems: to apply for federal government benefits to ask for help renewing their special equipment tags People often come to Elguezabel because they need help translating English into Spanish Navigating government resources without English proficiency is difficult An estimated half of Presidio residents speak English less than “very well,” according to census data and a whopping 98.5 percent speak a language other than English at home It’s safe to assume that “other” language is usually Spanish: 92.9 percent of households speak Spanish. Not all Presidio residents which has embraced immigration to improve teacher retention in such a desolate has sponsored the visas of about 30 Filipino teachers tight-knit community in the majority Hispanic city And the high school has a nationally recognized rocket and robotics team — just a few months ago some of Presidio High School’s students embarked on a cross-country drive in a solar-powered car they built themselves The school supports a substantial “at-risk” migrant population of students that only temporarily live in Presidio with another family member and enroll in the school while their fathers travel long distances to work on the oil rigs in Midland-Odessa people move deeper into the state of Texas for jobs Presidio is unable to offer This transience is part of the reason Presidio’s political influence is so feeble and many officials in the nation’s capital aren’t listening to what Presidio residents poor in wealth and polling station participation In 2006, as part of the Bush-era Secure Fences Act, Congress proposed a six-mile-long, 15-foot high border wall through Presidio, which city officials formally opposed The six miles of wall planned for Presidio in 2006 were never built even though the federal government erected at least 650 miles elsewhere practical: the Presidio area is extremely remote and its illegal border crossing apprehension rate is consistently among the lowest on the southern border Annual maintenance is estimated in the hundreds of millions O’Rourke has said he won’t endorse anyone in the race Neither O’Rourke nor Cruz responded to multiple requests for comment about Presidio Hurd alone has little power to stop Trump from demanding a border wall or preventing Congress from funding one. But he engages with Presidio and works to represent everyone regardless of whether they voted for him, Newton said. In August 2017, Hurd held court at The Bean Cafe in Presidio to discuss the challenges facing Customs and Border Patrol and a proposed "smart wall" — using sensor technology to defend against illegal border crossings Several Presidio residents say a “virtual wall” is a suitable alternative an indication that Presidio residents’ opinions on border security and immigration in general aren’t uniform Nunez says a completely open border would be devastating who runs a thrift store in downtown and whose husband works for Customs and Border Patrol says those who cross the border illegally into Presidio pose no threat and are usually just looking for food or water Molly Ferguson said it’s hard when people on the border can't legally cross: They are part of the Presidio community Her good friend's mother was deported the year she graduated from high school Farmer Terry Bishop doesn’t necessarily want more people crossing the Rio Grande onto his land But a wall would block his access to river water for agriculture — and though: It’d be intrusive and destructive to property — and the city’s relationship with Ojinaga when Molly Ferguson donned her wedding dress — black embroidered with yellow flowers and lined with white lace at the bottom in a traditional Oaxacan style — and married Miguel Rodriguez she expected to start this next part of their relationship under the same roof But it’s never been that simple for them to navigate the border that splits their lives in two Ferguson went to an evening concert with Rodriguez where they listened to son jarocho — similar to mariachi She embodies the notion: Ferguson and her parents together perform in a mariachi band at weddings and parties on both sides of the border and that means he couldn’t visit Ferguson while she was attending college an hour away in Alpine He’s never come over to have dinner with her family at their home in Presidio even though we’re only five minutes away from each other It's really strange to think that a person — my husband — can't visit me," Molly Ferguson said They dream of life where Ojinaga and Presidio become even more symbiotic unencumbered by government restrictions and certainly not divided by a wall like Ferguson and Rodriguez’s own relationship Looming over them is the threat of an idea proposed in Washington championed by people who represent Presidio but know little of their way of life The Center for Public Integrity is a nonprofit investigative news organization based in Washington, D.C. This story is part of the Center for Public Integrity’s “Abandoned in America” series profiling