GET A GINA FOR GOVERNOR SIGN: COME HOME TO DADDY!

Team Gina

Get Gina for Texas Governor signs in Brownsville and Mission

Right now the best thing you can do to support Gina is to put a Gina For Governor of Texas sign on your yard, your business or on your neighbor's yard (with permission of course). 

Come get a sign in Brownsville at my Law Office, 531 East St. Francis, and at the Gina For Governor Headquarters in Mission, 108 W. 18th St. (near Mission High School).

We also have 4 X 8 signs if you have a good place where the public will see them. The Valley needs to show that we are Gina Country!

DRAFT DODGER GENERAL BONESPURS DISSED DISABLED VETS

Christina Lorey

During preparations for a 2018 military parade, Trump told staff not to include wounded veterans because he felt amputees did not "look good" for him.

After a ceremony where Captain Luis Avila — a severely wounded Army officer — sang “God Bless America," Trump told then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, “Why do you bring people like that here? No one wants to see that, the wounded.”

A five-time draft-dodger said that.

Thank you to ALL veterans — regardless of political affiliation or limb status.

You deserve a president who respects you.

AFTER TRASHING OUR LIVING PLANET, ESCAPE WITH MUSK TO MARS?

Francie Armstrong
Everything we need has been put for us on this planet. But we take everything for granted until it's too late so don't depend on humans to do the right thing on another planet

William Mitchell
If you can make Mars habitable then you can clean up the mess on Earth

Mathieu Thomas Ali
If you have the ability to terraform Mars to be like earth, then you have the ability to terraform earth to be like earth.

Tyler Veinot
No matter how bad Earth gets it will always be easier to clean up and inhabit Earth then it will ever be to try and make Mars habitable. Unless you figured out away to crash Mars and Mercury together.

LIFE IMITATES ART: THE TRUMP DIVIDEND YOU'LL NEVER SEE

ABOUT TIME: VOTE FOR PROPOSITION "N" TO KEEP OUR MONEY HERE

THE BOOK BAN WAR: I SWEAR UPON A STACK OF BIBLES...

Story Jury's Post

Various Sources

A Pennsylvania school board president took her oath on banned books instead of a Bible, and one photo turned a local board meeting into a national flashpoint.

Karen Smith was sworn in as president of the Central Bucks school board in Pennsylvania with her hand on a stack of frequently challenged books. The titles included Night by Elie Wiesel, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart, All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson, Flamer by Mike Curato, and Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin.

Smith said she is “not particularly religious” and that, after years of fights over library books in the district, the books carried meaning for her. The photo spread widely online, drawing attention from figures including Pink and George Takei.

The moment followed a heated local election. The previous GOP-led board had passed policies restricting “sexualized content,” creating a process that led to two books being banned and dozens more challenged. Critics said the policies targeted LGBTQ stories and books by or about people of color. Supporters of such policies have argued that parents should have more control over what students can access in schools.

Smith and four newly elected Democratic colleagues helped flip the board’s majority in November. At its first meeting, the new board moved quickly to suspend or reverse several prior policies, including rules on library materials, staff advocacy, and transgender athletes.

Smith has said parents already have ways to restrict what their own children check out, but should not be able to block access for every student.

School board meetings are usually local politics at their smallest scale, but this photo showed how national debates over books, identity, history, and parental rights are now playing out one district at a time.

Texas and Florida account for most of the 12,000 school book bans last year.
PEN America recorded its highest annual total of public school book bans in the 2025–2026 school year, surpassing every year since the organization began tracking them in 2021.

Those bans affected more than 7,300 different titles. The distinction matters: the same book can be counted more than once when multiple districts restrict it.

More than 4,500 titles entered the organization’s index for the first time, another record. New additions included Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.
Stephen King was the most banned author, with 312 recorded bans. Young adult author Ellen Hopkins followed with 234.

Texas and Florida accounted for the vast majority of recorded bans. They also have more complete records, partly because local groups have obtained information through public records requests.

