PRESIDIO, OJINAGA – For many border residents, crossing back and forth between the United States and Mexico has become a daily routine. With the inevitability of globalization shaping lives and businesses, it’s all too easy to forget about international borders. That is, of course, until you’ve spent two hours or more in ...]]> By ALBERTO TOMAS HALPERN

PRESIDIO, OJINAGA – For many border residents, crossing back and forth between the United States and Mexico has become a daily routine. With the inevitability of globalization shaping lives and businesses, it’s all too easy to forget about international borders. That is, of course, until you’ve spent two hours or more in 100-plus degree temperatures in mid-July waiting to cross from one country to the other.

That, area border residents and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials hope, will be a thing of the past.

“The wait times have reduced,” Presidio CBP Port Director David Lambrix said this week of his port. Lambrix, who has held his port director post in Presidio briefly, said that reducing northbound wait times was a priority when taking the position. Lambrix evaluated how and what CBP was doing to decrease wait times for U.S. bound traffic.

“I rearranged how they managed the workload and traffic flow,” he said of CBP officers.

Lambrix said the key to reducing the wait time is to study historical data and timing the opening of lanes to expedite traffic flows. He has put efforts in place to train his management team on when and how to open more lanes and at what times. The result he says: “It’s reduced (wait times) dramatically.”

Lambrix hopes to have more officers at his port in the future, as well as other mechanisms that he couldn’t go into detail for security reasons.

Using historical data helps CBP officers estimate time frames for opening multiple lanes and calculate how long to keep them open.

“If you look at the workload and staff accordingly, you can minimize waits,” he said.

City of Presidio economic development and tourism guru Brad Newton welcomed the news of decreased border waits to enter his city. “We’re very pleased with it, especially to get commerce between the towns,” Newton said from City Hall.

He said hours-long waits to enter Presidio severely hurts local businesses, with people ultimately avoiding to cross when they see a line snake between the two countries. “It’s human nature to avoid a long wait,” he said, but with shorter wait times, “the avoidance to come to Presidio to shop is removed.”

U.S. bound vehicles wait in line at the Presidio port of entry in this June 2010 file photo. (photo by ALBERTO TOMAS HALPERN)

Newton praised Lambrix for his efforts to reduce that wait. “The big thing is that Mr. Lambrix is very big on commerce and trade.”

For H. Cowan, a spokesperson and consultant for Solitaire Homes in Presidio and Ojinaga, a leader in manufactured and mobile home construction, the old adage that “time is money,” still rings true and cannot be overstated.

Solitaire Homes, which has an assembly plant in Ojinaga as well as operations in Presidio, and like many Presidio and Ojinaga businesses, is at the mercy of the border.

Cowan also hailed Lambrix as someone who gives serious consideration to cross-border trade and its impact on the Presidio/Ojinaga border zone. Having a port director with that mentality, Cowan says, “ultimately helps economies on both sides of the river.”

While Cowan agrees that he has seen wait times for U.S. bound passenger vehicles decrease, his concern lies with cargo traffic in both directions.

Northbound cargo traffic waits have decreased to a certain extent Cowan says, but, “I have a little bit of difficulty with our southbound material.” Solitaire transports oversized cargo loads on trucks each day in both directions, which have to be inspected by U.S. Customs as well as the Mexican Aduana.

Cowan says he’s working with U.S. and Mexican officials to expedite cargo traffic. “I do have a little concern that some days take longer.”

According to Lambrix, there are three passenger lanes, one commercial lane and one oversized commercial lane at the Presidio port.

Cowan says that upon smoothing out the cargo wait times and infrastructure issues on both sides of the border, Solitaire hopes to construct another assembly plant in Ojinaga.

“For us, we want to build a second factory and employee 200 more workers and double our economic impact,” Cowan said. “We would be building the plant right now had those modifications been in place.”

The increase in output for Solitaire would create more jobs in Presidio, too, Cowan added.