communities connected by their profound needs and sense of political abandonment at a time when President Donald Trump’s administration has declared the nation’s war on poverty “largely over and a success.” Disclosure: Texas Tech University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here Choose an amount or learn more about membership By Alfredo Corchado and Annie Rosenthal Mexico — Thirteen migrants kidnapped in Chihuahua may have been killed during a turf war between drug cartels — part of an increasingly violent feud between rival gangs over smuggling routes in this northern state bordering Texas Some of the migrants were headed for the Midland-Odessa and Dallas areas according to family members and a human rights advocate all men mostly from the state of Chihuahua being held for ransom or forced into labor for cartels But a Mexican security official close to the investigation told The Dallas Morning News and Marfa Public Radio that investigators are “looking for bodies of what’s been left behind” out in the desert The official spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal Breaking NewsGet the latest breaking news from North Texas and beyond GoogleFacebookBy signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy Leer en español: Temen que 13 migrantes hayan sido asesinados por carteles en la frontera entre Texas y Chihuahua is part of a growing pattern of disappearances of migrants in the area between Ciudad Juárez across from the small Big Bend community of Presidio That corridor had until recently been relatively quiet but has a long history of cartel-related violence Listen to Marfa Public Radio’s Annie Rosenthal and Border Correspondent Alfredo Corchado discuss the missing migrants. “It’s like no man’s land,” said Gabino Gómez Escárcega a veteran human rights activist who works with an organization called Centro de Derechos Humanos de las Mujeres Gómez stood with family members of the missing migrants outside the state capitol’s office in Chihuahua to demand answers holding posters emblazoned with their loved ones faces and signs with messages like: “It’s not just 13; they’re many more disappeared.” a 20-year-old from Hidalgo who has vision problems went missing at the beginning of November near the area where the 13 disappeared a month earlier Veteran security and immigration experts are concerned that the violence is immigration policies that have left tens of thousands of migrants in limbo along the border lingering in dangerous Mexican towns where they can easily fall prey to criminal groups require that asylum seekers who arrive in the U.S The Biden administration initially suspended the policy which began in 2019 under former President Donald Trump but reinstated it in early December following a court order And under the Title 42 policy implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency hundreds of thousands more who arrive in the U.S are quickly and routinely expelled back to Mexico Many remain at the border seeking other opportunities to cross back into the U.S Critics say such policies have created a booming industry for smugglers director of the Justice in Mexico program at the University of San Diego said the policies “add to the number of people who are sufficiently desperate that they’re going to put their lives in the hands of a migrant smuggler.” Smuggling is no longer a “mom and pop” operation but an increasingly lucrative industry in which cartels have become more intimately involved president of the Migration Policy Institute “Drug cartels used to look down on human smuggling because they saw it as a secondary business and a much less lucrative business it becomes much more attractive to try and control it.” a nonprofit clearinghouse of business and community leaders that promotes safety human smuggling brings in nearly $30 million per month The takeover of human smuggling in Chihuahua by the cartels means “the consequence is that we think they are no longer alive,” said Contreras who is also a member of the national security council more than 95,000 people have been declared missing by Mexico’s National Search Commission following a tour of Mexico to meet with officials and families of victims — including relatives of the 13 missing outside Ojinaga — members of the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances noted that migrants in Mexico are particularly vulnerable to disappearance Human Rights First has documented more than 7,000 violent attacks against people returned to Mexico or forced to wait there during the Trump and Biden presidencies under the Remain in Mexico policy While families remain desperate for answers about what happened to relatives who went missing on the journey north others have evidence of the brutality their loved ones encountered several Mexican police officers were charged in the massacre of 19 migrants The grisly event brought echoes of other brutal killings of migrants — including the murder of 72 migrants