PEN America uses “book ban” to cover several kinds of content-based restrictions. These include removing books from libraries or classrooms, making them unavailable during reviews, and limiting access through measures such as parental permission or grade-level restrictions. The total does not mean every book was permanently removed.

The report also raises concerns about schools using artificial intelligence to review their collections. PEN America says these tools can take passages out of context and recommend removing books because other districts have already restricted them.

Books dealing with racism, LGBTQ+ issues and sexuality remain frequent targets, according to the organization.

PEN America says its figures are an undercount because restrictions often go unreported or are difficult to document. Even with those gaps, the latest school year produced the largest total in its five years of tracking.

SENSELESS IRAN WAR FORCES TRUMP TO DUMP TARIFFS

 

Trump simply reversed what he did to increase prices to begin with.

SAN BENE'S MAYOR'S CENSURE: TABLED, FULL OF SOUND AND FURY, SIGNIFYING NOTHING

By Joe F. Rodriguez

The San Benito City Commission met on Tuesday, and tabled am agenda item, (Resolution Number 2026-10-002(R) censuring Mayor Pedro A. Galvan for requesting information from the city's Economic Development Corporation.

After getting to Agenda Item #5, Commissioner Cortez (one of the commissioners who placed the resolution on the agenda) made the following request “Mayor, if I may, um, like to request that we, uh, move item #5 up in the agenda just to get it over with...”

The city attorney recommended that the Mayor Pro Tem take over Presiding Officer as part of a procedural move per Roberts Rules of Order.

Mayor Galvan stated for the record that the Censure Resolution was not included in the Commissioners electronic packet nor uploaded to the city’s web site as all resolutions are normally uploaded.

Commissioner Cortez stated that they had received letters (didn’t say from whom) that they had been threatened that their sales tax money would be taken away from them.

The Presiding Officer asked the City Attorney if they had an opinion on the Resolution.
Attorney  Andrea Vela stated that the City Attorney’s office did not have a recommendation on the merits of the resolution itself.

Commissioner Perez (the other Commissioner requesting the agenda item) was asked to comment on the Censure Resolution.

His response: “So I’m gonna fall back on what, um, commissioner Cortez on, UH, you know, Mayor going over there or calling over there and asking for certain things and stuff, stuff like that”.

After the Presiding Officer made a motion to table and let all parties involved to basically hash it out. However, the motion failed with Nays from Commissioners Perez, Gonzalez, and Cortez.
The Presiding Officer asked for any other motion. What followed was nothing but silence for about a minute and half from the Commissioners who placed the Censure Resolution on agenda.

At that point the Commissioner Cortez asked to move the agenda item to the end of the agenda with no action at this point.

After they reached the end of the agenda, the commission came back to Agenda #5 Censure Resolution. Also, at this point, an audience member yelled out “TABLE IT. LET IT DIE A NATURAL DEATH”.

A commissioner who placed the Censure Resolution on the agenda moved to table the item to the next City Commission meeting.

Putting it plainly “The Two Commissioners Wimped Out”. They measured the temperature of the audience and they didn’t like what they saw.

GUESS AGAIN. TRUMP NOW TAKING BACK PROMISE HE'LL PAY FOR HIS ADS

Politics in Group Chat's Post

The Hill

The White House clarified Tuesday that President Trump will not pay back the federal government for money already spent on controversial political TV ads after he said he would start paying for the ads himself.

Trump said Monday he would pay for the controversial “Patriotic Ads” himself after receiving backlash for using taxpayer money to fund them. Your tax dollars. His image rehab.

The Trump administration moved $20 million into a DHS account used for commemorative events — including fallen-officer memorials — and then awarded a $20 million contract for taxpayer-funded ads promoting Trump, including a recycled version of his 2024 “Final Battle” ad.

“This is a rather standard thing to do but, rather than doing that, although nothing will make them happy, I have decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc.,” the president added.

But a White House official confirmed to NewsNation, The Hill’s sister network, that Trump does not plan to reimburse the money already spent, saying, “The President’s Truth was not referring to reimbursement.”

If your political brand needs millions in public money to sell itself back to the public, maybe the problem isn’t the marketing. Paid for by the U.S. Government. Literally.

