Author: KVIA

Rosemary Garcia

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)—El Pasoans Oscar, Yolanda, and Adrian Cisneros will visit the Texas Governor’s Mansion next week to receive the Volunteer Family of the Year Award. For 18 years, the family has diligently volunteered to help improve the lives of others.

At the age of one, Oscar and Yolanda’s oldest son, Alex, was diagnosed with leukemia. He would spend the next few years of his life in and out of the hospital.

While he was hospitalized at Providence Children’s Hospital, Alex participated in the Creative Kids hospital art program. It’s a nationally recognized youth development organization that allows young people to thrive creatively and emotionally. The program offers art classes to children while they are hospitalized.

Yolanda said Alex deeply enjoyed the classes.

“He would say, ‘When I’m painting free, I’m free. I don’t have to remember if I’m at the hospital, if I have leukemia. I’m just free.”

During their time at the hospital, the family remembers the generosity and kindness of many volunteers, who overall improved their hospital experience.

At seven years old, Alex died, but despite his short life, he left a resounding impact. His family remembers him as a wise and meticulous child.

“Alex was an amazing kid. Everyone who knows Alex or who met Alex at that time fall in love with him. He was a magical kid,” said his mother.

His brother Adrian was only two years old when Alex died.

“Every recollection I have of him, he’s smiling. He’s always happy to be there. Even, like, in the stressful hospital, he was always running around. He made me like value that every day is another day,” he said.

The Cisneros decided to take their pain and grief and transform it into something good. The family decided to join Creative Kids as volunteers and give back to a cause close to their hearts.

Evwery week, the Cisneros help others process fear, experience moments of healing and rebuild confidence.

The family was recently nominated for the Governor’s Volunteer Awards. Andrea Gates-Ingle, the executive director and co-founder of Creative Kids, met the family over 20 years ago and she nominated them.

She said it is admirable to see the family continue to help others during times of grief.

“They could have easily just, you know, gone away and try to grieve on their own. But instead, they decided they wanted to honor Alex’s memory,” Gates-Ingle shared.

Earlier this year, the family learned they had been chosen as the recipients!

Yolanda was at the park when she received a phone call from Gates-Ingle, asking her to check her e-mail for the announcement.

“I was amazed. So I turned to my husband, and I said, ‘We got the award.’ He said, ‘No.’ And I’m like, ‘Yes.’ So we were just quiet. Just, it was a big surprise. We feel so special. My family, we were like us? because we don’t feel like we are doing something that extraordinary,” she said.

The Cisneros said they will continue to share Alex’s passion for art with others. They hope they can continue to carry Alex’s legacy.

“We decided to honor his name,” said Oscar Cisneros, Alex’s father, when asked why he volunteers.

“We decided to continue. We decided to honor Alex’s memory. So that’s what we’re trying to do,” Yolanda added.

A room at Creative Kids was also renamed in honor of Alex’s memory.

Forty-two recipients, including the Cisneros family, will be traveling to the governor’s mansion next week for a special reception at the Texas Governor’s Mansion.

The Governor’s Volunteer Awards serve as the state’s highest recognition for volunteer service.

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Joseph Montero

UPDATE (3:08 p.m.) — A man has died after a car hit him while crossing the street without using a crosswalk, police said.

Police said Ismael Botelo was crossing Mesa Street near UTEP while a car drove southbound. The car hit Botelo, who was transported to the hospital. He died to his injuries.

El Paso police said this is the 17th traffic-related death of 2026 compared to 21 at this time last year.

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)- The El Paso Police Department’s Special Traffic Investigation unit says they responded to a collision involving a pedestrian at the 2400 block of N. Mesa St.

Police say the call came in at around 11:01 p.m. Thursday night.

Officials have not released the condition of the pedestrian.

We will continue to bring you updates both on air and online.

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Heriberto Perez Lara

UPDATE ( April 26th – 2:52 PM) –According to El Paso Water, additional progress has been made in reducing the risk of dam failure at the Cement Lake Dam (also known as the Portland Reservoir) in West El Paso, allowing for reopening of the closed roadways.

