Officials last week spoke up about the Obama administration’s so-called “catch and release” policies blamed for hindering Border Patrol operations and encouraging illegal crossers coming into the United States.

A recent letter from the National Border Patrol Council states a high-ranking member of the Obama administration confirmed to Border Patrol agents they have no intention of removing illegal border crossers who are being released with an order to appear in court.

Brandon Judd, president of the American Federation of Government Employees National Border Patrol Council, states in the letter published on March 21 that he and two other Border Patrol agents met with Department of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to discuss concerns about the administration’s policy of releasing illegal crossers into the United States.

During the meeting, which took place on August 26, 2015, Mayorkas confirmed to the agents that the administration has no intention of removing immigrants coming across the border illegally as part of the ongoing surge, according to the letter.

“Why would we NTA (issue a Notice to Appear to) those we have no intention of deporting?” said Mayorkas, according to the letter. “We should not place someone in deportation proceedings, when the courts already have a 3-6 year backlog.”

In the letter, Judd blames President Obama for undermining immigration laws and having his political appointees implement policies that contradict enforcement priorities. He also states this lack of enforcement undermines the nation’s immigration system and encourages illegal immigration.

“Rather than take the steps necessary to end the border surge, the Obama Administration is encouraging more to come by forcing Border Patrol agents to release unlawful immigrants into the United States with no intention of ever removing them,” Judd states.

Chris Cabrera, local Border Patrol council president, said there are no consequences for people coming over illegally and the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent trying to divert illegal immigration are pointless without enforcement.

USAID, a government agency working to end global poverty, spent more than $141 million in fiscal year 2013-2014 in Guatemala alone, according to a 2014 Congressional Research Report. This money is meant to help the countries fight crime, violence and lack of opportunities to deter illegal immigration into the U.S. Congress is currently working out a new Alliance for Prosperity plan aimed at adjudicating more than $1 billion in aid to all of Central America.

In fiscal year 2015, about 331,000 illegal crossers were apprehended on the Southwest border, which includes the Rio Grande Valley sector, down from nearly 480,000 the previous fiscal year. More than two-thirds of people apprehended in the RGV sector are from Central America, according to BP statistics.

Cabrera said the recent drop in apprehensions is not a result of this money being spent in Central America but a consequence of agents being forced to “babysit” large groups of illegal crossers and leaving large parts of the border uncovered.

“People are getting away,” Cabrera said, “It’s just that no one wants to admit that people are getting away.”

“What they are doing is like a backdoor amnesty or an amnesty through policy,” he added. “They can’t get everybody in the right way so they are just going to release everybody on their own recognizance pending a court date that hasn’t been set, knowing that over 85 percent of the people don’t show up for the court date.”

Since 2005, unaccompanied minors summoned before a judge face an 83 percent chance of deportation either by removal order or voluntary departure On the other hand adults, who are not Mexican nationals, face about a 50 percent chance of deportation, according to the Transactional Access Records Clearninghouse, a Syracuse University-based project that tracks data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies.

Cabrera said he is not anti-immigration he is just anti-illegal immigration. In 2014, the Rio Grande Valley became the busiest sector in the U.S. for illegal crossers. That same year, more than 69,000 unaccompanied minors came across the Rio Grande, causing an unprecedented humanitarian and law enforcement crisis.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said during his visit to the Valley last week the border is safer than it’s been in the past, but there is a lot more that can be done, including building a virtual wall and enforcing immigration law.

“The idea that law enforcement officials should have to engage in some sort of prosecutorial discretion and allow people who are blatantly violating our laws to stay in the United States because they’ve been told by their higher ups that you can’t enforce the laws against these people unless they commit crimes like rape, murder and other street crimes, is a disservice to them and a disservice to the country.” Cornyn said.

He said the detention facilities being used to incarcerate single moms and young children as they wait their turn before an immigration judge are controversial but are an important part of the judicial process and help discourage illegal crossers.

“Catch and release does nothing but encourages more people to come and it doesn’t deter them nor does it give people with bona fide claims to stay under American law an opportunity to present those claims to an immigration judge,” Cornyn said.

“I know our Border Patrol and law enforcement is doing more and doing a better job than they’ve done before and part of it is lessons learned over many years and huge investments made in terms of boots on the ground and technology and integrating a lot of those systems,” he added.

Presidential hopeful Donald Trump has proposed building a wall, larger than the 700-mile border fence already in place, to stop people coming into the U.S. illegally, but many who work along the fence don’t see it as the “be all end all” answer to this problem.

“You can’t just put up a fence and hope that it’s going to stem the flow,” Cabrera said. “We put an 18-foot wall and they came with a 19-foot ladder.”