A VISION OF OUR BELOVED BROWNSVILLE WE CAN ALL SHARE

My Vision for Brownsville

When I think about Brownsville’s future, I don’t just think about the next election or the next four years. I think about the kind of community we want to leave for our children and grandchildren.

Brownsville has tremendous potential. We have had a growing port, new economic opportunities, young people who want to succeed, hardworking families, dedicated teachers, healthcare professionals, small businesses and people who love this community.

 But potential is not enough. We have to have a vision— and then we have to do the work to make that vision a reality.

My vision for Brownsville is a city where basic infrastructure works. When it rains, families should not have to wonder whether their streets or homes will flood. 

We need to invest in drainage, roads and infrastructure before problems become emergencies. We also need to look honestly at our water supply and make sure Brownsville has a reliable source of water for the future. 

I want to see an education system that prepares our young people not only for college, but for careers.
Not every student needs a four-year degree. Our children should have opportunities to learn skilled trades, technology, healthcare, welding, plumbing, electrical work and other careers that can provide a good living. 

With the new industries coming to our port, SpaceX and other industries bringing new opportunities to our area, we need to make sure our students are prepared to fill those jobs.

Healthcare is another part of my vision.
As a physician who practiced medicine for more than 30 years, including 20 years as an oncologist, I know that access to healthcare can make the difference between catching a disease early and discovering it when it is much harder to treat. Brownsville deserves accessible, quality healthcare and better attention to prevention and early detection.

I also believe we need a fairer approach to property taxes. Working families, seniors and homeowners should not feel as though they are being punished simply because they are trying to keep their homes. 

We need transparency, accountability and policies that recognize the financial pressures families are facing. And finally, Brownsville needs economic growth that benefits the people who already live here.

These major developments can create tremendous opportunities, but we must make sure those opportunities translate into good jobs, better wages and a stronger local economy. 

Economic development should not simply mean new projects. It should mean a better quality of life for Brownsville families.

That is my vision for Brownsville: reliable infrastructure, stronger education and workforce preparation, accessible healthcare, fairer taxation, public safety and economic opportunity.

But a vision is only meaningful if there is a plan behind it. We should be able to ask: What are we trying to accomplish? How much will it cost? Where will the money come from? When will it be completed? And who will be accountable if it doesn’t happen?

Brownsville does not need more empty promises. We need measurable goals, responsible leadership and people willing to roll up their sleeves and get the work done. I believe Brownsville can be better — not because I don’t appreciate the Brownsville we have today, but because I believe in what Brownsville can become tomorrow.

That is my vision.

LAY LADY LAY, LAID ACROSS NEW YORK HARBOR BAY

William Cunningham
I'm surprised he hasn't renamed her Lady America 

Albert Wong

She was here on a green card.

Brian Moore
The US no longer respects what she stood for, so I am not surprised.

Juan Charrasquiado

She talked funny, too

A WEEK FULL OF FUN AT THE ELKS; JOIN US AND BECOME A MEMBER

JAVIER GARCIA OVER AT BROWNSVILLE TEXAS, MATAMOROS HISTORY HAVING FUN!

(Ed.'s Note: We knew that Javier had a sense of humor, albeit a wry one. At first glance, the pictures of Market Square appear to be chronological photos, until you look closely at the one at bottom right and realize it's R2-D2 from Star Wars superimposed upon the building to look like the dome. Had us going there for a while, Javier. Saludos!)  

PUSH COMES TO SHOVE IN GOVERNOR'S RACE: HELP GINA BEAT ABBOTT!

Team Gina

In June, the New York Times/Siena poll had me trailing Greg Abbott by 7 points, 51% to 44%.
Today, that same poll has me ahead, 49% to 46%.

That's a 10-point swing in three months, from one of the most respected pollsters in the country. It's not a fluke, either. This is the third poll showing us ahead of Abbott, and it's the most recent one, taken after weeks of Abbott's attack ads flooding Texas airwaves. The New York Times also ran a major story yesterday on the state of play in Texas. Read this:Ten-to-one. Abbott has thrown everything he has at this race, and he still can't put it away.