“We had a very close call with a near-dam collapse, but it has been stabilized, and the risk is now verylow,” said EPWater President and CEO John Balliew. “Our crews acted quickly and decisively toprotect public safety and critical infrastructure.”

Officials with EPWater says that crews deployed as many as 16 pumps to lower water levels byapproximately 17 feet by Sunday morning which reduced pressure on the dam.

Water pumped from the lake was released near culverts that drain to the Rio Grande according to El Paso Water. The lake water quality was previously tested and met Texas Commission on Environmental Quality standards for release to the river.

Saturday, April 25, crews were able to safely resume earthwork operations near the embankment to reinforce the compromised section of the dam, EPWater says. Earthwork activities had been halted late Thursday night after multiple indicators signaled a potential dam failure. Conditions at the time made it dangerous for personnel to remain in the area of the dam’s compromised section, which EPWater says had already shown signs of breaching and posed a serious hazard to major roadways.

EPWater says that the while roadway access has been restored, the area in and around the lake remains closed to all but authorized personnel as EPWater crews continues operations.

According to EPWater, City-County Office of Emergency Management and partner agencies played a key role in keeping the community safe.

Officials with EPWater say that the utility is shifting from emergency response to planning and executing a long-term solution for Cement Lake Dam and crews will continue working on-site to remove more water from the dam.

UPDATE (April 25th- 1:50 PM) — El Paso Water posted on social media that crews overnight Saturday continued to pump out water from the Cement Lake Dam.

According to officials, EP Water crews have removed 92 inches (about 8 feet) as of this morning.

EP Water says that there are currently 13 pumps installed and additional pumps are expected to arrive later today. Road closures remain in place.

Update on April 23 at 9 p.m.

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — El Paso Water released an update to the possible Cement Lake dam breach the utility has been monitoring. The update stated, “Out of an abundance of caution, EPWater has relocated all personnel to higher ground and away from the immediate hazard area where a breach could occur.”

This comes as the utility reports, “While earlier mitigation efforts successfully reduced some risk,engineers are now observing increasingly concerning developments at the site, including slow-rateslope failures, slight embankment movement, and water seepage—indicators consistent with abreach that carries a risk of dam failure.”

The utility also states they are “Working in close coordination with the City-County Office of Emergency Management, which has activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to support response efforts.”

As a precaution, roadways in the area will remain closed because of the “risk of flooding if the dam fails.”

EPWater says while crews we’re able to remove approximately 30 inches of water through pumping operations, the utility now says after assessments as much as 10 feet of water may need to be removed to stabilize conditions.

El Paso Water sent a news release saying they continue to monitor a potential dam breach at Cement Lake, located in West El Paso, also known as Portland Reservoir.

According to EPWater, they are taking precautionary measures and actions to protect public safety.

“EPWater is coordinating with emergency management and local agencies while crews make progress at the site,” the utility said.

These are some of the actions taken by EPWater so far:

Water is being pumped out of the lake and into the Rio Grande to reduce pressure on the dam.

Crews are making progress lowering the lake level. Water levels have already been lowered by about 2 feet. The utility said it wants to lower up to 5 feet in total.

Additional reductions are in progress to further reduce risk.

Impacts/Road Closures:

Closures are precautionary based on potential impact areas. They will remain in place until risk is reduced and safety can be reassessed.

Water from the spring-fed lake meets the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s standards.

There is no adverse impact to the Rio Grande and no impact to our drinking water supply.

What Residents Should Do, according to EPWater:

Avoid closed roads and follow traffic guidance.

Stay updated through official EPWater channels.

Follow direction from local authorities.

ABC-7 reached out to El Paso Water for comment and an interview. We also interviewed other local residents living near Cement Lake.

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Nichole Gomez

EL Paso, TX (KVIA-TV)- Taste of El Paso returns for its second year, offering an expanded food selection and a welcoming atmosphere. The festival will be held at NEEP Collective in Northeast El Paso and features a rotating lineup of food trucks, a bar with local craft beers, and a relaxed patio where families and pets are welcome.

Attendees can enjoy over 20 food vendors, 20 beers on tap, and a variety of entertainment.