Omar Cabello, manager of the AutoZone in Presidio, said wait times at the port of entry have a direct impact on his business, much of which comes from Mexico.

“Basically, when the wait time is more than an hour or two, they don’t want to come and pick up (car) parts.”

Cabello says that large portions of their clients are from Ojinaga, Camargo, Parral, Ciudad Chihuahua, and smaller ranches in nearby Mexico.

As to a noticeable difference in wait times, Cabello says, “For the past three weeks we’ve had an increase in customers. I have noticed some change and I’m sure it’s got to do with the wait times.”

Back at the port, Lambrix had some advice for American and Mexican citizens crossing into the U.S.: have your documents ready to present to Customs officers.

He added that Mexican citizens who know months or weeks in advance that they will be travelling into the U.S., to come in early to fill out their I-94 Form.

“It helps reduce time. If they have all documents ready, it makes it go by so much smoother. That makes a big, big difference.”

Lambrix has said that he has an open-door policy and is open to any ideas or suggestions from the public to make cross-border traffic more efficient.

As for Cowan and Solitaire, they are moving as quickly as possible with discussions as to how to speed up cargo traffic, which he says has a direct impact on Presidio.

“There’s probably $20,000 a week they are putting in their pockets,” Cowan said of Solitaire employees in Ojinaga. “Most find themselves in Presidio going to shop.”

He’s ready to get moving on the new facility and double Solitaire’s economic impact. “We’ll grow on both sides.”

You can see estimated wait times for U.S. bound traffic at all U.S./Mexico and U.S./Canada land ports by visiting CBP’s website.

At 8am on Tuesday, the wait to enter Presidio was five minutes, at 2pm it was 10 minutes, and at 3pm it was back down to five minutes according to the website.

PRESIDIO, OJINAGA – Cattle crossing has been a high economic contributor to the Presidio, Texas and Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico communities for nearly 80 years. The ports of entry are the oldest cattle import location in the United States and are currently the only direct entrance from the ...]]> By JEFF MATHEIS, JOHN DANIEL GARCIA, ALBERTO TOMAS HALPERN

PRESIDIO, OJINAGA – Cattle crossing has been a high economic contributor to the Presidio, Texas and Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico communities for nearly 80 years. The ports of entry are the oldest cattle import location in the United States and are currently the only direct entrance from the beef-rich state of Chihuahua.

But a recent United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) policy change has cattlemen on both sides of the border rattled.

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) stopped sending inspectors to the Ojinaga veterinary cattle inspection facility on August 15. A temporary USDA facility in Presidio was opened October 2.

Salvador Baeza makes his way to the Union Ganadera in Ojinaga to meet with fellow cattlemen early one morning. (photos by ALBERTO HALPERN)

Previously, inspectors crossed the border from Presidio to Ojinaga to perform inspections. The move of the Ojinaga inspection facility into stateside Presidio followed the 2010 inspection port stateside moves at ports of entry in Eagle Pass, Laredo, and Pharr. USDA officials have cited security concerns as the reason for making the policy move.

“We work very closely with the U.S. Department of State to make decisions about closing facilities, and we do not make these decisions lightly. They are made with the safety and security of our employees in mind,” said APHIS media coordinator Lyndsay Cole.

“The facility in Ojinaga was closed August 15 due to repeated security concerns, local violence and information we received from the State Department. Because we recognize the critical importance of cattle trade to communities along the border, we took immediate steps to redirect cattle to other facilities in the area, and we also began construction of a temporary facility in Presidio,” she continued.

Some residents and business people on both sides of the border believe that the safety concerns are not valid for Ojinaga. To many, frustration with the security assessment is amplified by the negative economic impact.

Jess Burner Jr., operator of Presidio Stock Yards, said he does not believe that the individual veterinary inspectors fear for their safety, or should.

“We have not seen the violence,” Burner said of the level of drug cartel-related violence in Ojinaga as compared to other Mexican cities.