Wendy Davis put it this way in the same article: "People have vastly underestimated Gina. Dollar for dollar, she's running the best statewide campaign we've ever seen."

That's what grassroots supporters like you have built $5 and $10 at a time. We haven't come close to matching Abbott's money, but every dollar has gone further than anyone thought it could.

The Times was also honest about what still stands in our way. Texas has 20 separate media markets, and national donors routinely pass the state over because reaching all of them is so expensive. And one in five Texas voters still doesn't know who I am.

Here's what the last three months have taught us: the more Texans get to know me, the more this race moves. Every one of those voters is someone we can reach, but only if we have the resources to do it. Abbott has raised more than $106 million in this race, and he's going to keep spending it in the final month to drag this race back his way.

We are 30 days from Election Day. The polls tell us this race can be won. What happens next depends on whether we have the financial resources to communicate our message to the voters who need to hear it.

Can you chip in $5 right now to help us reach every voter in every corner of Texas and defeat Greg Abbott on November 3rd?

Donate $5 »

For 32 years, Texans have been told a Democrat can't win statewide. A 10-point swing after more than $70 million in spending against us says otherwise. Let's go take Texas back.

Thank you — for everything.

LESSONS TO BE LEARNED: THE EXTINCTION OF A SPECIES BY THE HUMAN RACE

Depiction of a shoot in Northern Louisiana, painted by Smith Bennett, 1875. Source: Wikimedia Commons

By Elizabeth Morgan, BA History w/ Tudor concentration

The Collector

Once numbering 5 billion, the passenger pigeon vanished forever. The story of the hunt that caused its extinction.

The humble passenger pigeon once dominated the skies of North America. As the most abundant species of bird on the continent, they became the avian rulers of both land and air. When gathered in great numbers, these beautiful creatures were said to blacken the horizons due to their unprecedented population.

But a little over 100 years ago, in September of 1914, the passenger pigeon became officially extinct worldwide. Historians, ornithologists, and nature lovers may naturally question where it all went wrong. How did their number go from five billion to zero within the space of a few centuries?

The primary cause of extinction was relentless overhunting by humans for both commercial food and popular sport. When it comes to the passenger pigeon, there is no doubt about the cause of decline and eventual extinction. Just like countless other species, they fell victim to overhunting by the human race.

 From the European arrival in America until the death of Martha in 1914, passenger pigeons were relentlessly hunted to extinction. People purposefully caught the species not only for their meat, but for the genuine enjoyment of sport.

At its peak, the passenger pigeon population was three to five billion, making up 40 percent of North America’s birds.

The last known passenger pigeon, a female named Martha, died at the Cincinnati Zoo on September 1, 1914.

Widespread deforestation for farms and towns destroyed the pigeon’s natural habitat, contributing significantly to their decline.

The extinction spurred the modern conservation movement, serving as a powerful lesson on the impact of human activity.

REAL LEADERS DO NOT DEMAND BLIND LOYALTY, OR STAND SERVILITY

B.U.S. STATE-OF-THE-ART SHELTERS: (BYOS) BRING YOUR OWN SHADE

TO TRUMP, EVERYONE (INCLUDING HIS MAGAS) ARE DUM(B), EXCEPT HIM!

 

NOT SATISFIED WITH HOW THE CITY IS RUN? DO SOMETHING: VOTE!

 

SAN BENE COMMISSION MINORITY ON THE WARPATH

By Joe F. Rodriguez

San Benito Correspondent

The San Benito City Commission majority are on the warpath again going after Mayor Pete Galvan. First they tried to evict him from the City Commission for leaving an Executive Session during discussion regarding hiring a new City Manager.

Now, the majority placed the following agenda item for this Tuesday’s Regular City Commission meeting wanting to censure the Mayor.

The last few weeks, Mayor Galvan requested, in his capacity as the ex-officio EDC board member, copies of the applications for the open EDC Director position and the names of the Ad Hoc committee reviewing the applications.

