MONEY AND POLITICS TALK. AND JUST LIKE THAT, THE 1920-CIRCA SINCLAIR STATION IS GONE. SO MUCH FOR BTX'S HISTORICAL PRESERVATION B.S.

Oh, yeah! But if you own a house in the city's historical district try to move a door or paint it the color you want.

Photograph of the Sinclair gas station in downtown Brownsville, pictured on the corner of 10th and Levee Street. The gas station, visible at center-left, is a light-colored building with several roofed gas pumps and signs bearing several wordmarks for the gas station and for Goodyear tires. 

Cars turn and ambulate along the intersection in front of the gas station, and other buildings are visible further down the road to the right, such as the George Ury Motor Company. Pedestrians walk along the road's sidewalks at left and center.

It now belongs to Benito Garcia, visible at the extreme lower right walking into the picture. Garcia also bought the old HEB downtown and has been trying to buy the historical Mexican village buildings facing 10th Street across from the old Majestic theater with the aim of demolishing them to extend the parking lot. Garcia has personal connections to several city commissioners and has contributed to get them elected.

Anyway the building was only 100 years old.

MOM OF GIRL KILLED BY DRUNK DRIVER IN CHICAGO PROTESTS TRUMP'S POLITICAL EXPLOITATION OF HER DEATH

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

BREAKING: Grieving mom FURIOUSLY fires back at Trump after he exploits her daughter’s death to justify Chicago ICE invasion.

In a gut-wrenching open letter published in The Chicago Tribune, Denise Lorence — the mother of 20-year-old Katie Abraham, who was killed by a drunk driver in January — is speaking out against what she calls a “cruel and cynical hijacking” of her daughter’s name by the Department of Homeland Security. It’s a letter that should shake every American with a conscience,

Abrams was allegedly killed by a Guatemalan man without legal immigration status who fled the scene of the fatal accident. Katie’s name, Lorence reveals, has been used to brand “Operation Midway Blitz,” a Trump immigration enforcement campaign in Chicago — the same city her daughter loved and called safe.

The operation, which has already drawn fierce criticism for its heavy-handed raids and militarized tactics, was reportedly named in Katie’s honor. But her mother says the real Katie would have been horrified.

“Katie would not have wanted this,” Lorence wrote. “She would not support scaring kids with the use of military efforts in their neighborhoods or in their apartment buildings.”

Let that sink in. A grieving mother is being forced to publicly reclaim her own child’s legacy — because Trump’s DHS decided to weaponize her daughter’s name to sell fear and xenophobia.

Katie wasn’t a politician. She wasn’t an activist. She was a kind, empathetic college student who loved her friends, her city, and the world around her. But now, her name has been plastered across a campaign of intimidation and deportation — a campaign that rips children from their parents’ arms.

“She cannot advocate for herself and stand up to say, ‘I am not a political pawn,’” Lorence wrote. “So I am here for her.”

It’s hard to imagine a more chilling example of how far the right will go to manipulate tragedy for political gain. Katie’s memory — a young woman full of empathy and light — is being twisted into propaganda for an agenda of cruelty.

And while Lorence acknowledges her ex-husband’s grief — he reportedly approved the use of Katie’s name — she makes clear that grief cannot justify injustice. “Association with the operation’s actions,” she writes, “is not a positive reflection of who she was.”

The real Katie Abraham believed in compassion, not fear. Healing, not hate. Bridges, not walls. Yet the MAGA machine saw only an opportunity — another life to exploit, another story to twist, another name to drag into their endless war on empathy.

Denise Lorence’s message to the DHS — and to Trump’s enablers — is one every American should hear loud and clear: “Katie Abraham is my daughter, and I am reclaiming her legacy.”

Because no mother should have to fight the government to protect her child’s memory from being used as political propaganda.

THE FINAL VESTIGES OF THE FAILED UTB-TSC "PARTNERSHIP" COMES DOWN

THE EXTINCT UTB MASCOT

THE UTB-TSC TOWER IS FINALLY GOING DOWN

THE HUNS WHO TRIED TO KILL HIM DIDN'T ASK IF HE HAD PAPERS...