If offered, “they would go back this afternoon,” he said, referring to USDA inspectors who work in the area. Burner says he understands that some level of violence does exist and that safety should be taken into consideration for USDA inspectors.

“We don’t want to see anybody hurt or put in danger,” he said, though he does believe Ojinaga is much safer than other Mexican border cities. “We are blessed because of our remoteness.”

Baeza stands in the empty cattle inspection area at the OJinaga stockyard. USDA inspectors no longer use the large facility to inspect U.S. bound cattle from Mexico, a fact that Baeza laments.

The job is much harder for the veterinary inspectors at the Presidio location than at the Ojinaga inspection site, according to Burner. “They don’t have the manpower.” Burner said that the Ojinaga facility had about 40 employees backed up by a support team.

“At the Presidio facility, they have to do everything themselves,” he added.

Local USDA veterinarians, both active and retired, contacted for this story would not speak about the location change.

Presidio resident Salvador Baeza of Baeza Cattle Co., said that at the Ojinaga station, only one stop was necessary for cattle transportation. Now, importing cattle involves loading and unloading the cattle several times. The Presidio inspection facility is not heated or air-conditioned as the Ojinaga facility is. These delays and added stressors result in cattle shrinkage.

Father and son cattlemen Arturo Hernandez Attolini senior and junior have been exporting cattle through the Presidio and Ojinaga ports from their El Oasis Ranch for 30 years. Their ranch is about an hour and a half south of Ojinaga.

On Tuesday, November 27, the 70 head of cattle they were carrying had been kept in Ojinaga since the previous day. When reached after crossing, Attolini Jr. said that the Presidio facility is slower, smaller and in worse condition than the Ojinaga facility. The resulting delay brought a five percent decrease in cattle weight, costing the cattlemen $2,400. Attolini said that if conditions don’t improve, the father and son will have to consider taking their cattle to the much-longer route to the Santa Teresa, New Mexico port of entry in the future.

Attolini said that he comes to the Presidio/Ojinaga port about once every two weeks and has never felt any threat of violence.

Dr. Jesus Baca, who oversees the stockyard in Ojinaga as administrator of the Union Ganadera Regional de Chihuahua (UGRCH), said he has had to let go of 20 of his 50 employees. “That’s 20 families that don’t get to eat,” he said. He expects to lose five more. Baca said that he would expect to take back all of the employees if USDA inspectors returned to the Ojinaga facility.

When asked if the workers who were released from their employment had found more work, Dr. Baca responded with a shrug of his shoulders. Baeza, who also had to let go of two workers in his stockyard, interjected, “We have no real way of knowing if they have found more work,” he said, acknowledging that young men without work might turn to the drug trade. “Sometimes even a good, hardworking man with children to feed will get desperate. And they wonder why they sell drugs. That’s how it is around here.”

The massive area at the Union Ganadera in Ojinaga where inspected cattle used to be held now sits starkly empty.

Presidio businessman Mario Nieto of M. Nieto Dept. Store in Presidio, expressed concern about the economic impact that occurs when cattle imports are stalled at the border. “I sell a lot of ranch supplies and a lot of veterinarian supplies. This time of year, that’s our bread and butter,” he said.

According to APHIS spokesperson Cole, in the three weeks since The International, The Big Bend Sentinel and BigBendNow began investigating this matter, the Presidio inspection facility has undergone several logistical improvements. Previously, cattle were not entered into the facility if they would be there overnight because they could not be fed. The facility now has the capacity to feed overnight. The facility has installed an improved, permanent cattle-dipping tick-eradication vat, replacing a lesser temporary vat. APHIS has hired three new employees to help push the cattle through. The workday is now starting earlier, as well, according to Cole, to address the time zone issue between Presidio and Ojinaga.

Records show a marked drop in head of cattle passing through the Presidio facility.