On the advice of the EDC attorney, EDC denied his request forcing the Mayor to submit a Public Information Request for the information and triggering the requirement that the EDC ask the Texas Attorney General for an opinion within 45 days.

The main question is Internal vs Public. An internal board member, in his capacity as an ex-officio board member, is not a public disclosure but an internal inter-agency request. Because the records stay within the governance room, candidacy privacy rules (like TPIA section 552.1230) do not apply. Forcing an unnecessary delay was merely a procedural trap.

While direct lawsuits by ex-officio board members are rare, Texas courts and legal doctrines (The Right of Access) firmly establish that all members of a governing board—regardless of voting status—have an inherent common-law "Right of Access" to records required to fulfill their official governance duties.

WTF! GUERRA PROMISES TO SPEED UP CITY'S PERMITTING PROCESS AS COUNTY JUDGE?

(Ed.'s Note: Ok, so it's not a $2,000 DOGE check, a $5,000 tariff-refund check, or a $5,000 promise if you vote for his party's candidates to be elected in November, or $90 for seniors, but how can a candidate for Cameron County Judge speed up the City of Brownsville's building permitting process? 

Will that be on day one, we wonder? 

He already promised to save Boca Chica Beach – which belongs to Starbase and the State of Texas – to pump millions into infrastructure, and to propel us into a warm and fuzzy future. Like no one has ever seen in the history of Cameron County! Now he is going to fix the city's permitting process.

Psst, Hey, Steve. Wrong building. That's the City Plaza behind you. Or has our Wonder Boy suddenly changed his mind and is running for mayor or city commissioner? Beware of Guerra bearing gifts!)

A VERY APROPO SONG FOR THIS RAINY MORNING....

 

IT'S FINALLY HERE! PREPARE FOR TWO DAYS OF RAIN

  

so much depends

upon

a red wheel

barrow

glazed with rain

water

beside the white

chickens

(By William Carlos Williams)

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND WITH US! EVEN BETTER, ASK ABOUT JOINING THE ELKS!

 

AS GOES MICHIGAN, SO DOES THE U.S.: SHOULD WE SEND ICE TO POLLING SITES?

Benjamin Cyr

Michigan’s own review found 15 credible cases out of more than 5.7 million ballots cast in the 2024 general election — 0.00028 percent.

That doesn’t excuse illegal voting. It puts the scale in context.

In August 2026, Michigan’s Attorney General announced charges against 5 noncitizens alleged to have voted in that election.

The scale matters.

"SPUDHEAD" TRUMP SCRAMBLES FOR VOTES IN THE MIDTERMS

 

DON'T TELL HEGSETH ABOUT IT, HE MIGHT SHOOT IT DOWN...

"I took this picture yesterday evening. It looks like a giant white dove to me,"  wrote one of our two readers in San Benito.

NOW THAT THE TABLES ARE TURNED, DOES MAGA THINK TWICE ABOUT THIS?

SLEEPY JOE?

Joe Biden shows President Xi Jinping a framed photo of Trump.

Trump spent years calling Biden “Sleepy Joe.” Now Biden has a picture he’d like Xi to see. No speech required – just a quiet look at the portrait.

LARGELY SHIELDED FROM PUBLIC VIEW, WALL AND RIVER BARRIERS ARE LAID OUT

The waterborne buoys snake their way from Military Highway south toward SpaceX

Border Report

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Largely unnoticed by the public, about 17 miles of waterborne barrier is under construction in Cameron County south of the border town of Brownsville at a cost of $96.1 million. The barrier, which is expected to be constructed toward the Gulf and just south of SpaceX, was awarded to BCCG Joint Venture, of Montgomery, Alabama, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

This section of Border Wall is going up next to the Riverbend Golf Course.

The Department of Homeland Security announced late last year it had awarded $4.5 billion worth of contracts to build 230 new miles of border barrier along the Southwest border, including 80 miles of “waterborne barrier” to be installed in the Rio Grande in South Texas.

The waterborne barrier is part of a total of 10 border barrier contracts issued in September through funds provided by Congress through President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill.