Activities:• Taste local food & craft beer from regional chefs and breweries• Live music all day• Food truck & vendor marketplace• Art and cultural activations• Community gathering celebrating Sun City flavor and culture

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Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX ( KVIA-TV)- The Beautillion is a special event hosted by the Elora Brotherton Education Community Foundation to provide scholarships to local El Pasoans.

It supports high school graduates who need financial help and have been accepted to an accredited college or university, as well as college students who need extra support. The Foundation also helps the local community through service activities and financial assistance.

Each year, scholarships are awarded to students who show strong academics, leadership, and a commitment to making a positive impact. These scholarships help lower the cost of college and encourage students to pursue their goals with confidence.

The Beautillion is the Foundation’s main fundraiser and serves as the male counterpart to a Cotillion or Debutantes Ball. It is a formal event that introduces young minority men to the community, focusing on good values, leadership, and academic achievement.

Participants are high school juniors and seniors. This year marks the 17th Beautillion since it began in 1990. The organization introduced over 200 young men through Beautillion, and in 2026, ten more will take part. The Beautillion is a four-month program with workshops, interviews, and a video submission before the formal event. All funds raised go directly to the Foundation’s scholarship fund.

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Heriberto Perez Lara

FORT BLISS, Texas (KVIA) — U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Jose Serrano, who has been stationed at Fort Bliss for two years, says that ICE detained his wife, who could now face possible deportation after being taken into custody during an immigration interview.

Serrano has served for 27 years and has deployed to Afghanistan on three occasions. As he told ABC News, both he and his wife have been “doing everything by the book.”

According to him, he and his wife attended an immigration court hearing on April 14, following the Parole in Place process his wife has been in since last year.

“My wife was apprehended at the end of the hallway after the immigration appointment,” said Sgt. Serrano. “The reason for the parole in place is for the soldier to deploy and continue with the mission and for the wife to stay safe back in the United States.”

“The only thing that happened that day is that one of the four people who work there at the federal building told me that I needed to find a lawyer.”

Sgt. Serrano had to go to the El Paso Service Processing Center in East El Paso to bring his wife some of her medicines when he learned she was detained because she allegedly missed an immigration court hearing or appointment on January 13.

Now Sgt. Serrano and his wife, Deisy Rivera-Ortega, have to speak over the phone two or three times per week, for two to five minutes per call.

“This situation is incredible; we believe it is a mistake,” said Sgt. Serrano.

According to Sgt. Serrano and his attorney, Matthew James Kozik, Rivera-Ortega has no prior convictions or criminal cases in the country.

ABC-7 confirmed through the federal court system database and via attorney Kozik that Rivera-Ortega does not appear in those records either.

ABC-7 reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to request comment; a DHS spokesperson provided us with the following statement:

“On April 14, ICE arrested Deisy Fidelina Rivera-Ortega, a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador. She was previously convicted for illegal entry—a federal offense. Rivera-Ortega entered the U.S. in 2016 near Rio Grande Valley, Texas, and was released on bond. She received full due process, and an immigration judge issued her a final order of removal on December 12, 2019. Work authorization does not confer any legal status to be in the country. Rivera-Ortega remains in ICE custody pending removal.”

“We’re going to file a supplemental brief by the end of the week, kind of addressing a few more points on the parole in place program, of which his spouse was in the process of applying for and pending approval, because they deprived her of that ability and deprived the service member (Sgt. Serrano) of the ability to have his spouse be petitioned and become a legal permanent resident,” said attorney Kozik.

“Moreover, she was issued an order of removal, but that order of removal was held, withholding of removal to El Salvador, saying you’re going to be removed, but we’re not going to remove you to El Salvador because we believe you’re going to be tortured if you’re sent back to El Salvador,” attorney Kozik also told ABC-7. “The government had 90 days back in 2019 to initiate her removal; they chose not to, so they decided that she is not a removable person during that 90-day window by case law and said, we’re going to let you stay in the United States again.”

“So they decided back in 2019 not to remove her and instead issued her a work authorization and she’s been working at Fort Bliss, living at Fort Bliss, and has been a positive member of the community and was looking to become a legal permanent resident, where then the rug was taken from underneath her and her husband, military spouse of 27 years, and now she’s confined.” “DHS seems to be tripping over itself, and it doesn’t seem like it knows what it’s doing, since they had 90 days to execute removal back in 2019, they didn’t, they believed she was not a threat, they didn’t believe she would have any issue with being part of the community; they issued her authorizations to work and she’s been doing so,” said attorney Kozik.