Ana Laura Miramontes Rohana of The Union Ganadera Regional de Chihuahua (UGRCH), sent statistics showing that a total of 25,445 head of cattle crossed in the months of September, October and November of this year, compared to a total of 51,246 for the same months in 2011 and 61,821 for the same months in 2010.

Cole states that the logistical improvements have had an immediate impact. The Presidio port passed 3,114 head of cattle between December 3 and 7.

She notes that only 1,000 to 2,000 had been passing in recent weeks.

When contacted Friday about the facility improvements, Burner said, “I’m definitely pleased with those changes. I think we are headed in the right direction.” He did express a desire for further improvements and maintained his confusion at the relocation. “It’s definitely better than it was. If they keep hiring help, it won’t be as good as it was before, but it will be something that we can live with.” He said that there are still problems. “Yesterday they cancelled 300 lot of cattle. They are making those cattle hold over until Monday. We had all those cattle on the list for export. We had three trucks that came from Amarillo. I think [the trucks] left here to go back to Amarillo. It’s part of doing business, but it sure is aggravating and expensive.”

Part of the dismay with the security assessment stems from the fact that USDA inspectors are allowed to enter Mexico from the Santa Teresa, New Mexico port for cattle inspections.

The cattle that haven’t been crossing at Presidio need to cross somewhere, and Burner, Baeza, and Baca say that business is being lost to Santa Teresa. They add that they don’t believe the Santa Teresa port, which is so close to Ciudad Juarez and where 50,000 cartel-related deaths have occurred the past few years, is any safer than the Presidio/Ojinaga border zone.

Salvador Baeza, left, and Dr. Jesus Baca, right, walk in front of the inspection zone at the OJinaga stockyard. It now sits empty.

According to Cole, inspectors have a shorter distance in Mexico to travel from the U.S. side of the Santa Teresa crossing, 1.5 miles to the inspection facility as opposed to the 3.5 miles to the inspection facility in Ojinaga from Presidio.

But Baeza and Burner said that there is something more sinister at play. They allege that Edward Avalos, the Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs at the USDA, and a New Mexico native and former New Mexico Department of Agriculture employee, has diverted cattle traffic away from Texas ports toward New Mexico ports for purely political reasons.

“Our enemy is in Washington, not in Ojinaga,” Burner said, raising his criticism of Avalos. Avalos could not be reached for comment.

Cole did respond to the allegations made against Avalos though, saying, “Unfortunately, I don’t have any additional information beyond what I have already provided. As I’ve said, decisions to close various ports are made with the safety of our employees in mind.”

In another communication from Cole regarding the security situation between the ports in Presidio and Santa Teresa, she responded, “I can’t get into the specifics of security assessments at the two facilities, but I can tell you that there are differences between them. We continually monitor the situation at all of our facilities and make decisions accordingly. Since 2010, every time we have received information about risks to our employees at a particular facility, we have taken immediate steps to close the facility while a security assessment could be performed. Operations have only resumed once a security assessment reflected it was safe, which in some cases meant relocating facilities to temporary sites with the U.S.”

When asked if there are any indicators or any timeline for allowing USDA inspectors to resume work at the Ojinaga facility, Cole stated, “We don’t have a timeline to determine that but we are working to determine those solutions.”

Presidio businessman Carlos Nieto, brother to Mario Nieto, has taken the complex issue to the highest level of the Mexican government. Nieto has formed a coalition of livestock brokers and businessmen in Presidio and Ojinaga to raise awareness of the economic impact the removal of USDA inspectors in Ojinaga has had on not only Presidio and Ojinaga, but in the entire tri-county area. Nieto, Baeza, and Burner have also reached out to Congressmen Francisco Canseco and Sylvester Reyes. However, neither congressman will return to Washington in January as both were defeated by political opponents this year.

The smaller USDA inspection facility in Presidio.

“This has been our way of life here for over 80 years,” said Nieto. “If we lose our revenue stream from the cattle, it will be lost forever.”

