Category: kvia-local-news

Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX (KVIA-TV)- DisruptHR El Paso 3.0 returns to the Sun City on August 14. The event promises to challenge conventional thinking and fuel your enthusiasm for progress and people.

For $20, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from a roster of speakers who are pioneering the future of work. This event is perfect for HR professionals, entrepreneurs, and business leaders, offering a unique chance to network with like-minded innovators. DisruptHR El Paso 3.0 will take place at Western Tech-Eastside Campus, located at 9624 Plaza Circle.

Doors open at 5:30 pm, giving you ample time to connect with fellow attendees before the talks begin. Secure your spot today and be a part of the revolution!

Link to purchase tickets:  https://disrupthr.co/city/el-paso//

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Heriberto Perez Lara

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Videos on social media showed a group of migrants inside a sewer in El Paso’s storm drain system. The El Paso Police Department, along with Border Patrol El Paso Sector, found this group of migrants last Friday at the intersection of Oregon Street and San Antonio Avenue in Downtown El Paso.

According to Border Patrol spokesman Agent Claudio Herrera-Baeza, seven migrants were found; they were Mexican and Colombian nationals.

“It’s very well known that Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) utilize these roads to get into the United States illegally,” said agent Herrera. “It endangers the lives of the illegal migrants as they come through the sewer systems.”

Along with the seven migrants found in the sewer, the alleged smuggler was also discovered. All seven were processed and placed into removal proceedings under Title 8 authority.

The smuggler is expected to be charged under Title 8, USC § 1324, which involves human smuggling charges.

“Police checked suspicious activity in a storm drain; no state charges were filed,” said the El Paso Police Department in a statement.

Agent Herrera added that the Confined Space Entry Team (CSET) regularly inspects El Paso’s sewer system using underground technology.

“It is extremely dangerous, we know that these criminal organizations endanger the lives of the illegal aliens through different smuggling schemes,” said agent Herrera. “One of them of course is entering the sewer system; there are so many things that can go wrong, especially during the rainy season, like right now.”

More updates will come in later newscasts.sts.

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Rosemary Montañez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)— In today’s installment of our Words of Wisdom segment, Adair Margo is encouraging teachers and educators as they also return to the classroom.

Margo has taught at both the University of Texas at El Paso and New Mexico State University.

The humanitarian reminds teachers of their lasting influence that goes beyond the classroom walls.

“Teachers are in such a privileged position to help children achieve what they can achieve. And you remember them for good or bad,” she said.

Margo also explained that teachers can help students achieve their personal best!

“They’ll never forget your name. Especially if you, if you make a difference in elevating them and their confidence and what they’re able to accomplish.”

Margo said teachers have the power to change lives!

If you want to watch our previous Words of Wisdom segments, click here.

ABC-7’s Words of Wisdom segment airs all this week on Good Morning El Paso.

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Heriberto Perez Lara

Watch the livestream of the protest below:

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Today, protestors are gathering at the ICE Detention Facility to demand the release of DACA recipient Catalina “Xóchilt” Santiago, who was detained by Border Patrol agents at the El Paso International Airport this weekend.

The protest is set to begin with a news conference at 5 p.m. ABC-7 will livestream the news conference.

An ICE spokesperson released the following statement on Santiago’s situation.

“Catalina Santiago Santiago, a 28-year-old Mexican national, is currently in ICE custody. U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested her Aug. 3 at the El Paso International Airport and remanded her to our custody. This was not Santiago’s first brush with immigration officials; she first entered illegally in May 2005, near the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry in El Paso. On Aug. 31, 2020, she was charged with two drug offenses, which are still pending.

Santiago has DACA status, which is set to expire April 29, 2026. It’s important to note that DHS officials can take enforcement actions against illegal aliens with criminal records.

ICE officials served Santiago with a notice to appear before a Department of Justice immigration judge. She will remain in ICE custody at the El Paso Processing Center pending her immigration proceedings.”

Leticia Zamarripa

Public Affairs Officer/Spokeswoman

Department of Homeland Security       

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

El Paso, West Texas, New Mexico

ORIGINAL STORY (August 5, 2025): Videos on social media shows the arrest Catalina “Xóchilt” Santiago, which occurred Sunday, August 3, 2025, at the El Paso International Airport. Santiago is a Mexican national and a DACA recipient who works in El Paso.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Movimiento Cosecha (@cosecha_harvest)

Watch the social media video above.

