Category: kvia-local-news

Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Wednesday, deputy constables arrested a 37-year-old man for allegedly violating his parole and having fentanyl on hand, according to the El Paso County Constable’s Office for Precinct Six.

According to the constable’s office, it helped agents with the Texas Office of the Inspector General trying to find Milton Smith, who was wanted with a felony parole warrant.

Authorities found and arrested him at his work on Magoffin Avenue near Bowie High School, according to the constable’s office.

Smith allegedly told deputy constables he had fentanyl pills in one of his pockets, the constable’s office said.

Deputy constables found the pills in his pocket and tested them for fentanyl. The constable’s office said the pills tested positive.

The deputy constables then presented a complaint affidavit to the Jail Magistrates Office and secured an arrest warrant for Smith.

Smith booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility for parole violation and possession of a controlled substance without a bond.

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Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX (KVIA-TV)-After distributing more than 1,500 pet food aid bags last year, the Schumacher Grant has set a goal of 3,000 bags for 2026 and is asking the community to help with pet food donations and volunteer time.

The Schumacher Grant is partnering with Casa de Peregrinos for this year’s drive. Donations can be made through the Schumacher Grant’s Amazon Wish List, and volunteers are needed to sort donations, assemble aid bags and help distribute them.

How to Help

Donate: Purchase pet food and supplies through the Schumacher Grant’s Amazon Wish List.

Volunteer: Tuesdays and Thursdays, Aug. 11 through Oct. 1, from 12:30 to 3 p.m.

Location: Casa de Peregrinos, 999 W. Amador Ave., Las Cruces

Volunteer opportunities: Sort donations, assemble pet-food aid bags, and help distribute them.

Sign up to volunteer here.

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Heriberto Perez Lara

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Joel Vargas is from Venezuela. He left his country back in 2022 and arrived in Ciudad Juárez spring 2023. He’s currently navigating the federal asylum process while working in construction in Colorado Springs.

After securing an entry appointment through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) One app in Juárez, he entered the U.S. legally and has been attending required immigration court hearings.

Joel left Venezuela due to severe economic hardship, traveling through Central America and Mexico before reaching the U.S. border. He waited six months in Juárez to secure his appointment through the app, choosing not to cross unlawfully due to concerns over detention facilities.

He sends most of his earnings to support his wife and daughter, who stayed in Venezuela.

After crossing legally into El Paso, Texas, Joel stayed in the city for two weeks before moving to Colorado Springs. In Venezuela, he worked as a civil engineer and university professor, but he now works in construction in Colorado, as mentioned.

The CBP One app was rebranded as the CBP Home app under the Trump administration, shifting its function from scheduling asylum appointments to assisting with voluntary self-deportation.

Joel told ABC-7 he received a notification on his phone offering $2,600 and a free plane ticket to self-deport and. He said the message warned migrants who did not voluntarily deport could face fines of nearly $1,000 per day.

Although he had entered the U.S. legally, Joel decided not to self-deport so he could continue working toward buying a home for his family. During an immigration court hearing last summer, an immigration judge granted Joel another opportunity to submit an asylum application.

The judge required him to provide all documentation translated into English, show proof of progress toward an online bachelor’s degree and demonstrate plans to pursue a master’s degree in the United States.

Despite following legal procedures, Joel feels an ongoing fear of deportation after seeing ICE officers arresting other individuals following court appearances in Colorado. Joel also expressed some concerns about returning to Venezuela, stating that former or current political tensions and Venezuelan government policies could lead to the imprisonment of returnees from the United States.

The U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in early January, creating political uncertainty in the country, but Joel has expressed hope for future progress in Venezuela and stated that he plans to consider returning home with his family later this year.

ABC-7 reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and CBP for comment and to learn more about how many migrants have used the CBP Home App for self-deportation.

A spokesperson with DHS recently sent us the following statement:

“Since January 2025, more than 2.2 million illegal aliens have voluntarily self-deported and illegal aliens continue to leave in record numbers. DHS has been consistently clear that those who have used the CBP Home app and utilized Project Homecoming are but a fraction of those who have voluntarily left the country because illegal aliens know President Trump is enforcing our immigration laws.

The current cost of a single enforced deportation is $18,245. Even with the new offer of a $2,600 stipend, the estimated cost of a single self-deportation via the CBP Home App is just $5,100, saving the American taxpayer over $13,000 per illegal alien.

Being in detention is a choice. We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 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 the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.”

Back in June, another DHS spokesperson also sent to us the following statement:

“Since Day One, DHS law enforcement has been delivering on President Trump’s promise to the American people to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists. Nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S. More than 3 million illegal aliens are out of the country. We will continue to deliver on the President’s promise to make America safe again.