Despite Cabrera’s views on the Trump wall, the Border Patrol council officially endorsed Trump for president Wednesday. This is the first-ever presidential candidate in a primary to be endorsed by the council, according to its Facebook page.

“Mr. Trump will take on special interests and embrace the ideas of rank-and-file Border Patrol agents rather than listening to the management yes men,” reads a union statement. “This is a refreshing change that we have not seen before — and may never see again.”

Cabrera said Trump is the only current candidate that has reached out to their council and established a dialogue with them. The National Border Patrol Council represents 18,000 agents nationwide.

HARLINGEN — When Humberto “Beto” Sanchez was going to classes at Harlingen High School, he never dreamed that one day he’d be NASA’s “mayhem guy.”

Astronaut training is done as realistically as possible, on decks exactly like those of a spacecraft, and in front of banks of computers the same as those found on the space shuttle and other command modules. The concept is known as “plan, train, fly.”

The theory is that nobody learns anything when everything goes right. Sanchez is there to make sure it never does.

“I was the bad guy,” Sanchez told high school students Friday at the Rio Grande Valley Aerospace Summit. “I was the guy who would break the computer or fail the pumps and set off all these alarms.”

Sanchez laughs as he admits there were times the astronauts and other Mission Control scientists forced to respond to his spur-of-the-moment, false training emergencies did grumble about him a bit.

It’s the only time Beto Sanchez has been the bad guy. He was hired by NASA in 1980 and now works for the Constellation Program, which is developing the astronauts, the spacecraft and the equipment needed to extend space exploration beyond low orbit to the moon and beyond.

That’s a long way from Edcouch, where he was raised. He moved to Harlingen where he graduated from Harlingen High. Later, he attended the University of Texas at Austin and received a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering.

His message to the teens studying math and science at Harlingen High, Harlingen South and Texas State Technical College was they can do it, too.

“Being from this area, the main thing I want to say is look, I’m from the Valley and there’s nothing special about me,” Sanchez said. “But I understand the culture we’re in.

For the rest of this story and many other EXTRAS, go to our premium site, www.MyValleyStar.com.

Subscribe to it for only $6.99 per month or purchase a print subscription and receive the online version free, which includes an electronic version of the full newspaper and extra photo galleries, links and other information you can’t find anywhere else.

RAYMONDVILLE — The fate of Willacy County’s historic courthouse might soon be decided.

Later this month, the Texas Historical Commission will consider Willacy County’s case for grant funding to help remove mold from the 94-year-old courthouse.

County consultant Sally Velasquez recently testified before the agency’s architectural committee in a public hearing in Austin.

Velasquez’s testimony will help the committee decide whether to recommend the commission approve the county’s request for a $750,000 grant, which would require the county fund a $750,000 match.

“It’s an opportunity for applicants to speak in public in support of their grant applications to make their case as to why their courthouse is deserving of funding,” Chris Florance, the agency’s spokesman, said.

On April 29, the historical commission meets to decide whether it will award the grant, Florance said.

Velasquez said she testified before the architectural committee March 25.

“Willacy County is in financial urgent need due to major local employers’ losses,” Velasquez testified.

Velasquez referred to last year’s closure of the Willacy County Correctional Center, which slashed a third of the county’s $8.1 million general fund budget while laying off 400 employees, and this year’s Walmart closing, which laid off 149 workers in Raymondville.

The county is competing among 25 counties for part of $20 million earmarked for restoration of Texas county courthouses, Florance said.

Willacy County Judge Aurelio Guerra described the three-story courthouse as “a landmark historic structure.”

“The preservation of the courthouse is a meaningful project because it is the pillar of the community,” Guerra said in a statement. “As leaders, we need to come together and demonstrate our support in community partnership and allow unwavering commitment to ensure our courthouse remains structurally stable with the integrity to be restored for community uses and its Texas history remains alive and present for our future generations.”

Guerra has said the county would seek donations to raise money to fund its matching share of the state grant.

Donations can me made to the Save Willacy County Courthouse Fund at Guerra’s office, 576 W. Main St., Raymondville, Texas, 78580.

More than a year ago, officials closed the courthouse, despite concerns its lack of air conditioning would worsen the mold problem.

Commissioners closed the courthouse in February 2015 after widespread mold forced them to move employees into the Administration Building, which cost $2.1 million to renovate into offices.

In 2008, the Texas Department of Health found mold in the courthouse, recommending officials take steps to remove it.

By 2010, the county had paid $55,000 to draft a preservation master plan it presented to the historical commission as a prerequisite to a grant application.

Guerra has said he believed the county would pursue the project after he left office at the end of 2010.

Past County Judge John F. Gonzales Jr. said his administration worked to apply for a grant to renovate the courthouse but did not go through with an application because the historical commission lacked funding for the project.