A GoFundMe page set up to support Santiago describes the moment she was intercepted by two Border Patrol agents while passing through airport security.

“She has been transferred to a processing center in El Paso—and we must demand her immediate release!” a petition seeking Santiago’s release describes. “Xóchitl is a lifelong community organizer who has fought for the dignity and respect of the immigrant community for over a decade. She has made a profound impact on her loved ones and community members from Florida to Texas and beyond.”

ABC-7 reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Border Patrol’s El Paso Sector for more information about Santiago’s arrest.

DHS Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin released the following statement on the situation:

“CBP arrested Catalina Santiago, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, on August 3, 2025, at the El Paso International Airport. Her criminal history includes charges for trespassing, possession of narcotics and drug paraphernalia. She will remain in ICE custody pending her removal proceedings.

Illegal aliens who claim to be recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) are not automatically protected from deportations. DACA does not confer any form of legal status in this country. Any illegal alien who is a DACA recipient may be subject to arrest and deportation for a number of reasons including if they’ve committed a crime.

Illegal aliens can take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $1,000 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live American dream.”

Organizers are planning a protest to demand Santiago’s release tomorrow. La Mujer Obrera Protest is scheduled to happen at the ICE Detention Facility.

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Olivia Vara

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — El Paso Public Libraries will implement a systemwide upgrade to Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, causing temporary closures at each branch from August through November.

The upgrade will include relabeling circulating items with RFID tags to enhance checkout speed, improve inventory accuracy, and expand self-checkout options.

The Main Library branch in El Paso has already made these changes using RFID technology before they opened earlier this year.

The Jose Cisneros Library began its closure on August 4th for upgrades. Each branch is expected to remain closed for approximately one to two weeks during this process.

The tentative closure schedule is as follows:

Jose Cisneros: Aug. 4

Richard Burges: Aug. 11

Armijo: Aug. 25

Esperanza Acosta Moreno: Sept. 2

Westside: Sept. 15

Sergio Troncoso: Sept. 22

Irving Schwartz: Sept. 29

Memorial Park: Oct. 6

Clardy Fox: Oct. 13

Judge Marquez: Oct. 20

Enrique Moreno/Valle Bajo: Nov. 3

Bookmobile: Nov. 10

Chamizal: Nov. 10

Dorris Van Doren: Nov. 17

Those planning on visiting the library are encouraged to use alternative locations during closures while online services remain available 24/7 at www.ElPasoLibrary.org.

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Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX ( KVIA-TV)-The Paso del Norte Community Foundation has announced the official launch of the 10th annual El Paso Giving Day campaign.

This year’s kickoff event will take place on Wednesday, August 14, 2025, from noon to 2 pm at the SAC 2, located at 1300 Joe Battle, Lot B, El Paso, TX 79936.

On-site registration support for participating organizations

Details about this year’s prize opportunities and campaign timeline

A chance to get a limited-edition 10th anniversary El Paso Giving Day shirt with a $20 donation

Networking with nonprofits across the region

For more information about El Paso Giving Day, visit elpasogivingday.org.

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Olivia Vara

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — El Paso County Commissioners will discuss whether to raise, lower or maintain the same property tax rate for the upcoming year. They will also hear from the El Paso Central Appraisal District about this year’s property values.

The El Paso Central Appraisal District (CAD), an independent agency, determines the taxable value of real and personal property based on market conditions and appraisal standards.

The County will determine its share of the tax rate following CAD’s presentation of the certified property values for the 2025 tax year, a tax rate which accounts for approximately 16 cents of every dollar in property taxes.

Evaluations have gone up around $4 1/2 billion across all property in El Paso from 2024 to 2025.

The proposal of the No-New-Revenue tax rate during today’s presentations is based on this number, with the goal of producing the same property tax revenue from last year.

El Paso County will propose the Voter Approval Rate to allow flexibility in finalizing the FY26 Budget. By law the Commissioners Court is allowed to adopt a rate at or below the Voter Approval Tax Rate without necessitating an election.

The median value of a home in El Paso is around $270,000, according to UTEP Research.

That means that under the 2025 voter approval tax rate, the average household would pay more than $1300.

While you would pay a little more than $1100 under the No-New-Revenue tax rate.