ICE enforces U.S. immigration law in every state, throughout this great nation, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In President Trump’s first year back in office, more than 3 million illegal aliens have left the U.S. because of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration including an estimated 2.2 million self-deportations. As of May 17, we have now deported nearly 900,000 illegal aliens and arrested over 900,000 illegal aliens.”

You can watch the full special report, “Legal Limbo,” Thursday on ABC-7 at 6.

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El Paso Matters

by Claudia Lorena Silva

The Ysleta Independent School District is asking voters to allow it to raise its tax rate beyond what is allowed by the state to save it from a dire financial status – a proposition which if approved would have little to no impact on the vast majority of homeowners’ tax bills.

The YISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously Wednesday to call for a voter-approval tax ratification election, or VATRE, in November that would generate up to $5.5 million a year by shifting some of its property tax revenue — currently earmarked for repaying debt — toward daily operations.

YISD Superintendent Xavier De La Torre said, if approved, the proposal could help the district address a multi-million-dollar deficit that nearly depleted the district’s savings and potentially help rebuild it.

“Balancing a budget will not solve our problem. We actually have to have a surplus. We have to have extra money at the end of the year,” De La Torre told El Paso Matters before Wednesday’s board meeting.

Trustees voted unanimously to approve a tax rate of $1.19 per $100 property valuation — higher than the $1.15 voter-approval rate it could have adopted without going to voters. That triggered the call for the VATRE election, which if rejected, would force the board to adopt the lower rate.

The proposal would shift 3 cents from its debt rate to its operations rate, also known as a “penny swap.”

The no-new-revenue rate, which would generate the same amount of revenue as the previous year on the same properties, is $1.25 per $100 valuation.

Tax bill impact

Most of the voters eligible to decide on the proposal wouldn’t be impacted by the outcome because they pay no school property taxes, an El Paso Matters analysis of data from the El Paso Central Appraisal District shows.

(Courtesy: El Paso Matters)

Made with Flourish • Create a chart

However, businesses and other commercial properties –  including Meta, which is developing a $10 billion data center in Northeast El Paso and is expected to become one of the largest taxpayers in the county – would see taxes go up if voters approve the proposed rate.

According to the CAD, more than  26,000 YISD homeowners — two-thirds of all owner-occupied homes in the district — will pay no school tax whether the issue passes or fails because the value of their exemptions exceeds the taxable value of their homes, or they are 100% disabled veterans, who are exempt from all property taxes in Texas.

All homes with homestead exemptions in Texas have a $140,000 exemption, and people over 65 have an additional $60,000 exemption. YISD adds a 20% homestead exemption, the only district in El Paso County to do so.

As a result, any home valued at $175,000 or less in the district won’t owe school property taxes this year regardless of the outcome of the election, and any home owned by someone over age 65 or disabled valued at $250,000 or less is exempt from school taxes. Such homeowners still pay taxes to the city, county, hospital district and community college.

The average market value of a home in YISD this year is $211,000, according to the Central Appraisal District.

The YISD tax bill on an average-value home, which has a taxable value of just over $14,000 after exemptions, would be about $170 if the VATRE is approved. 

If it is rejected, the homeowner of that hypothetical home would only save about $6 on their district tax bill.

If approved, a business or commercial property valued at $1 million could pay almost $12,000 in property taxes to the school district; that would drop to about  $11,500 if voters reject the tax proposal..

CAD records currently say Meta’s 1,040 acres of land for the data center site has a taxable value of just over $1.6 million; none of the improvements being built on the land currently have a taxable value. If the VATRE rate is approved by voters, the school tax on the land would be $19,476. If voters reject the tax rate, Meta’s tax bill will drop to $18,787, saving the company $689, according to El Paso Matters’ calculations.

Budget changes

De La Torre said the district has already reduced the deficit and plans to continue cutting costs.

YISD, which had less than 33,000 students last year, expected enrollment numbers to drop by about 1,250 students this year. Instead, enrolment only fell by about 900. De La Torre said this will bring in $3 million in additional revenue.

He said the district also plans to offer a separation incentive to 100 employees who are considering retiring or resigning in December, which could cut payroll costs by about $4 million for the current school year.

The tax ratification election will be held Nov. 3, with early voting Oct. 19-30. The last day to register to vote in that election is Oct. 5.

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Lauren Bly

ANTHONY, Texas (KVIA) — Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) announced it will close several facilities, including the La Tuna Prison in Anthony, Texas.

The DOJ said La Tuna had a backlog of pending maintenance jobs worth more than $4 billion. The prison is set to close in March 2027.

Thursday at noon, a group of protesters were expected to gather outside of the facility to protest the closure. While not many showed up, their message was clear that the prison shouldn’t close.