Nieto also emphasized the unemployment on both sides of the border if the head count of the cattle continues to decline.

“The whole area is impacted,” Nieto said, “trucking, gas stations, hay producers, they all have a stake with the ranchers bringing their cattle through our port. We’ve had four or five generations of ranchers that have used the Presidio port. They like it here. It’s easy to get around; they know where the stockyards are, they know where to get the supplies they need. It’s also closer to a lot of them than Santa Teresa.”

The two cattlemen, Baeza and Burner, hope to see things go back to the way things were so they can continue to operate their small, but successful businesses.

There is a fear that exists. The fear that a centuries old identity shared between Texas and Chihuahua vaqueros may soon become extinct. The modern cowboy/vaquero identity is still alive in Baeza, Burner, Baca, and the Attolini father and son. They may be from different countries, but they speak each other’s language; they wear the same cowboy boots, and straw hats. The difference between Texas cowboys and Chihuahua vaqueros are far and few between. The only thing that separates the two is an international border, but their concerns for their families and livelihoods are shared.

Speaking to the security of Presidio and Ojinaga, Burner reiterated that he doesn’t want to put USDA inspectors in harm’s way, but stressed that Far West Texas and northern Chihuahua are as safe as can be.

“Where there is a legitimate security problem, shut it down,” Burner said.

“But don’t lie to us,” said Baeza.

PRESIDIO – Presidio’s new port of entry director may be a 25-year veteran of the U.S. Customs Service (now U.S. Customs and Border Protection), having served both on the northern and southern borders of the United States, at the port city of Houston, at headquarters in Washington, DC, and as an instructor at ...]]> By ROBERT HALPERN

PRESIDIO – Presidio’s new port of entry director may be a 25-year veteran of the U.S. Customs Service (now U.S. Customs and Border Protection), having served both on the northern and southern borders of the United States, at the port city of Houston, at headquarters in Washington, DC, and as an instructor at the agency’s academy, but David Lambrix is a man who doesn’t rest on his laurels.

“You’ll see me outside at my port. I don’t sit in my office,” Lambrix told a small gathering of residents who welcomed him to town at a “meet and greet” gathering at the Presidio Activity Center on Tuesday.

It’s sometimes the case that a federal officer is banished to remote posts like Presidio, but Lambrix said, “I chose this station,” in part because of the excellence of the Presidio school system. Three of his five children are now Presidio students.

His other children, with his wife of 35 years, are grown and live elsewhere.

From left, Presidio port of entry diretor David Lambrix; Esteban Mesa, supervisory CBP officer, Presidio; Patricia Aveitia, assistant director of trade operations, El Paso; and Alex Leos Jr., assistant port director trade, Marfa. (staff photo by ROBERT HALPERN)

He said he’s come to Presidio to continue the good work that inspectors, agents, and officers already are doing, to fix the things that need fixing, like wait times at the port, and to partner with local and state officials and his Mexican counterparts.

Lambrix said he’s already conducted emergency preparedness training in Presidio with local, state and Mexican authorities, and he said training sessions of various kinds would continue under this leadership.

He’s a longtime firefighter and a U.S. Air Force veteran as well, with 17 moves during his career. “Law enforcement is in my blood,” he said.

In his short time in town – he reported for duty on November 4 – he said he’s found a “friendly, welcoming community.”

Indeed, welcoming Lambrix on Tuesday was Brad Newton with the City of Presidio; Jose Cabezuela with the Presidio Police Department; Carry Huffman, deputy chief patrol agent with the Big Bend Border Patrol Sector; Timothy Stone of the Homeland Security offices in Presidio and Alpine; Presidio County Sheriff Danny Dominguez; The Presidio International newspaper; and H. Cowan with Solitaire Homes.

Solitaire has a manufacturing plant across the Rio Grande in Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico, with a finishing and shipping facility in Presidio.

Likewise, Lambrix said he has an open door policy and the “coffee is always on.”