BROWNSVILLE — The veterans group Warriors United in Arms will welcome an expert on post traumatic stress disorders to its meeting on Tuesday at the Brownsville Historic Museum, 641 E. Madison St .

Dr. Jennifer Grogan, a psychiatrist at the Valley Coastal Bend Veterans Clinic in Corpus Christi, who specializes in treating PTSD, will be the featured speaker at the meeting, which begins at 11 a.m.

Tony Garcia, a Warriors United board member who suffers from the condition, said PTSD affects veterans of all ages, and without treatment it can be debilitating.

“It’s when you have a traumatic event and it stays stuck in your brain,” Garcia said. “It affects your whole life. It gives you anxiety, depression, and feelings of guilt. It makes you isolate from family and friends and it also affects your social life. It cuts you off from society.”

Garcia said the Veterans Administration offers counseling for PTSD at its Harlingen clinic. His group aims to increase awareness on the subject.

“I myself have gone through PTSD training in Killeen and Waco, and what I have learned I have been able to share. … They have given me a toolbox of things that I need to do to cope with depression and anxiety,” he said.

Garcia said Grogan “brings a lot of information to the table as far as PTSD. She’s very well versed. She’s able to work some of those demons out of our minds.”

People have different triggers that take them back to the things causing their nightmares, he said. “It’s a living hell. I was in an aircraft crash and when I see an airplane it takes me back to those days. I can cope better now that I’m getting treatment. I know my triggers and I try to avoid those things.”

Garcia said Warriors United in Arms exists to provide assistance to fellow veterans who need help. This can range from financial assistance for homeless veterans to helping widows access survivors’ benefits.

The organization has 32 members, “and a large number of those their wives participate in our meetings. Our group has arts and crafts to keep our minds busy and social functions for the whole family. We’re all in this together. … We’re always ready to help a fellow veteran,” he said.

HARLINGEN — Their eyes light up when talking about writing and the future of the Rio Grande Valley Byliners.

But, for Frank Cortazo and Don Clifford, both longtime member of the group, there also are some question marks as the world of book publishing changes, seemingly every day.

One thing is certainly clear and easy to see — their passion for writing and their excitement about the likelihood of their fourth published book in the organization’s modern era and sixth overall.

Just two years removed from the publishing the Harlingen organization’s last book, the next one is in the planning stages.

Clifford and Cortazo know what it takes. The editors of the last one, they were the main players in organizing and compiling the stories that went into the 386-page anthology called “The Rio Grande: A River with a Thousand Tales.”

The book is filled with short stories, memoirs, poetry and science fiction. All are creations that won top billing in monthly contests held by the group at their meetings, called the writer’s challenge.

Once a month, every author can submit a short story or poem.

It is anonymous, so no one knows who the author is.

The membership picks out the best ones. These were the stories over the years, collected and put into the book.

For the rest of this story and many other EXTRAS, go to our premium site, www.MyValleyStar.com.

Subscribe to it for only $6.99 per month or purchase a print subscription and receive the online version free, which includes an electronic version of the full newspaper and extra photo galleries, links and other information you can’t find anywhere else.

LA FERIA — Superintendent Rey Villarreal says he took on the duty to make sure the students in the district have the best school experience.

One way he intends to do that is with help from voters to pass a $14 million bond proposal in the May election.

“This bond issue effort by the La Feria ISD School Board represents the first phase of an effort to modernize and upgrade our school facilities in the La Feria ISD,” Villarreal said. “We are going about it in the most frugal way for our taxpayers.”

The bonds would allow the administration to replace inefficient and unusable buildings and upgrade buildings that are still viable, he said.

“We want to provide the most optimal learning spaces for our students,” Villarreal said. “We anticipate that a second and third bond phase will be necessary to complete this process in the next five to 10 years.”

For the rest of this story and many other EXTRAS, go to our premium site, www.MyValleyStar.com.

Subscribe to it for only $6.99 per month or purchase a print subscription and receive the online version free, which includes an electronic version of the full newspaper and extra photo galleries, links and other information you can’t find anywhere else.

Student imaginations soared in dance choreography, film production, literature, musical composition, photography, and visual arts as they created artwork for the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Reflections Contest.

Out of the 30 students in Texas who will be advancing to the national competition, only one student is from the Rio Grande Valley, and he is part of the Harlingen City Council PTA.

Argelio Alonso, a fourth-grade Special Artist participant from Ben Milam Elementary, let his imagination fly far above the competition and will be taking his entry, “I am the Teacher,” to compete at the national level.

Alonso was eager to participate when his teacher let the class know about the competition.

“He wanted to do a video about himself. He said he wanted everybody to see him teach,” says Life Skills Teacher, Stephanie Aguilar. “He wants to go to college so he can become a teacher to teach kids math and words of the week.”