Today’s session at the Commissioners Court Meeting ended with a 5 way vote accepting the 2025 No-New-Revenue (NNR) and Voter-Approval Rate (VAR) calculations, with the No-New-Revenue Rate being 0.409349/$100 and the Voter-Approval Rate 0.487797/$100.

The final public hearing and adoption of the FY26 County Budget is set for September 15th.

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Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX (KVIA-TV)- As the Artcraft Project gets underway, some recent changes have affected drivers at the I-10 interchange. TX Dot’s Jennifer explains:

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Heriberto Perez Lara

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Texas State Representative for District 77 Vince Perez held a news conference in El Paso today where he spoke against the Texas redistricting proposed by Republicans, which could impact El Paso County.

If passed, it could move Fort Bliss out of El Paso’s main congressional district, placing it in the district currently represented by U.S. Representative Tony Gonzales.

According to State Rep. Perez, this is how the congressional seats would look if the Texas redistricting is approved:

26 seats determined by Anglo voters (~70%)

8 seats by Hispanic voters (~20%)

2 seats by Black voters (5%)

0 seats by Asian voters (0%)

2 seats with a mixed composition (5%)

For State Rep. Perez, this is how the congressional map would look if it showed an equal representation reflected in the current diverse population in the state:

15 seats determined by majority-Anglo voters (40%)

15 seats by majority-Hispanic voters (40%)

5 seats by majority-Black voters (13%)

2 seats by majority-Asian voters (5%)

1 seat representing a diverse coalition of all groups (2%)

“The stark reality is this: In Texas, one Hispanic vote counts as merely one-third, and oneBlack vote counts as barely one-fifth of an Anglo vote,” said State Rep. Perez in a statement.

ABC-7 also spoke with the Chairman of the El Paso County Republican Party, Michael Aboud, who said the County needed this redistricting many years ago.

“The way the state was redistricted was terrible because they gerrymandered so much of the state, they sat there and rigged it so that Texas would keep so many Democratic seats no matter what,” said Chairman Aboud. “That is not good for the people of Texas; the people deserve to have representatives that represent them, not ones that are rigged by a map because of the agreement between two parties.”

“For the Democrats to sit there and say this is racial, that is nonsense, that’s simply them trying to play the race card and they do that because the only thing they think of is race and how can they divide the American people,” Chairman Aboud added.

ABC-7 reached out to the office of Congressman Tony Gonzales to learn his thoughts on the proposed Texas redistricting, but they have not answered to our request at this time.

More updates in later newscasts.

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Heriberto Perez Lara

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The City of El Paso held a special session today, during which the mayor, council members, and city staff proposed reducing the property tax rate for Fiscal Year 2026.

Lowering the tax rate doesn’t mean El Pasoans will pay less in taxes, because property taxes have continued to rise. The decrease in the tax rate will be $0.759649 per $100 of valuation, which the city says is the lowest rate in a decade.

“Lowering the tax rate while continuing to provide stable, high-quality services reflects our commitment to strong financial stewardship,” said City Manager Dionne Mack. “Our focus remains on delivering consistent, reliable services to the community while managing resources responsibly.”

The city also reported that the average taxable value of a home in El Paso increased from $209,718 to $221,191, leading to an average tax bill increase of $83 per year, or about $7 per month, despite the reduction in the tax rate.

Key Budget and Tax Highlights:

Lowest Tax Rate in Over a Decade: Reduced from $ 0.761405 to $ 0.759649, including a lowered debt service rate.

Debt Reduction: The city’s outstanding debt continues to decrease, with a projected drop of $100 million compared to FY 2025—continuing a multi-year trend of responsible debt management and refinancing.

Tax Relief for Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities: The Over 65/Disabled exemption willincrease from $42,500 to $45,000, providing additional savings to over 57,000 homesteads.

Investments in Public Safety and Infrastructure: The budget includes increasing staffing forpolice officers, firefighters, and 911 Communications, adding two new fire stations, a new health clinic, and maintaining $10 million for street resurfacing, along with additional allocations for facility repairs and park improvements.

Restored Funding for Key Services: The proposed budget partially restores funding for vacant positions and facility improvements that were previously cut due to past fiscal constraints.

The city will also host a series of budget hearings:

August 12, 2025 – Public Hearing on the Proposed Tax Rate

August 18, 2025 – Public Hearing on the Proposed Budget

August 19, 2025 – City Council Vote on Budget and Tax Rate Adoption

El Pasoans can learn more about the proposed budget and its impact here.

More updates in later newscasts.

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