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

The Most Decorated Texan of WWI...was also an undocumented immigrant.
"Many of these non-American soldiers went on to prove that their bravery and dedication to the cause was of the highest order. Among these, one of the most highly decorated was a Mexican-born [undocumented] immigrant named Marcelino Serna, the first Mexican American to collect a Distinguished Service Cross."

When the U.S. entered World War One in 1917, it is estimated that roughly 500,000 people who joined the United States armed services were immigrants. According to the National Park Service, this amounted to 18 percent of U.S. troops.

From the memoirs of Sergeant Alvin York from Tennessee, one of the most highly decorated Americans who served in the U.S. forces during World War One, we can learn more about life for this diverse collection of people.

 At first, he writes, he had been shocked by the fact that there were so many foreigners in his units: Italians, Poles, Irish, Greeks, and Mexicans. But, as he recollects, they soon became his buddies and he “learned to love them.”

Many of these non-American soldiers went on to prove that their bravery and dedication to the cause was of the highest order. Among these, one of the most highly decorated was a Mexican-born illegal immigrant named Marcelino Serna, the first Mexican American to collect a Distinguished Service Cross.

He migrated from his home country of Mexico to El Paso, Texas, in 1915, when he was almost 20 years old. After working illegally for two years, Serna was eventually arrested by Federal officials concerning his status as a citizen. While he waited to find out if he was to be deported back to Mexico, Serna decided that he would show his desire to become a U.S. citizen by volunteering for the army.

He received less than a month of training in Kansas, after which he was deployed with his infantry unit to Europe, to fight in the French trenches. He was part of the 89th Infantry Division. Serna did not speak much English and upon his arrival, his superiors immediately noted he was Mexican. They offered to discharge him from service, but Serna politely declined.

On the battle lines, he proved his courage as a soldier several times, his actions speaking for themselves as to why he was worth all the decorations he later collected. In one confrontation with enemy soldiers, his squad was attacked and 12 fellows were killed. Injured himself, Serna nevertheless proceeded with the fight, going after the attackers and capturing eight adversaries.

https://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/3779-marcelino-serna-most-decorated-texan-of-world-war-one.html

WE HAVE CONCENTRATION CAMPS, THE TRUMP BUNKER, THE I.C.E. SS...

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Adolph Hitler was appointed chancellor on January 30, 1933. Hitler had a large reception hall/ ballroom added to the Old Reich Chancellery in 1936 officially known as the Festsaal mit Wintergarten in the garden area.

The expansion also included an air-raid shelter known as the Vorbunker and completed in 1936.

FYI, the East Wing of the White House torn down also had an underground bunker built in. Trump’s new ballroom will also include a much larger bunker and the total price for the project has increased to $300 million (due to tariffs) to be paid by so-called (billionaire) patriots who have government contracts in the billions of dollars. Can you say quid pro quo?

In October 2024, reports emerged from interviews given by retired Marine general John Kelly, who served as Trump's longest-serving White House Chief of Staff.

Praise for Hitler: Kelly claimed to The New York Times that Trump "commented more than once" that "Hitler did some good things, too".

Admiring generals: Kelly also told The Atlantic that during a 2020 conversation, Trump expressed admiration for the loyalty of Hitler's generals, saying, "I need the kind of generals that Hitler had".

Fascist tendencies: Kelly described Trump as having authoritarian tendencies, admiring dictators, and fitting the general definition of a fascist.

A new much larger Reich Chancellery was built from 1938 to 1939 by architect Alber Speer. The new building was called the New Reich Chancellery.

Sources: World War II Database
WIKIPEDIA

GARCIA, A WW II MEDAL OF HONOR WINNER, WAS DENIED SERVICE WHEN HE RETURNED HOME TO TEXAS

Wikipedia

Staff Sergeant Marcario García, also known as Macario García (January 20, 1920 – December 24, 1972) was the first Mexican American immigrant to receive the U.S. Congressional, the United States' highest military decoration. He received the award for his heroic actions as a soldier during World War II.

Early years

García was born in Villa de Castaños, Mexico in the state of Coahuila, one of ten children born to destitute farm workers. In 1923, Garcia's family immigrated to the United States in search of a better way of life. They eventually settled in Sugar Land, Texas, where he worked alongside his parents as a cotton farmer.

Upon the outbreak of World War II, Garcia joined the United States Army at a recruiting station in his adopted hometown in November 1942. He was assigned to Company B, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. 