Juan Fernandez, who worked at La Tuna for almost 25 years, said the building may be old, but it’s well maintained. He said closing it while citing maintenance issues doesn’t make sense.

“It’s like an old car. You get an old car, you’re going to put some money into it and make it work,” Fernandez said. “They just got to maintain it and invest the money and save this.”

Congresswoman Veronica Escobar also visited the prison Thursday. In a video statement sent to ABC-7, she said she didn’t see any evidence of why the prison needed to shut down.

“It’s going to require $80 million of investment. Just for context, Camp east, Montana, across town is a $1.2 billion facility. Budgets are about our values,” Rep. Escobar said. “My focus is keeping these jobs and making sure we have a safe facility here at La Tuna.”

ABC-7 reached out for the BOP about the closure date, but it didn’t respond.

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Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX (KVIA-TV)-Claudia Rosales is joining ABC-7 at 4 o’clock to announce that The El Paso Chamber will be giving its State of Education and Workforce speech on August 19, 2026, at the Hotel Paso Del Norte.

The event will include Leila Melendez, CEO of Workforce Solutions Borderplex, as well as the superintendents Dr. Josue Borrego, Dr. Brian Lusk from El Paso ISD, James Vasquez from Socorro ISD, and people from Canutillo ISD. This signature event brings together new superintendents from our region, local employers, and students to discuss how our region is preparing the next generation forcareer success.

The State of Education and Workforce event gives attendees a firsthand look at how ourregion’s schools and employers are working together to prepare talent for jobs. There will be some work on workforce preparation, and Leila Melendez will also give a keynote speech containing useful insights. She will discuss the initiatives, partnerships, and investments that are driving education and workforce development across the Borderplex.

The event also gives the business community a chance to better understandhow education policy and workforce development directly impact economiccompetitiveness in the Borderplex.

EVENT DETAILS:

Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2026From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.Location: Hotel Paso Del Norte, Pershing BallroomRegistration is currently open and will end on August 14; sponsorship options are also offered.Participation is open to any organization that wishes to support this major event.

If you would like further information or wish to register, you can go to www.elpaso.org/events or send an email to epc@elpaso.org.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — One person went to a hospital with life-threatening injuries after a near drowning in Northeast El Paso Wednesday.

El Paso police said the near drowning happened at an apartment pool on Edgar Park Avenue, which is near Hercules Avenue and the US 54.

The El Paso Fire Department’s FireSTAR helicopter was dispatched to the scene, which cleared by 8:30 p.m., officials said.

At the scene, ABC-7 saw the apartment pool taped off.

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Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX (KVIA-TV)-Would you like to serve your community as one of the members of the Canutillo ISD Board of Trustees?

According to Gustavo Reveles the deadline for applying for a spot on the ballot is on Monday, August 17th, and Election Day will be on Tuesday, November 3rd.

For more information on candidate eligibility, the filing procedures and the important election dates, please go to the CISD 2026 Board Election portal at www.canutillo-isd.org/school-board/election.

Canutillo ISD 2026 School Board Election

The board of trustees of the Canutillo ISD is made up of seven community members who are elected by the district’s voters. They serve without receiving any payment and have the responsibility of offering leadership and oversight for the benefit of students, staff, and taxpayers.

The board members have four-year terms which are staggered in order to secure continuity in governance and leadership, and trustee elections take place every two years as part of the general election cycle held in November, together with the state and county elections.

ELECTION

Tuesday, November 3, 2026, is Election Day.

The polling stations will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

The El Paso County Elections Department will post the polling locations.

In-person voting will be available from Monday, October 19th to Friday, October 31st, 2026.

The El Paso County Elections Department will post the early voting times and locations.

Monday, October 5, 2026, is the final day on which one can register to vote in the November 3 election. You can download a postage-paid voter registration application from here.

Current Canutillo ISD Elected Officers

Canutillo ISD Board of Trustees Elected Members:

Sergio Martinez (unexpired term ends November 2026)

Lilia Maldonado (full term ends November 2028)

Cindy Zuñiga (full term ends November 2026)

Breanne Barnes (full term ends November 2026)

Lucia Borrego (full term ends November 2026)

Carolina Ortega (full term ends November 2028)

Armando Rodriguez (full term ends November 2028)

Positions on the November 2026 Ballot

These four positions will appear on the ballot on November 3, 2026:

Three full four-year terms (positions currently held by trustees Cindy Zuñiga, Breanne Barnes and Lucia Borrego)

A single term which has not expired, lasting two years (the position currently occupied by Trustee Sergio Martinez).

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

Eligibility Requirements

The criteria for qualification are set out in Canutillo ISD Board Policy BBA (LEGAL). You can view the policy by clicking here.

