Friday, October 3, 2014
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LEGAL IMMIGRATION: AN INVISIBLE WAITING LINE Editor’s Note: An influx in people crossing into the United States, particularly through the Rio Grande Valley, illegally has stirred nationwide debates on the need for immigration reform. This is the second in a three-part series offering a close-up look at immigration and the people involved.
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By Mary Alice Nichols aria Garcia first crossed illegally into the United States from Nuevo Leon, Mexico in 2004. In May, Garcia, now 27, obtained a resident visa. The achievement took her six years and $14,000, mainly because she crossed illegally into the country three times before applying for residency. “Thankfully, because of my husband I was able to
apply for my resident status, but it was not easy,” Garcia said. “Especially because of my illegal entry, but a new waiver that was passed allowed me to be granted a pardon.” Others like, Marina Treviño, didn’t have to endure such a difficult immigration process. Treviño entered the states legally with a tourist visa. She married a U.S. citizen this past year, and is in the process of receiving her resident visa. It’s only taken her three months. She is awaiting her interview with the immigration officer to complete her legal status. “I told my husband if I was going to live here, I wanted to be here legally,” she said. “I didn’t want to be suffering because I couldn’t find proper work.” Treviño did not use a lawyer. Instead she did the process herself. Filing for
her resident visa has cost her $4,000 dollars. In Mexico, Treviño works with an international commercial business. She knew living here illegally would not allow her to have a decent job. “Unfortunately, it’s not
that easy for others. Especially if they entered illegally,” she said. “They can’t find work. If they do, they won’t receive job benefits. They struggle forever to have a future in this country.” A trying journey The first time she crossed,
Richter bows out, Leo steps in
Garcia returned back to Mexico after six months because of a lack of money. The second time she crossed was in 2008, and she was six months pregnant. Garcia said it was quite a risk crossing the border in her condition. “Immigration almost caught me. At one point I had to fall to the ground belly-first to take cover,” she said. “Thankfully, my baby wasn’t harmed. I wanted her to be born in the U.S. to have a better life.” Garcia said she did file for a visa in 2008 but was denied because she didn’t have proof of sufficient funds to be in the U.S. In 2009, she crossed again and married to her husband, who is a U.S. citizen. That same year she decided to apply for her resident visa. Garcia ultimately was granted resident status because of the Provisional
Unlawful Presence Wavier. It was passed on March 4, 2013, and allowed certain immigrant visa applicants who were spouses, children and parents of U.S. citizens, to apply for the waiver in the U.S. Then, individuals, such as Garcia, returned to their consulates abroad for immigrant visa interviews free of consequence. The consular officer in Ciudad Juarez approved her green card based on the waiver. After the approval, she was allowed to come back to the states and continue the legal immigration process. That process alone took Garcia a year. “Many of us have benefited from this new waiver,” she said. “Before, if I had returned to Mexico to file paperwork, there was a chance they would keep me there
See IMMIGRATION 11
RGV RAS to aid hunt for missing people A By Julie Silva
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By Lea Victoria Juarez irginia Richter said it was apparent things weren’t going smoothly in Sharyland ISD, and that was the reason she decided to resign from her superintendent position. When asked by Progress Times what caused the discontent, she paused and stuttered for 15 seconds before giving her answer. “Let me think how to say this,” she said before pausing again. “They [the board] were not supportive of administration. We didn’t see eye to eye on everything is the best way to say it.” With a 5-2 vote, Richter’s voluntary resignation was final at the special called meeting Monday night, following nearly an hour of debate in executive session. “I felt that it was in the best interest of everyone involved,” Richter said of her resignation. “If you attended some of the last board meet-
ings, you could sense some uneasiness and that’s not what I’m about.” Richter signed on as superintendent in 2012 and now will serve as a consultant during the interim period. Her contract expires June 30, 2015. Filomena Leo, former La Joya superintendent, starts full-time as the interim Oct. 6. Leo also served as the interim when former SISD superintendent Scott Owings resigned in 2012. Richter knew about a month ago that things weren’t going well, and when she felt it was no longer a “conducive environment” that’s when talk of her stepping down occurred. During the summer, the board initiated a climate survey on the district’s leadership and work environment. It was a unanimous agreement that Richter approved as well. “This was a way of get-
See RICHTER RESIGNS 11
TOP: Supporters of Virginia Richter, former superintendent of Sharyland ISD, display signs at the board’s Monday meeting before trustees accepted Richter’s resignation. All wearing blue, the supporters said they were from Richter’s former district, PSJA ISD. BOTTOM: Richter, right, is pictured with Board President Dr. Noel O. Garza. Progress Times photos by Lea Victoria Juarez
“I felt that it was in the best interest of everyone involved.” --Virginia Richter
Brownsville man wanted on outstanding warrants for sexual assault and kidnapping fled to Mexico with his 5-year-old daughter through the Anzalduas Bridge two months ago. The Department of Public Safety wasn’t able to issue an Amber Alert until well after Miguel Angel Flores had disappeared into Mexico, and local law enforcement agencies hope a movement to create a regional alert system will give officers the time they need to find missing people before they cross into Mexico. The Rio Grande Valley Regional Alert System would work in conjunction with the statewide Amber and silver alerts. In a news conference Wednesday, State Rep. Eddie Lucio III said he started thinking about developing a region-wide system when he was contacted “by a constituent who experienced losing a loved one because they weren’t found in time because they didn’t meet the criteria for a statewide alert system.” When he started investigating whether the statewide system needs to be changed, he found 17 regional systems across the state of Texas. “There are state alert systems, but it’s a one-size-fitsall for the entire state,” Lucio said. “However, we are very unique. We are on the border, and there are situations that occur that need to have a local response.” Lucio referenced his own 5-year-old girl as an inspiration for advocating the alert system. Wednesday, he announced the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office would oversee the system. The sheriff’s office will be the entity local law enforcement agencies
Sheriff Eddie Guerra
contact to issue the alerts. The regional system will cover Hidalgo, Cameron and Willacy counties and all agencies within the area are invited to participate, Sheriff Eddie Guerra said, adding that there is room to expand if Starr County wanted to be a part of the program. Guerra said it’s not uncommon for it to take an hour for an Amber Alert to be issued because of the strict state guidelines. A regional alert will allow for faster dissemination of information because a local entity will be overseeing it, he said, estimating the time could be cut to 15 or 20 minutes. “This regional alert system is going to be a very vital tool for us when minutes count, and we’re trying to find a missing person in all the counties down here on the border,” Guerra said. The sheriff’s office is willing to shoulder some of the personnel and software costs of the system, but Lucio said the system primarily would be funded through charitable donations and fundraisers, similar to local Crime Stoppers agencies. He has committed to donating money himself and during the news conference, Sergio Muñoz Jr., who helped de-
See MISSING PEOPLE 11
INSIDE
INDEX
Leo Najo Hall of Fame inductees
Monday last day to register to vote
County looks at financing new courthouse
In observance of Leo Najo Day, six former Valley baseball players will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Along with statewide races, three La Joya ISD races are on the ballot as well as tax rate for hospital district.
Commissioners court may refinance bonds to free up $32 million for capital improvement projects.
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Lifestyle | pg. 5
Opinion | pg. 4
Sports | pg. 6
Obituaries | pg. 9
Classifieds | pg. 11
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