World War II Service

Garcia participated in, and was wounded during, the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944. Awarded the Purple Heart, he soon returned to duty where he later earned the Bronze Star. On November 27, 1944, García was an acting squad leader in his platoon, which found itself engaged in combat against the German troops in the vicinity of Grosshau, Germany. 

Realizing that his company could not advance because it was pinned down by enemy machine gun fire fire, Garcia, on his own initiative, went ahead alone, destroying two enemy emplacements and capturing four prisoners. Despite being wounded himself, he continued to fight on with his unit until the objective was taken.

"Only then did he permit himself to be removed for medical care," his Medal of Honor citation states. In an interview with the Houston Chronicle several years later, Garcia said: "I did not know the wound was so serious. I was numb, I think, and besides, we were moving forward, and it was not the time to stop." 

Captain Tony Bizzarro, B  company commander, made the initial recommendation for the Medal of Honor. He thought Garcia was nothing less than the best soldier in the Army. "He was always willing to do anything he was asked to do," Bizzarro later told the Chronicle.

Honors and Discrimination

On August 23, 1945, the President of the United States, Harry S. Truman presented Staff Sergeant García with the Medal of Honor at a ceremony in the White House. Shortly afterward, his native land of Mexico awarded him the Mérito Militar,  one of the highest awards in the Mexican Army, for valor.

A month after he was awarded the Medal of Honor, Garcia was denied service at a restaurant located in a town just a few miles south of Houston because he was Hispanic. Garcia was beaten with a bat by the owner. No one was arrested and no charges were initially filed. 

It was only after national columnist Walter Winchell reported the incident and labeled Sugar Land the most racist city in America that charges were filed – against Garcia. Then the incident was covered by the news media, and caused an uproar amongst the Mexican community who rallied to his aid. The nation was made aware as to the discriminatory policies that Mexican-Americans were subject to, as the case against Garcia was repeatedly postponed before being dropped.

Later Years

García became an American citizen on June 25, 1947, and earned a high school diploma in 1951. On May 18, 1952, he married Alicia Reyes with whom he had three children. For twenty-five years he worked as a counselor in the Veterans' Administration.

On the evening of November 21, 1963, Marcario García greeted President John F. Kennedy at the door of the Rice Ballroom in Houston Texas. The ballroom was filled with a diverse crowd of attendees that included Hispanic World War II veterans, Civil Rights advocates and future political activists. The president spoke of U.S. and Latin American Foreign Policy and the importance of recognition and acknowledgement of Hispanic organizations like the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).

Speaking in fluent Spanish, Mrs. Kennedy offered words of inspiration and encouragement. The day after this meeting Kennedy was assassinated.

García died on December 24, 1972, from injuries which he received in a car accident. He was buried with full military honors in the Houston National Cemetery in Houston, Texas. The local government of Houston honored his memory by naming a middle school after him as well as renaming part of 69th Street in Houston "S/SGT Marcario García Street". 

In 1983 Vice President George Bush dedicated Houston's new Macario García Army Reserve Center, and in 1994 Macario Garcia Middle School of the Fort Bend Independent School District in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas, near Sugar Land, was named in García's honor.

On November 11 2021, a mural by artist Mez Data, was unveiled and dedicated along an exterior wall of Houston Fire Station #20, which is along S/Sgt. Macario Garcia Drive at Navigation Boulevard.

REPORT: IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN CRATERING TEXAS JOB GROWTH

 

By Sanford Nowlin
San Antonio Current

The Trump administration’s intensifying immigration crackdown led to to Texas reporting its worst job-growth numbers since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, new research by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas shows.

One in five Texas businesses reported that they’re having a hard time hiring and keeping foreign-born workers in the wake of the White House’s policies, according to the Dallas Fed's latest Texas Business Outlook Survey. Further, 13 percent said they’re experiencing a “negative impact” from the federal crackdown.

Indeed, Texas’ job growth so far this year plummeted to 1.2 percent, its lowest rate since 2020, when the pandemic shut down much of the economy, Dallas Fed economists found. This year’s job growth also is first time since at least 2018 that the state has dropped below its long-run trend rate of about 2 percent.