Filing Period

Note that Canutillo ISD might not be able to offer notary services; therefore, if your documents need to be notarized, please get them notarized prior to coming.

Calendar

The first day on which people can file to get a place on the ballot is Saturday, 18 July 2026. However, since the district is closed at weekends, prospective candidates will be able to start filing on Monday, 20 July 2026.

The deadline for applying for a spot on the ballot is on Monday, August 17, 2026.

The deadline for filing a declaration of write-in candidacy is Friday, August 21, 2026. (Note: A declaration of write-in candidacy must meet the same requirements as an application for a place on the ballot.)

Filing Methods

All the applications have to be handed in person at the Office of the Superintendent of the Canutillo Independent School District, whose address is:

CISD Administration Building7965 Artcraft Rd.El Paso, TX 79932℅ Adrian Cerros, Administrative Assistant to the Superintenent

The following should be noted: the Office of the Texas Secretary of State requires that the person who is filing must have the application in their possession by the deadline.

FORMS

Request for Confidentiality for Candidates Under Texas Government CodeIn accordance with Section 552.1175 of the Texas Government Code, anyone who is eligible can ask that certain information from your candidate application—such as your home address, home telephone number, details of your emergency contact, date of birth, social security number, or whether you have any family members—be kept from public view. When you complete and send this form to the filing authority to whom you submitted your candidate application, you are making the request for the kind of confidentiality mentioned above. You must attach a photocopy of the documentation proving that you are eligible for confidentiality with your written request. If you wish to withdraw this request for confidentiality, you have to do so in writing to the filing authority to whom you originally filed your candidate application.

Appointment Of A Campaign Treasurer By A Candidate (Form CTA)According to the Texas Ethics Commission, every candidate is required to file Form CTA even if they have no intention of raising or spending any money on their campaign; the form must be filed before the candidate submits an application for a position on the ballot, before they raise or spend any money as part of their campaign, or before they announce their candidacy. For more information regarding these guidelines and the form, see the Texas Ethics Commission’s Form CTA–Instruction Guide.

Application For A Place On The Ballot For A General Election For A City, School District Or Other Political Subdivision

Campaign Finance Report (Form C/OH)Every candidate must submit semiannual reports on Form C/OH even if they have had no campaign activity or have not been successful in the election. The annual filing deadlines and schedules can be obtained from the Texas Ethics Commission’s website. The forms should be sent to Cindy Anderson, the Elections Coordinator for Leander ISD. In order to terminate your filing responsibilities, you have to stop all campaign activity and file a Final Report using Form C/OH together with Form C/OH-FR (Designation of Final Report). The Designation of Final Report form is on the last page of Form C/OH. For more information regarding Campaign Finance Reports, see the Texas Ethics Commission Campaign Finance Guide for Candidates and Officeholders. Further campaign finance resources, such as how to start and how to end a campaign, are available on the Texas Ethics Commission website.

Even though it is not necessary, a great many of the candidates also submit a Code of Fair Campaign Practices (Form CFCP).

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Nichole Gomez

El Paso, TX (KVIA-TV)-The El Paso Zoo will be hosting an event for International Orangutan Day to honor one of the world’s most intelligent and endangered primates. You’ll find out about the measures being taken to protect orangutans, the difficulties they experience in their rainforest habitats, and that the term ‘orangutan’ actually means ‘person of the forest’.

Sunday, August 16. 12:30 p.m.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Businesses and contractors wanting to contract with government agencies had the opportunity to connect at El Paso Community College Wednesday.

The Contract Opportunities Center APEX Accelerator hosted the 19th Annual Procurement and Contracting Symposium. More than 175 vendors and more than 50 exhibitor booths registered and represented a wide range of industries.

With the summit, EPCC’s opportunities center reflected its goal in helping businesses learn about contracting opportunities to increase local competitiveness and job creation.

Some of the visiting agencies included the Holloman Air Force Base, the Texas Department of Transportation and El Paso school districts.

EPCC called the event Far West Texas and Southern New Mexico’s “premier networking event” supported by federal, state and local governments and their contractors.

For the first time, EPCC combined the conference with a Veterans business conference.

Apex Accelerator Director Pablo Armendariz said attendees could “go and talk to the agents and see what they’re looking for and see the product that they have.”

“The service they have will help that agency, meet their goals. That’s the main thing about it,” Armendariz said.

The EPCC Contract Opportunities Center APEX Accelerator helps businesses develop through procurement technical assistance. EPPC said the center has an emphasis on helping small, minority-owned and veteran-owned businesses.

The opportunities center has workshops centering around contracting basics, project proposals and other topics.

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