by the then Zetas cartel in the same state in 2010 Along the Chihuahuan desert between Ojinaga and Juarez Gómez estimates the number of disappeared Mexican migrants at 30 in more than a year 15 of whom have gone missing within the span of just 40 days this fall — including the group of 13 Violence isn’t new to the region where the migrants went missing once terrorized this remote region in the state of Chihuahua that extends between Coyame de Sotol and Ojinaga and up the Rio Grande in what is known as the Valle de Guadalupe nearly 10,000 people were killed just in Juárez a result of a turf war over coveted drug smuggling routes A death squad made up of soldiers operated out of Ojinaga a border anthropologist at the University of Texas at El Paso The general who led the military garrison in Ojinaga during those years was later sentenced to 52 years in prison for the torture murder and incineration of a civilian in Ojinaga the region around Ojinaga has been under the control of La Linea “which has been the dominant group in the state with some exceptions.” And for the last decade the area has been relatively quiet — a sign that La Linea was in control The Mexican security official described this “quiet period” as a “simulated peace a purchased peace” adding that the cartel has a stranglehold over the city of an estimated 25,000 Ojinaga Mayor Andres Ramos denies organized crime exists in his city The city has not taken kindly to the recent increase in migration through the area big and small,” adding that the city receives “not one peso” from the federal government to care for them and that local resources should be spent on locals But most of the men who disappeared in September were from communities surrounding Chihuahua City Some had decided to make the trip to reunite with family members in the U.S. while others sought jobs that would help them better support those back in Mexico had worked as a delivery person in Chihuahua City He quit his job over the summer when he heard from a cousin in Arlington who promised him a job in construction insisting they could somehow make ends meet in Mexico He responded that Mexican wages wouldn’t help them provide for his eldest daughter’s schooling or pay for his other daughter’s quinceañera He promised he’d return for Christmas and stay for the birthday party And he vowed in three years he’d return for good with enough money saved to even buy their own home Her husband had faith he’d make it to North Texas a person who would navigate the complicated interactions with a smuggler and eventually members of organized crime Alvarez used a severance package to pay the 20,000 peso fee before finally leaving Chihuahua City with the rest of the 13 He would still owe more than $6,000 for the journey to be paid after he started work in the U.S. Alvarez called Martinez from a safe house in the town of Coyame He said that all was going as planned and that they would lose phone service for the next stretch of the trip I’m going to turn off my phone and I won’t be able to talk to you until I get there,’” said Martinez where a smuggler awaited them for transportation to the Permian Basin and Dallas But first they had to go through Lomas de Arena a tiny Mexican village right up against the Rio Grande neighboring Hudspeth and Culberson counties in far West Texas side of the river has seen a stark rise in both apprehensions of large groups and deaths in the desert of migrants from Central America said Culberson County Sheriff Oscar Carrillo his office has recovered 28 bodies from the desert compared to what he said “had been the average for years: One.” a day after the group was supposed to arrive in North Texas Then she got a call from another person with a family member in the group who said that a teenager who’d been traveling with the group had returned to Chihuahua According to the state prosecutor’s office the teen testified to local authorities that the group had been stopped by armed men who told him “vete” – go – before taking the men away in vehicles where he was detained by Border Patrol and soon deported back to Juárez Martinez and relatives of other members of the group filed formal missing persons reports with the state attorney general’s office Martinez said officials collected DNA samples from each of them and promised to begin searching The state attorney general’s office is now offering a 200,000 peso reward for “useful and true information” about the whereabouts of several of the missing men But Martinez said they have not allowed family members to accompany them “We beg you who has seen or knows something to help us find them give us a clue about where they are so we can go search for them,” reads a typical post The families also requested assistance in the investigation from María Eugenia Campos Galván and Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador he said he had not heard about the disappearance of the 13 migrants But during López Obrador’s recent