“Since the immigration enforcement changes began in mid-2024, U.S. and Texas job growth have fallen well below their respective long-run trends,” the report states. “Given the decline in immigration inflows, increase in arrests and removals of immigrants already here and the chilling effect, labor supply is clearly being affected.”

The negative impact on Texas businesses is likely underrepresented in the numbers since the Dallas Fed survey doesn’t include some of the sectors most dependent on immigrant labor, namely construction and agriculture, according to the report.

Further, fear spread in immigrant communities by the administration’s increasingly aggressive enforcement actions has also harmed Texas businesses in other ways, the document states.

“[We have experienced] reduced sales to foreign-born customers, and customer counts [have been] down periodically due to raids by ICE in the area,” one retailer said in the survey.

While employers could offset some of the labor problems with automation and AI, the Dallas Fed cautions that neither can completely make up the difference. That’s especially the case because, by 2031, all U.S. population growth is expected to come from immigration.

“Hence, when officials set immigration policy, they may also be setting the speed limit for the economy,” the report states.

U.S. HATE YOU, U.S. HATE YOU NOT...U.S. HATE YOU, U.S. HATE YOU NOT

 

Being Liberal: The White House/GOP-led effort to demonize No Kings rallies is an abysmal failure.

Hating America is in fact, saying our people are TERRORISTS and CRIMINALS while locking up innocent people, so they’ll be less people to vote against them; less people to fight against them if it comes to that. 

KKK Karoline Leavitt and Speaker Milk-it Johnson made this moronic statement to America and the world. They made complete MAGA morons out of themselves. I won’t be dropping this fact!
👑 ALL, WHO PARTICIPATE AT THE NO KING’S PROTEST, ARE THE TRUE PATRIOTS. YOU’RE ALL HEROS, THE USA AND THE WORLD THANKS YOU!
🚘 Thank Tramp for these average prices! This is per Kelly Bluebook, the average cost of a new car is $50,000!
⏰ IT’S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME DONALD! These women deserve justice now! Meanwhile, Maxwell is getting steak dinners and exercising in luxury! 47 did that for her, just a few weeks ago.
🗳️ POLLS SAY IT’S TIME TO GO

🩺 The Republicans explicitly want to raise the cost of healthcare for millions of us. They are delaying a vote on releasing the full Epstein files. Remember, they have been trying to lie to us about it all.
💙 Keep being strong, be safe.

LOW EARLY VOTING TURNOUT MADE WORSE BY PRIVATE SCHOOL FUNCTION

(Ed.'s Note: It's bad enough that the turnout in Brownsville had been less than 1,000 votes in the first three days days, but a function for the private Kenmont Montessori school behind the main library - the busiest voting site for local elections - made access to the site virtually impossible for potential voters. 

A voting clerk said that when they arrived to open the polls the rear library  parking lot facing the school was already packed.

"Im sure some votes were discouraged and left when they couldn't find parking because of the event over there," she said.

A cursory drive around a two-block area from Central Blvd., N. Coria Street, and Wildrose Lane showed that the area was clogged with traffic from parents and relatives of the private school students who were attending the function. Ironically, there are two bond propositions for improvements in the Brownsville Independent School District which may be adversely affected by the lack of voting access to the site.)

ITS' GETTING SO WE KNOW IT'S A LIE, BUT ABOUT PAR FOR TRUMP

“It won’t interfere with the current building,” he said in July. “It’ll be near it but not touching it — and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of.”

AFTER THREE DAYS OF EARLY VOTING, JUST A BIT OVER 1,000 VOTES

MADAME DEFARGE HAD NOTHING ON DONALD'S TANGLED WEB...

WHAT EXTRAORDINARY ABILITY? SHE CAN'T EVEN SPEAK ENGLISH

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Melania Trump obtained US citizenship on a visa reserved for immigrants with “extraordinary ability” and “sustained national and international acclaim”, according to a report in the Washington Post.

Nicknamed the “Einstein Visa”, the EB-1 is in theory reserved for people who are highly acclaimed in their field - the government cites Pulitzer, Oscar, and Olympic winners as examples - as well as respected academic researchers and multinational executives.

Mrs Trump began applying for the visa in 2000, when she was Melania Knauss, a Slovenian model working in New York and dating Donald Trump. She was approved in 2001, one of just five people from Slovenia to win the coveted visa that year, according to the Post.