“A decision was made almost ten years ago that we’re going to say, look, you’re granted withholding and removal, you can stay, you can work and then here, if you marry a U.S. service member, the Parole in Place Avenue is available, yet again they took that away from her and they haven’t yet to adjudicate the parole in place and we’re still waiting for an answer on that,” attorney Kozik added. “

Back in 2019, the U.S. Congress passed and signed into law the parole-in-place program, which was intended to allow service members to have their mothers, husbands, or wives not be deported.

“The point was, hey, look, if you are a military service member, you don’t want to have to be worried if you’re deployed or you’re at a mobilization or you’re at a training, that your wife won’t be there when you get back.” “The whole point is to provide that opportunity for service members to say, look, we want to make sure your spouse, is your husband or your wives stay with you as long as you don’t have a criminal record, as long as you’re not a bad person or as people like to say, a bad “hombre,” we’re going to allow you to become a legal, permanent resident and they took that away from him (Sgt. Serrano), and it looks like they’re trying to take it away from other service members as well,” Kozik said.

“As soon as she gets out of detention, we will start on the paperwork to get the status of my wife here in the United States, get the green card and continue with the citizenship,” said Sgt. Serrano.

For years and due to his nearly three decades in service, Sgt. Serrano had to start going with a doctor for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and had been stable until his wife was detained by ICE last week.

“It took me around two months to be back stable and now, when this happened, even taking the medication, I cannot sleep; it’s been super hard,” Sgt. Serrano said. “Every night after 7 p.m., my mind doesn’t stop thinking, what can I do?, why did this happen? and I search on the internet for answers.”

“My wife is very religious and she has told me, this is something that had to happen for her to be closer to what God wants; the only person who can get her out of there is him,” Sgt. Serrano said. “She cries pretty much every day, but knows this is something that has to happen for a reason.”

Sgt. Serrano also wanted to thank everyone for the opportunity to send the message to the entire country, so people can “know and see what’s going on in the U.S.”

“Our plans are, first, to get her out of confinement, two, stop any type of removal, three, allow them to continue the parole in place application and four, if necessary, Congress or attention because of the job you’re doing on this issue, is to recertify the importance of parole in place for our service members,” Kozik added.

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Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX (KVIA-TV)- Step into the spotlight at Strut for Pups, the ultimate fashion fundraiser happening April 25, 2026, at MUTTZ Canine Social Club, 460 Vin Rambla. The excitement kicks off at 7 p.m. with a dazzling dog fashion show, a live DJ spinning tunes, signature cocktails, and plenty of surprises—all in support of Second Sunrise Rescue. Tickets are just $20, and you can browse unique vendors and enjoy on-site styling throughout the night.

https://www.muttzelpaso.com

https://www.instagram.com/second_sunriserescueelpasotx

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Heriberto Perez Lara

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — El Paso City Council voted and approved a resolution earlier this month to ask the City Attorney’s Office to forward its concerns and request an investigation into the three deaths reported at Camp East Montana.

According to El Paso City Representative Lily Limón, El Paso City Council is the only council in the country to vote on and take action on an investigation like this one.

“We’re going to push that issue through and reach out to counterparts across the country, saying this is something that could potentially go up as high as the Supreme Court,” said City Rep. Limón. “We need our local people to put it on, have a grand jury investigate because you cannot allow people to die in our community and not know exactly who’s accountable, who’s responsible, and what the punishment is going to be.”

ABC-7 reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the City of El Paso and the City Attorney’s Office for comment.

A spokesperson with DHS sent a written statement saying:

“As with any transition, we are reviewing agency policies and proposals. As Secretary Mullin said in his confirmation hearing: ‘I will work with the community leaders and make sure that we are delivering for the American people what the President set out… We want to work with community leaders. We want to be good partners.’”

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Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX (KVIA-TV)- People are seeing higher prices lately, whether they’re buying gas, groceries, or other daily essentials. Brian Mirau explains why this is happening.

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