Alonso picked the students who would assist with his video. He assigned everyone a role. One of his classmates helped record, others acted as the students, and Alonso took the role of instructor.

“He put them in order, and he would say ‘stop, stop, stop’, and ‘start again’ when the kids were not listening to him. It took a few takes, but everyone did a fantastic job,” says Aguilar.

Every school year, the PTA Reflections program gives students across the United States the opportunity to submit artwork that is recognized at the local, regional, and national levels. At every level of the competition, entries are judged based on interpretation of the theme and creativity.

The 2015-2016 theme was “Let your Imagination Fly”. More than 1,000 entries were submitted to the Texas PTA, and more than 400 students received awards for their creativity, but only 30 students will be advancing to the national level.

Students who received an Honorable Mention, Award of Merit, Award of Excellence or an Overall Award of Excellence have been invited to attend the Student Recognition and Awards Ceremony in League City, Texas on April 30.

Results for the national level competition are expected in June.

Photos of the PTA reflections Award winners recognized earlier this year can be found at photos.hcisd.org/DistrictEvents-2.

Below are the PTA state-level results for HCISD students:

Overall Award of Excellence:

Argelio Alonso, Special Artist Film Production

I am the Teacher

Ben Milam Elementary

Award of Excellence:

Jacob Fraga, High School Photography

Bookmark Your Dream

Harlingen High School South

Award of Merit:

Nathan Mowers, Intermediate Photography

On The Wings of Imagining

Treasure Hills Elementary

David Ramos, Intermediate Literature

A Day in the Great Chicago Fire

Stuart Place Elementary

Sofia Trevino, Primary Visual Arts

Library Books

Bonham Elementary

Sofia Trevino, Primary Photography

Let’s Read

Bonham Elementary

Honorable Mention:

Allyson Benavides, High School Literature

Secrets of the Rainforest

Harlingen High School South

Victoria Gonzalez, Middle Junior Photography

A Beautiful Flight

Memorial Middle School

Daniella Hernandez, Special Artist Photography

Jeremiah

Ben Milam Elementary

Isabella Martinez, High School Film Production

What’s Left of Me

Harlingen High School South

I can’t help it. Every time a politician is saying something, I think it’s a lie.

Even if previously believed something to be true, when a politician says it then I really think it’s a lie.

Santiago Perez San Benito

In reference to N. Rodriguez’s letter, which appeared on March 25.

I would like him to read Jesus’ response to the scribe who asked what the greatest commandment was: “The first is, ‘Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, The Lord is one, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.

The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Mk.12:29-31.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.

For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?” Mt. 5:43-46.

During these trying times, we should all try to heed the words of the Gospels more and the words of politicians less.

Bertha Zuniga Campos Harlingen

March 31 was Cesar Chavez’s birthday and in many parts of the United States, there were marches and celebrations to commemorate his life and contributions to making our food supply healthy and the farm workers working environment better.

Cesar Chavez dedicated his life to the betterment of our farm workers and healthier food supply by protesting, advocating and standing up for the workers who had no voice nor could most speak on their own behalf.

In Santa Ana and Orange County, California, I coordinated the boycott of some stores and worked alongside of other professors and college and university students to bring awareness to the people about the problems of the dangerous pesticides in our food supply.

Cesar Chavez was a selfless and committed person to the welfare of the workers in the fields and grape vineyards. He protested and demanded the changes that were slowly coming about because of his tireless work. We, the consumers, can now have better and healthier fresh fruits and vegetables because of his advocacy.

Because I had never worked on a farm or as a fruit picker, I decided to go and live with a farm family in the San Joaquin Valley.

The home was owned by the “company,” cement floors, bathroom, a toilet and a shower had behind a plastic curtain next to a four-burner small stove, a sofa and a bedroom divided by a cotton sheet.

The family of four, their father, mother, a 5-year-old daughter and a 7-year-old son.

Much against Cesar’s advice, I went and stayed in this place which supposed to have been the “best.”

First night, my bed, the sofa, with springs poked me every time I turned. It was a sleepless night. Second day, I went to work, had bean burritos and warm water from a jug. That night, I was too tired to eat. I walked and watched the people sitting in the shade, some talking and laughing, some singing.

I cried and cried, not because of my discomfort, but because I kept thinking of the children and the sign I sad seen written on a wall, “Sal si Puedes.”

I had to leave my “home” away from home. I had gotten what many workers have, Valley fever.

My few days as a farm worker made me and forever will be an advocate of fair, healthy working environments for all types of workers.

Thanks Cesar Chavez, you will always be remembered by your many followers. Vive Cesar Chavez.

Enriqueta Lopez Ramos, PhD. San Benito