Becoming a citizen in 2006 gave her the right to sponsor her parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, who are now in the US and in the process of applying for citizenship.

The reports of how Mrs Trump obtained her EB-1 visa will rankle with some, at a time when her husband is railing against immigrants and attempting to scrap the right of new citizens to sponsor family members. And questions have been raised about her suitability for the extraordinary ability category.

IMMIGRANTS DO JOBS AMERICANS AREN'T WILLILNG TO DO

 

ACCORDING TO VANCE, THE SWAZTIKA AND LOVE OF HITLER IS JUST "A KID'S PRANK."

In the office of U.S. MAGA Congressman Dave Taylor, an American flag was found altered to display a swastika — seen behind a staffer during a zoom meeting.
Whether a sick prank or something worse, this is not a minor incident. We know where hate symbols lead. We’ve seen democracies fall to silence and complicity before. We will never normalize Nazi imagery — not in parliaments, not in politics, not ever.

HELEN RAMIREZ LEAVES: DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU ON THE WAY OUT

 By Juan Montoya

Sources in the City of Brownsville have notified us that city manager Helen Ramirez has given notice that she will be leaving her position citing her need to attend to her husband's illness and convalescence.

We, of course, wish him well, and thank Helen for her, ahem, service. She was expected to make her announcement Tuesday and her last day will be December 19.

“My family needs me to be more present in their lives. And so that’s why I’ve taken this difficult decision, but it’s the right decision for me and my family,” Ramirez told ValleyCentral. “I know that the city will continue to have the momentum that they have to continue to be successful in everything that we’ve accomplished.”

But we would be untruthful if we didn't say that she has long ago worn out her welcome here after former city manager Noel Bernal brought her in to become part of his managerial team. 

Each of these assistant city managers pulled salaries exceeding $100,000, with Ramirez closing in on $300,000. The salary schedule below demonstrates how this gang of well-paid underachievers has been rewarded for their mediocrity. Missing in this list is Doroteo Garcia and Alan Gard, two other assistant managers commanding a $100,000 (plus) salary.  

Just like her predecessor Noel Bernal had the "Total Alignment" buzzword, Ramirez came up with her "One City" slogan.

But if you scrutinize her "successes" and "achievements" you will see that she oversaw a series of boondoggles which costs the city taxpayers millions in cost overruns. Take for example, the process by which the Brownsville Market and Communications (the Ministry of Truth) facility near the old Casa del Nylon was built. There was only one bid considered, the same guy who got the E-Bridge gig. Normally, such a facility would cost between $20 to $30 per square foot. Ours cost was about $462 per square foot.

It has now become a de facto propaganda machine to boost the political images of Mayor John Cowen, La Chisquiada Rose Gowen (now overseeing the $5.5

million annual BCIC budget), and pet projects of other commissioners. How many Coffees With the Mayor can Cowen's kidneys endure? Another COB production brought to you by the House of Smoke and Mirrors.

The same goes for the Capital Improvement Projects spending from the 2017-2022 period with monies obtained through the issuance of bonds. Most of the projects were overspent and some of the monies earmarked for some projects were never started.

And shall we mention the Wellness Crowd's Cannery building to feed the famished silk-stocking cyclists along Linear Park? That project has had two general contractors, both of who failed miserably and the change orders have bloated the project's budget and have been routinely approved by an inept  management and a docile city commission.

And what about Helen's reign at the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation where Cowen directed her to have some "quick successes" after he and Nurith Galonsky ran off and bought out former GBIC director Mario Losoya with a $700,000 golden parachute?

Remember these "successes?"

Under her, GBIC negotiated with companies (9Point8 Capital) which bilked the city and resulted in non-compliance with their contractual obligations. On September 29, 2021, 9Point8 Capital agreed with the city that for $1 million it would perform a number of tasks related to bringing space-related industries, including bringing in $10 million in taxable assets within the city limits of Brownsville.

On January 6, 2023, after the city attorney and the city auditor determined that the company was in non-compliance, they ordered that an audit be performed to discover what went wrong with the venture between  it and the GBIC.

The audit was performed by City Auditor Keilah Folkerstma, Deputy City Auditor Jose Luis Silva, and Assistant City Auditor Daniela G. Gonzalez.  The compliance audit was completed on May 19, 2023.