visit to Chihuahua the administration promised the group the use of a helicopter to assist with their search A spokesperson for the state attorney general’s office says it has carried out “permanent and uninterrupted” searches for them in recent months Working with several other agencies — including the army and National Guard — the office says it has conducted land and air searches of the municipalities surrounding the area where the migrants disappeared but still have no answers about the missing 13 or Omar Reyes Lopez But officials on both sides of the border have privately spoken of a likely version of events: A confrontation between members of the Sinaloa and La Linea cartels the week that the 13 disappeared According to the Mexican security official close to the investigation the group had been taken hostage by members of the Sinaloa cartel When members of La Linea realized that Sinaloa was encroaching on their territory and interfering with their human cargo they brought dozens of trucks to Bosque Bonito The Sinaloa cartel had fewer people but more weapons At some point during or after the confrontation the official believes the migrants were taken elsewhere and killed The official said houses around the small community of Bosque Bonito were abandoned as though the few residents had left in a hurry investigators found bloody fingerprints and other evidence of torture The state attorney general’s office confirmed this week that investigators found traces of the conflict including bullet casings and burned vehicles “it cannot be established that [the group of thirteen migrants] was involved in any way since there is no evidence to determine it.” The state attorney general’s office also would not confirm whether investigators have used DNA testing on any of the evidence from the site of the confrontation nor whether cartels were involved in the confrontation was firm in the assertion that the migrants are no longer alive and has a message for the families: “There are no words I can say to fill the void you feel for your sons But there’s a divine law that can give you comfort.” Contreras of FICOSEC agreed. “I think the important thing is that what we’re looking for here is not to have another San Fernando,” he said, referring to the 2010 and 2011 massacres of migrants in San Fernando Many say a lack of consequences for those killings has resulted in continued violence “And to prevent us from having another San Fernando Martinez is not ready to conclude that her husband and his companions were killed but I can’t blind myself to that possibility,” she said Christmas Day will mark three months since the families last heard from their loved ones and Martinez said each day is more difficult “Why shatter the dreams of so many families?” Martinez asked She said the search will not stop until the men are home “We’re not looking for guilty parties,” she said Where the person is that we’re waiting for at home.” Annie Rosenthal is the border reporter for Marfa Public Radio and a Report for America corps member La Fiera de Ojinaga heads to the Kansas State Fair this fall a Mexican regional music group known for their unique blend of norteño are bringing their signature style and high-energy performances to the heart of Kansas.​ Anyone signed up for Kansas State Fair emails can get access to tickets with a presale code Reserved seating in the Grandstand is $60/$40 There are several options for an upgraded Grandstand experience:​ Party alongside the 2023 Grandstand artists The Mel Hambelton Ford Party Pit gives concertgoers the opportunity to be on the floor Reserve a table on our Metal & Soul Patio to enjoy the show from a private table that seats six In addition to a reserved table for six on the Metal & Soul Patio this package provides three beverage coupons per person complimentary food within the VIP seating area prior to the show ​NOTE: Each grandstand ticket will also include a gate admission scan Ticket will be valid on date of event only To purchase tickets or for more information, visit kansasstatefair.com or call (620) 669-3618 2023 Kansas State Fair Nex-Tech Grandstand Acts:​ 9 – Carly Pearce with Megan Moroney​Sunday September 10 – Rob Schneider with Byron Kennedy​Wednesday September 13 – Matthew West with Anne Wilson​Thursday Two members of Mexico's National Guard were shot and killed in an attack while patrolling a highway linking Chihuahua City with the border town of Ojinaga The Mexican National Guard issued condolences on social media Monday night saying the attack killed two members of the highway patrol division Ojinaga is located across the Rio Grande from Presidio in the Big Bend region of Texas Photos shared by Ojinaga news media showed a Mexican Federal Police patrol car with its back window shattered and more than a dozen bullet holes on its windshield and hood Photos showed the body of a man in police uniform on the asphalt and the second body in the desert brush just off the road The patrol was