DHS officials say the new contracts are part of what they’re calling a “Smart Wall” along the Southwest border with Mexico, that includes technology upgrades, patrol roads, lights, cameras and advanced detection systems, along with 30-foot-tall steel bollard walls.

“The Smart Wall means more miles of barriers, more technology, and more capability for our agents on the ground. This is how you take control of the border,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott told Border Report.

An industrial forklift carries a section of the Wall on the levee next to Military Highway

IS GBIC NOW THE GREATER BROWNSVILLE EGO DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (GBEDC)?

Rio Grande Guardian article, March 22, 2026

Special to El Run-Rrun

Greater Brownsville Economic Development Corporation CEO Gilbert Salinas apparently couldn’t resist the opportunity to show everyone how much he knew. 

On March 22, while negotiations were under way and months before the official announcement, he did a presentation where he showed everyone there the confidential information of Saronic as the company planning to bring its operations to Brownsville, breaking the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).

(Governor Greg Abbott would make the official announcement much later – on July 16 – that Saronic Technologies, Inc. had chosen Brownsville to construct a next-generation shipyard. Salinas and GBEDC beat the governor to the punch, and the office of the governor noticed. Only the timely intervention by the lieutenant governor's office and D-27 Senator Adam Hinojosa with Saronic co-founder Dino Mavrookas mitigated the damage.)

Salinas' premature announcement caused other Valley mayors, other  EDCs, and our California competitors to know who it was. Because of that, Saronic upped the bidding war and asked for another $7 million more in incentives. 

Originally GBIC was only supposed to commit to $1 million and after his article and presentation they were forced to commit to $10 million of our tax payers money. 

Insiders say that after they learned that the negotiations information got out, Saronic cut all communications with GBEDC and dealt directly with the State of Texas and The Port of Brownsville. As a result, we almost lost everything because GBEDC' board and CEO wanted to brag and be credited with snagging the deal.

He was displaying slides marked "confidential" while our competitors from across the Valley and other people in the room were taking pictures. Instead of economic development sophistication and expertise, it turned out to be reckless showboating. When you are trusted with a major prospect like Saronic, your job is to protect the deal, not use confidential information as a prop to make yourself look important.

And that is the real problem. Someone handling sensitive economic-development negotiations should inspire confidence and exercise discretion. Instead, Gilbert made himself look like the guy you have to worry about when something is supposed to stay confidential.

Nothing says “trust me with your multimillion-dollar project” quite like putting the confidential slides up for the whole room to photograph. No one was impressed by Gilbert, not even the reporter.

During the official groundbreaking for the project at the port Thursday, no one asked the GBEDC or any of its officers to take the podium or acknowledged that they were even there. So it was left up to Salinas' overpaid lambiscon cheerleader (Ruben O'Bell, $140,000 plus bennies with no one else allowed to apply) to praise his bosses. Acomodense!

WILL TRUMP'S DIESEL PRICES HAVE A CHILLING EFFECT ON TRUCKERS' PROTESTS?

 

Current Price Statistics

National average: $6.44 to $6.53 per gallon

Increase since February 2026: Up over 70%

Agricultural impact: Farm diesel nearing $6.00 per gallon

By Chris Williams
Fox2

The Brief

*The White House is considering expanding sales of red-dyed diesel as fuel prices reach record levels.
*Red-dyed diesel is tax-exempt and typically used in off-road vehicles and equipment for farming and construction.
*Analysts say broader access to the fuel would provide limited relief and would not increase the overall diesel supply.

The White House is weighing regulatory changes that would broaden the sale of red-dyed diesel, a tax-exempt fuel commonly used in agricultural equipment, as prices climb because of supply disruptions tied to the U.S. conflict with Iran, Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries and declining global inventories.

Analysts say the proposal would do little to address the shrinking supply that has pushed diesel prices to record levels. Here is a look at the problems affecting the diesel market and the potential impact of expanding red-dyed diesel sales.
What the White House is proposing

Dig deeper:

U.S. diesel prices reached a record $6.53 per gallon last week, according to Energy Information Administration data. The increase was fueled by reduced supplies from the Middle East and refining disruptions, including those linked to Ukraine’s attacks on Russian energy facilities.