But by then, the company had been paid two payments of $250,000, one in October 5, 2021 and the other April 21, 2022.

 The auditors reported that the agreement between 9Point8 Capital was signed by founder J. Brant Arseneau and then-GBIC Director and CEO Ramirez. In the agreement, the company claimed that 9Point8 Capital was a New York based corporation authorized to do business in the State of Texas. It turned out not to be true, but Helen didn't bother to check being too much in a hurry to have some "quick successes."

The $1 million was to be paid in 4 increments of $250,000 with the first payment within 5 days of the effective (signature) date then one at 6 months, one at 12 months, and the final at 18 months of a 3-year agreement.

In other words, the GBIC and Ramirez agreed that the company was going to get full payment of the $1 million halfway through the length of the contract.

Under that agreement, the auditors reported that 9Point8 Capital, an advisory company, was supposed to create local employment (20 full time equivalent jobs – 15 back office and 5 hatchery jobs), create a business “hatchery” to help startups find funding, fund space program scholarships at University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), and bring capital investment for space startups within the city limits of Brownsville.

The original terms for payment were to be $1,000,000 in incentives, paid $250,000 every 6 months for two years per the original term sheet. The agreement with 9Point8 Capital was signed September 29, 2021, just two months after the proposal was sent to the City and 10 months after the City’s 380 agreement with Spaced Ventures, Inc. Per information given to the GBIC board, the entity was also supposed to bring in taxable business personal property valued at $10 million to within the city limits of Brownsville.

On January 6, 2023, the city auditor informed the city's  Audit and Oversight Committee that the company failed to deliver the services it had promised and had been paid two payment of $250,000 each, and recommended that a compliance  audit be performed on the agreement. The committee agreed.

Auditors found that the rapid pace at which the agreement was proposed and approved was breathtaking. The proposal was made to the city on July 23, 2021, the term sheet signed on August 6, 2021, and the final agreement signed September 29. The first $250,000 payment was made five days later on October 5, 2021 before any work had been performed for the city. Six months later, they got another quarter mill. Nothing ever materialized and good luck on getting the cash back.

After that glowing performance, she was rewarded by being named interim city manager and - after the spending of thousands of dollars for a perfunctory nationwide search to appease the peasants - she was named city manager when they had chosen her all along. 

Quick and dirty. Yeah, that's the ticket. And after dishing out half a million for nothing, how many local jobs were created? O

And when the city commission appoints someone as "interim" (say Sauceda or Garcia, and Gard), will we see the same dog-and-pony show of a nationwide search for one of them to be appointed after spending all that money again? Remember that Gard came from Ana, Texas, a metropolis of  29,000 people. Garcia is a civil engineer.

(Last time we had cops as city managers - Andy Vega and Charlie Cabler - they turned out to be, ahem, urban planning "challenged," for lack of a more charitable term. Will lightning strike in the same place a third time?)

We could go on and on...Whenever there was a public event, it usually was the Helen and Minions show with elected officials taking  a back seat to the little queen hogging the spotlight. 

But that's water under the bridge, and with Ramirez leaving, hopefully all this will dissipate like a bad dream. 

MEET THE LOYAL OPPOSITION TO BISD'S SCHOOL BOND ISSUE

WHERE TO VOTE "YES" DURING EARLY VOTING IN BROWNSVILLE:

GUESS WHO STARTED ALL THIS? YOU HAVE MET THE ENEMY AND IT IS YOU!

TAX DODGER BISD TRUSTEE MINERVA PENA DELINQUENT SINCE 2023

By Juan Montoya

Brownsville Independent School District trustee Minerva Peña - one of two vocal opponents on the board against the passage of bonds in this election - owes more than $73,000 in delinquent and current taxes, according to public records obtained by El Rrun-Rrun.

A search of records of the Cameron County Appraisal District and the Cameron County Tax Assessor and Collector's Office under the names of Guadalupe and Minerva Peña show that at last five accounts - including the couple's homestead at 3201 Coffee Port Road - have been delinquent for 2023 and 2024, and that this year's 2025 taxes also remain unpaid.

Some of the properties are listed under Guadalupe Peña and Peña's Wrecker Service at 195 N. Iowa Ave.

The amounts include penalties, attorneys' fees, and special interest charges on the properties.