attacked Monday evening while headed to a toll-road booth on a desert stretch of highway near Aldama reported El Dictamen de Ojinaga news website found a pickup abandoned along a dirt road that was suspected of being used by the attackers Members of Mexico's Federal Police, Military Police and Naval Police are being incorporated into its new National Guard under the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador In a visit to Juárez last week. Lopez Obrador spoke about his plans to improve the economy and security amid record-setting violence Mexico had nearly 36,000 murders in 2018 and is expected to surpass that number once the final toll for 2019 is tallied Daniel Borunda may be reached at 915-546-6102; dborunda@elpasotimes.com; @BorundaDaniel on Twitter More news: Mexican president Lopez Obrador says 'Peace and Tranquility' a priority for government More: Violence in Mexico: Man sentenced in drive-by shooting attack on Juárez police station is a free concert series celebrating Hispanic culture and bringing our fans together throughout the season Taking place postgame one Saturday each month the series celebrates Hispanic culture through food trucks Follow for the latest updates and exclusive behind-the-scenes content on all Rangers' Hispanic celebrations and events This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page With nearly 20 years of hotel sales experience—including an impressive 17 years with Hyatt—Matt Ojinaga brings a seasoned approach to Thompson Denver as its new director of sales and marketing and manage all strategic marketing initiatives Ojinaga began his career in hospitality at Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi and Inn & Spa at Loretto in Santa Fe New Mexico before kicking off his tenure with Hyatt at Hyatt Regency Albuquerque Ojinaga then joined Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa & Marina in San Diego as group sales manager followed by sales leaderships roles at Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Illinois and at both Grand Hyatt Denver and Hyatt Regency Denver Ojinaga later returned to California as the director of sales events & marketing at Andaz West Hollywood in Los Angeles Ojinaga has earned various awards and accolades for his contributions over the years including "Associate of the Year," "Sales Elite Performer," and "Events Team of the Year." Azúcar Lounge is a premiere SoMa spot for Mezcal and delicious Mexican-style street snacks and entrées Its loungelike setting with sofas and dim lighting creates a comfortable Tables are also available for larger groups which is easy to do with options such as tasty Azúcar Tots (tater tots smothered in queso blanco and your choice of veggies and/or meat) and Chile Rellenos made with pasilla peppers Owner and Operator Jonathan Ojinaga made the move from corporate America to entrepreneur and has applied many of his business skills in running the bustling which has been a San Francisco staple for over a decade GGBA: Please describe your business and its mission and values Jonathan Ojinaga: The mission of Azúcar Lounge has always been centered on honoring and celebrating Mexican spirits One way we are committed to doing this is through sustainable and environmentally friendly methods that respect the integrity of the agave from which the spirit is derived and the wider environmental health in general We want our patrons (and ourselves) to be able to enjoy Mexican food and spirit for years to come we are committed to working with ethically processed agave distilleries that use sustainable methods that support of the health of land we have also made a commitment to do our part to support the environment we live in We are a certified Green Business and we use environmentally friendly cleaning products We are always on the lookout for ways to minimize our footprint For the last 18 months we have worked closely with Dispatch Goods a local company that provides reusable to-go packaging We have relied on this system of packaging for to-go orders completely for the last year As someone who believes in every person and company doing their part to maintain the health of the planet and its valuable resources I am proud of the steps we have taken not only to maintain the integrity of our product through sustainable practices but also the broader environment as a whole I am a firm believer in being an active member of our community—we have partnered with many charities such as the San Francisco AIDS Foundation GGBA: Why did you decide to create your business Jonathan Ojinaga: After graduating from college I was employed in corporate retail for a little over seven years before I decided to leave it all behind me I found myself on a career path that I did not feel was my calling or the least bit fulfilling Friends and family were taken aback when they found out I was abandoning a position with a lot of growth potential for less lucrative ventures I worked as a bartender in various bars