The price surge has prompted the White House to consider expanding access to red-dyed diesel as President Donald Trump and his administration face pressure to reduce fuel costs ahead of November’s midterm elections.

The administration has also considered a blanket ban on diesel exports by refiners and urged the European Union to release emergency diesel reserves to help lower prices.

To read rest of story, click on link: https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/trump-eyes-red-dyed-diesel-fuel-prices-soar

IN HEAVEN THEIR ANGELS CONTINUALLY VIEW THE FACE OF MY FATHER...

Matthew 18:10 (CSB) “See to it that you don’t despise one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of my Father in heaven."

Now This Impact

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

A 13-year-old Honduran boy named Angel did not have representation when he appeared before a judge. 

A judge asked if there was a reason he could not return to Honduras. Angel told the judge, ‘My mom and almost my entire family are here. It’s too dangerous to go back.’ The judge ruled that Angel did not qualify for asylum and asked, 'Would you like to request voluntary departure, or should I issue a removal order?’

‘I don’t know,’ Angel replied before bursting into tears. He stared ahead stoically before continuing to cry and said, ‘I have no one. I have nothing.’

This is not a choice a child should be given, but it's the unfortunate experience of many migrant children.

Texas, migrant children as young as 2 years old are appearing in U.S. immigration courts, where they face deportation proceedings without guaranteed legal representation.
Witnesses inside the courtrooms describe a 6-year-old pretending to fly an airplane.
Mateo, a 3-year-old in a blue jacket, is playing with the microphone. The judge spoke to Mateo’s attorney, who appeared remotely.

A teen girl tried to make eye contact with a friend, only for the judge to reprimand her: ‘I see you’re smiling and think these proceedings are funny, but I need you to pay attention.’

In July, the Trump admin let a years-long contract with the Acacia Center for Justice lapse, ending federal funding for 100 legal services providers for more than 20,000 unaccompanied migrant children: Children who are usually in the United States are trying to escape trafficking, abandonment, violence, gangs, or other abuse.

In August, the Office of Refugee Resettlement gave $20 million to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, a nonprofit organization that provides legal services. However, many advocates say USCRI lawyers either weren’t present or didn’t speak up when children were in court.

In some cases, USCRI attorneys even posed as ‘friend of the court’ for some of the children, including Angel, according to Lauren Fisher Flores, legal director at ProBar.
And now, the Trump administration will allow lawyers to start requesting virtual interviews for kids seeking asylum.

Children have to make their cases to receive asylum, and since procedures are also constantly changing, this can put extra stress on children. The interviews can take hours and dive into potentially traumatic events. And without a lawyer, kids may have to face this trauma alone.

Under Trump, they’re being pushed through faster hearings and asylum interviews without adequate legal counsel, which makes it harder for them to seek asylum and other protections under the law.
The goal is to deport more children faster.

Attorneys representing migrant children initially try to establish a rapport with their clients and help them understand what to expect in asylum interviews. But children are struggling to understand, as many of them aren’t able to speak English, let alone understand complex legal terms. So kids are being asked to make choices about their cases when they may not fully understand what those choices mean.

In an interview with a 3-year-old, who was too small to fit in the chair and ended up sitting on the floor. The child put bandages on the furniture and played with dinosaurs while the asylum officer tried to ask the child questions about their case.

A judge asked a group of 15 minors without attorneys: ‘Is this your first time in immigration court?’ They all answered, ‘Yes.’ ‘Do any of you want voluntary departure?’ the judge asked. No one raised their hand. Another child stretched her hands playfully toward the sky.

The initiative comes under the direction of White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller, so that the Trump admin can deport as many migrant children as possible as quickly as possible.

Nearly 200,000 migrant children have been ordered removed from the U.S. since Trump returned to office, according to The Guardian. About 70 percent were younger than 13.

This is the supposed pro-life party, making kids face legal challenges alone and sending them back to danger in the country they were trying to escape.