This year's tax statements have been mailed to county residents and the current (2025) tax bill for the couple is included in the $73,000 figure.

Peña, who never tires of reciting to anyone within earshot that she was a member of the Porter H.S. Belles, her former employment as a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper, her late father's military service, and pious, evangelical platitudes about her religious beliefs, has repeatedly (ad nauseam) claimed she is there to defend the interests of the "little people" in the district.

But if she was really concerned about the poor taxpayers of the district, she wouldn't pass the burden of taxation to other district residents while shirking off her own responsibilities to pay her own taxes.

"Maybe if she paid her taxes BISD wouldn't have to go for a bond issue," wrote a commenter to this blog 

El Rrun-Rrun has learned that Peña has been trying to negotiate with the tax office and the delinquent-tax attorneys for the City of Brownsville Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP to reach a payment agreement, but as of late Friday, no agreement had been confirmed.

When reached for comment Cameron County Tax Assessor-Collector Eddie Garcia said his office is always open for taxpayers to make payment arrangements, but that up to now, the Peñas have not inked one with the county.

"Our office is always open for everyone, no matter who they are they are all treated the same," Garcia said. "We treat everyone the same. There is no 'special' treatment for anyone." 

As far as court records show, also as of late Friday, there have been no tax-delinquent case filed against the couple by Linebarger or by the BISD tax-delinquent company Perdue Brandon Fielder Collins Mott LLP.

The tax entities which the Peñas have stiffed for the last two years include the BISD, South Texas ISD, the City of Brownsville, Brownsville Navigation District, Cameron County, Drainage District #1, and Texas Southmost College.

TAKE CONTROL: A "YES" ON BISD BONDS IS AN INVESTMENT IN OUR KIDS' FUTURE

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Nearly 20 years ago, the residents of the Brownsville Independent School District were asked to invest $135 million to provide our children with four additional new schools and construct and upgrade wing additions and renovations at seven campuses.

There were also HVAC and fire alarm system upgrades in the bonds package and included Americans with Disability Acts improvements for our disabled children as well as reroofing projects and parking lot expansions and repairs.

Our district residents said "yes" back then and our district and its students were the winners.

The students who attended those new schools and improved campuses have graduated by now, and it's our turn to step up to the plate and provide our coming generations with improvements in at least 39 campuses that have been identified by our fellow district residents in need of structural repairs. We are not building new schools, but rather improving the ones that already exist.

Our district has 50 schools, 34,350 students, and our 5,543 full-time staff in our district that covers 90 square miles, the largest school district in the Rio Grande Valley. Over the years, past generations have taken matters into their own hands and provided their support to educate our children. It's our turn to roll up our sleeves and do our part.

No one can argue that our district boards across the last 20 years have not been fiscally responsible and provided responsible financial stewardship. In fact, our financial advisors have asserted that their performance in whittling down that debt has resulted in savings on interest cost to our district taxpayers.  

That responsible performance has resulted in the early retirement of the original debt with no tax increases. It has reduced its debt ahead of schedule and it will now cost less to address financial borrowing to make the proposed district-wide improvements. 

Today, our fellow residents of the district – through the Citizens Facilities Committee – spent months analyzing the needs of the students and district facilities and proposed another bond issue to be implemented over five years that will bring critical improvements to 39 campuses. Making these improvements, they said, will ensure safe, modern environments for our next generation of students.

Want our district to be a showcase for our students' talent? Build them a performing arts center we can all be proud of.

The committee members recommended moving forward with another bond issue that will be voted upon this coming November 4 in two propositions. Just as our parents did 20 years ago, the members of the committee have taken matters into their own hands and stepped up to the plate to recommend these needed improvements.

It is now up to us to take control and support our next generations as those before us did to provide our children with safe, modern learning environments. Please vote "yes" on Props A and B this November. It's our turn to take control and get 'er done.

EARLY VOTING STARTS TODAY: A GUIDE TO STATE PROPOSITIONS

 

VANCE'S DRIVEL OVER MAGA RACIST NAZIS: KIDS WILL BE KIDS

ICE PREEMPTS POTENTIAL PRODUCE PICKING, CLEANING HOUSES AND TAKING CARE OF YOUR CHILDREN

BROWNSVILLE JOINS NATIONWIDE NO KINGS PROTESTS