across San Francisco and eventually made friends with a couple who needed help managing their bars & restaurants The experience led to other management positions in the food and beverage industry and the experiences were one of two things that kindled the concept for Azúcar Lounge who owned and operated small-town bars many years ago in Southwestern New Mexico I was able to open the business in November of 2011 and especially those who helped to influence your business Jonathan Ojinaga: My Grandfather was one of my biggest role models When I was growing up he would tell me stories about when he used to own a bar He would always talk longingly about his bar days but I still fondly remember sitting down and having coffee and pan dulce with him in the morning as he would talk about stories from his younger days.   Jonathan Ojinaga: I’ve been a member since 2021 Being a member of the GGBA has opened up the door to a whole new network of like-minded businesses I appreciate that the organization advocates on behalf of the members and pushes for social GGBA: How has being a member of GGBA helped your business so far Jonathan Ojinaga: Since joining the GGBA I was able to complete our certification as an LGBT Business Enterprise A benefit to joining the association was the perk of waved application fees for this certification which has helped by giving us an advantage in the grant application process This past summer we were awarded a Community Impact Grant from NGLCC and Grubhub As more businesses return to their physical offices I’m hopeful that our LGBT BE certification will help us be more competitive with companies who are looking to increase their supply chain diversity targets GGBA: Do you go to the GGBA monthly Make Contact networking events Jonathan Ojinaga: I honestly haven’t participated in many Make Contact networking events Since the world turned upside down a few years ago I’m often times working floor shifts by tending bar which has left me with very little time to break away to attend these networking events It’s one of my goals to attend Make Connect networking events more frequently in 2023 GGBA: What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of starting their own business Jonathan Ojinaga: The two things I always tell others who are looking to start their own business is 1) Talk to other entrepreneurs in the same industry and 2) Do your market research to make sure there is a need for your offering but you’d be surprised how many people have approached me through the years thinking it would be a quick and easy side gig to have a bar I always tell people that “you have to be a special kind of crazy to start a food and beverage business in San Francisco.” It is a fun business to be a part of but I often times compare it to a toddler—it always needs something https://www.azucarsf.com/ Tuesday, December 13GGBA Holiday Party with the San Francisco Bay Times6–10 pmThe Academy SF, 2166 Market StreetWelcome by GGBA Board President Tony Archuleta-Perkinsand GGBA Ambassador Olga GarciaEmcees Liam Mayclem and Donna SachetPerformer Kippy MarksMusic by DJ Rockaway presented by Olivia TravelRegister: https://tinyurl.com/e633m8pf Gold Gate Business Association Member SpotlightPublished on December 1 spent three and a half years as a World War II prisoner after surviving the 1942 Bataan Death March in the Philippines Ojinaga died Monday at his home in Santa Fe at age 94 Vicente Ojinaga reflects on his experiences as a Bataan Death March prisoner during an interview in 2001 was captured in 1942 and held as a prisoner of war until his release in 1945 ’ I watched many of my friends die in those camps,’ Ojinaga said at the time ‘I thank God that I was one of the lucky ones to come home.’ arrive at the DeVargas Center movie theater in 2005 to see The Great Raid a film based in part on the book Ghost Soldiers by local author Hampton Sides one of Santa Fe’s few remaining Bataan Death March survivors died Monday at the home he bought in Casa Solana on the GI Bill in 1956 Ojinaga sometimes would tell his children stories about his three and a half years of captivity by the Japanese “but not in detail,” daughter Teri Gonzales said Tuesday “We didn’t want him to relive the horrible things … He said what kept him alive was faith and prayer and his family knowing he was going to come back to his family.” Ojinaga was one of four sons and three daughters of José and Josefa Ojinaga who had emigrated from revolution-torn Mexico in 1910 Vicente Ojinaga worked as a carpenter in the copper mine As the world reached the brink of World War II Ojinaga and his brothers agreed that the first to be drafted would join the military But when an older brother received his draft notice where he became one of 75,000 Filipino and American soldiers who were taken captive by the Japanese when the United States forces surrendered in the province of Bataan and Corregidor Island in April 1942 we didn’t want to,” Ojinaga said in a 1997 interview ‘That is the most terrible thing that had happened to me in my life.’ I felt like I had betrayed my country.” Ojinaga and other New Mexican POWs would “get together and talk in Spanish about the matanzas [village barbecues] the burriñates [lamb intestines] and all the other great food that we had back home,” he recalled in a 2009 interview Gonzales said one of her father’s few funny stories about captivity concerned the day the POWs hid a chicken they were to prepare for the Japanese guards and substituted instead a crow they had caught We always said we’d get them to eat crow,’ ” she said Ojinaga weighed about 95 pounds — almost half what he did before the war considering that only about half the original New Mexican captives survived According to the New Mexico Department of Veterans’ Services Ojinaga’s death means there are 40 New Mexico Bataan survivors still living — 22 in New Mexico and 18 elsewhere — plus five Bataan survivors from other states who now live in New Mexico two are listed as living in Santa Fe — John Moseley and Richard Daly Ojinaga found himself drawn to Celia Presciado whose parents were friends of his parents in Santa Rita but who had been only a child when Ojinaga left for the war Ojinaga enrolled in Western New Mexico University in Silver City then transferred to The University of New Mexico where he graduated with a degree in business administration in 1950 the Ojinagas purchased their first home on Solana Drive in the then-new Casa Solana subdivision in northwest Santa Fe located near where a Japanese internment camp had been situated during the war The Ojinagas got $1,000 of their down payment furnished by the GI Bill then joined the New Mexico Bureau of Revenue where he rose to the position of chief of administrative services before retiring in 1978 her father concentrated on his children and grandchildren attending everyone’s sports and academic events He also volunteered as a tax counselor for the elderly served as president of the Guadalupe Credit Union a member of the New Mexico State Employees Credit Union a Eucharistic minister and treasurer of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and worked as an assistant at the Society of St Ojinaga is survived by his widow and all five children Corky Ojinaga of Santa Fe and Sam Ojinaga of Santa Fe; 17 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m Contact Tom Sharpe at 986-3080 or tsharpe@sfnewmexican.com Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Receive a list of headlines from the latest edition of The New Mexican in your inbox every morning get a preview of The New Mexican's big Sunday stories and review highlights from the week Stay informed of the latest local news by receiving emails as soon as news is posted online Stay up to date with news from the Capitol during the legislative session and follow New Mexico politics throughout the year A guide to outdoors opportunities and profiles on peoples' connections with places Keep up with what's going on in the local business scene Receive the latest episode of "Conversations Different" in your inbox every Tuesday.  Taking the temperature of New Mexico's environmental issues local prep sports and more every Wednesday Contests and special offers from The Santa Fe New Mexican and advertising partners Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account An iconic image; Villa and southern rebel leader Emiliano Zapata for whom the Zapatista rebels protesting NAFTA named themselves Dec 6,1914 after driving the Constitutionalists from the capital Zapata had no presidential aspirations and refused to sit in the the president's chair Villa is in that chair and he likely harbored presidential aspirations but they were never realized Friday, Jan. 10 marked the 100th anniversary of Mexican revolutionary leader Pancho Villa's victory at the Battle of Ojinaga a battle that helped change the course of modern Mexican history Iconic images of Villa that resonate even today in Mexico society were taken at that battle Villa routed Mexican federal troops there and went on to spur the establishment of some of the basic constructs of modern Mexico like agrarian reform and compulsory education In death he remains a symbol of hope for many of a Mexico still longing to put his democratic ideals into practice The Governor of Chihuahua state, César Duarte, told the Fronteras Desk that Pancho Villa is an example of a brave citizen who fought for liberty and democracy in Mexico Ojinaga and Pancho Villa are linked forever by imagestaken by an American film company that have come to define both Pancho Villa and the Mexican Revolution In 1913, Villa, needing cash to finance his war, signed a deal with the Mutual Film Company to document his battles Engagements were sometimes recreated for the cameras but recent evidence suggests he did not delay or postpone his attack to accomodate the filmakers To honor his memory, the Chihuahua State legislature convened Friday in Ojinaga where the troops that Villa routed sought refuge after the battle before the defeated soldiers escaped to Marfa today a one hour drive away from the Mexican border Ojinaga Mayor Miguel Antonio Carreón Rohana says the celebration and the visits by senior politicians are focusing the eyes of all of Mexico on his border town “It’s very important to us that the governor be here and the Congress," he stated "It's the first time in the life of our town." Chihuahua Governor César Horacio Duarte greets Congressional representative María Ávila before the start of a special session of the Chihuahua State legislature The session was held to honor the victory of Pancho Villa's revel forces against Mexican federal troops at the Battle of Ojinaga 100 years ago A resident named Hector Rodriguez went further saying the towns of Ojinaga and its sister city of Presidio have long been ignored by the powers that be in Mexico “It’s good for the city because a lot of people from parts of Chihuahua coming here and see what’s going on really Others were on the street were remembering a man who in death has become a national hero. Villa was assassinated in 1923 Romina Gandera drove several hours from Chihuahua City to attend "There's a lot of corruption in Mexico," she said in Spanish We're still looking for a leader," she said explaining that Villa was just such a personality Gandera’s friend Roberto Salcero says Villa is as close to the father of modern Mexico as there is We have to pass that information to the next generations.” 1916 between 500 and 600 Mexican rebels led by Pancho Villa crossed the border and attacked Columbus The motivation is unclear but one theory suggests the attack was revenge against the U.S President Wilson hurt Villa by allowing Mexican troops commanded by a rival to be moved by train through Texas and New Mexico to a campaign in Mexico he was lauded in Mexico for standing up to the superpower to the north Like many historical figures, Pancho Villa was not and is not universally loved. He was barbaric in the way he killed his prisoners of war.  And he had a less than stellar relationship with the women in his life Late in his life he lamented the cruelty he was responsible for his rout of federal troops and his defiance of the superpower to the north mark his place and this town’s place in Mexican history About four dozen people stood in a row holding hands as a symbol of camaraderie Saturday morning at the international bridge that divides Presidio Marathon and Alpine drove an hour or more to join the sister cities’ residents and city officials Presidio High School art teacher Laurie Holman organized the event saying she felt Donald Trump’s presidential win will negatively affect the region’s primarily Hispanic community and wanted to do something to show unity “I just wanted to do something positive,” Holman said “I know there’s a lot of angry demonstrations They’re frustrated and I do not blame them at all I think it was important to show the world and show the area that we live in peace.” Nearly 83 percent of Presidio County’s 6,800 residents are Hispanic, according to census data, and the county has the lowest voter turnout in the state. Sixty-six percent of voters there turned out for Hillary Clinton while Donald Trump received 30 percent of the vote Presidio City Council Member Dimitri Garcia said he wanted to reaffirm to Ojinaga after the election that they will stick together as a community “We’re not going to allow fear to go ahead and dictate the pace of what we’re going to do here in Presidio Attendees carried signs that said “Build bridges not walls,” “Viva La Frontera” and “Love is unity.” As they walked from Saint Teresa Church in Presidio to the bridge the group of 35 Americans carried signs painted by Holman’s high school art students wore safety pins as symbols of solidarity and waved at drivers and pedestrians as they passed by from both sides of the border sometimes receiving a wave or a thumbs up in return said he was was proud to see American citizens join the 15 Mexicans on the international bridge and hopes it’s not the last time “We demonstrate that if we can do it together Garcia said he would have liked to see more of his constituents at the event There were more attendees from the surrounding areas than from Presidio itself but I would have liked to see more people from Presidio,” he said “I think it’s just counter-intuitive to the culture that we talk about it We have very strong opinions about what what’s happening today but there could have been more of us that showed up.” Texas whose work has appeared in the Big Bend Sentinel on Marfa Public Radio and in other publications All of the Texas Observer’s articles are available for free syndication for news sources under the following conditions: You can chip in for as little as $3 a month Get our latest in-depth reporting straight to your inbox © 2021 The Texas Observer. 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