He noted that construction of 27 more homes for the growing contingent of federal employees who live in Presidio has begun, and that more inspectors should be assigned to Presidio in the coming months, noting that like the federal government did in beefing up the Border Patrol ranks several years ago, Washington has funded more Customs employees in the near future.

He said that surveying has commenced to get a new railroad bridge linking Presidio and Ojinaga again. The bridge burned twice in two arson cases that have never been solved. Likewise, an unsolved arson case razed the Presidio railroad depot.

While cattle at the moment aren’t being inspected in Mexico before their importation is allowed, as had been done in the past, because of security concerns and the retirement of a veterinarian, the new USDA veterinarian has committed to longer hours in Presidio, Lambrix said. An oversize gate is being consideration to speed up crossing times.

While border trade is growing all the time, Customs remains constrained with the small size of Presidio port facilities, he said. That may take a little longer to fix.

But, “I’m part of this community now, and I want to see it grow, Lambrix said.

Lambrix replaces John Prewit who retired from CBP this summer. Lambrix arrived at the port of entry November 4.

A formal change of command ceremony is planned for December 6. Before receiving his current ...]]> PRESIDIO – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has named David Lambrix as the new Port Director at the Presidio Port of Entry.

Lambrix replaces John Prewit who retired from CBP this summer. Lambrix arrived at the port of entry November 4.

A formal change of command ceremony is planned for December 6. Before receiving his current assignment Lambrix served as Chief: Operations Manager in the Office of the Commissioner, Joint Operations Directorate/CBP Headquarters.

David Lambrix

“My family and I are very happy to be a part of the Presidio community,” said Lambrix. “We look forward to cementing the relationship between CBP and the Presidio community. My motto is, ‘Never tire from doing what is right.’”

As the Presidio Port Director, Lambrix will direct operations and enforcement activities at the Presidio port of entry as well as provide oversight on the Boquillas international crossing currently being implemented at the Big Bend National Park. He will oversee CBP employees at these locations including CBP officers, Agriculture Specialists, Canine Enforcement Officers, and other personnel working in other disciplines.

Lambrix will work to ensure that the agency’s primary mission of preventing terrorists or weapons of terror from entering the United States is accomplished on a daily basis. He is also responsible for all immigration issues related to the admission and exclusion of people applying for entry into the United States. He also is responsible for customs and agriculture inspections at the ports of entry to ensure that all goods and people entering the United States do so in accordance with our laws and regulations, while ensuring that they are facilitated in their processing to support the global market place and the international tourism industries.

Lambrix began his career with U. S. Customs and Border Protection (U. S. Customs Service) in 1988 in Detroit, Michigan. He has also been assigned to International Falls, Minnesota, Calexico, California, and Houston.

Lambrix also served as a Customs Instructor at the U.S. Customs Academy, and Instructor assigned to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center where he started the Antiterrorism/Aviation Safety and Security Training Program. His experience is very broad, extending from his core CBP Field Operations competencies to include but not limited to interagency operations integration, incident management, continuity of operations/continuity of government, business resumption, vehicle fleet management.  In addition, he is a Master Exercise Practitioner; an instructor for the International Law Enforcement Academy, FEMA and Lead Field Coordinator program as well as a Primary Firearms Instructor.

While at Headquarters, Lambrix was key in the implementation of the Mexico and CBP Business Resumption. He served as the lead instructor in the very first Bi-national Incident Command Systems training between the United States and Mexico. He was also the lead coordinator for the CBP Lead Field Coordinator program and lead the design of the CBP FEMA Region VI all hazard plan. Lambrix worked with leadership during Operation Hardline and was the U.S. Customs Inspector, assigned to Border Patrol and DEA, to set up the Law Enforcement Coordination Center (Valley Project) under, U.S. Attorney Alan Bersin. He also served as NTEU President in Detroit and Houston.

Lambrix is also a certified Firefighter having worked in Northern Minnesota as a Firefighter (Captain/Assistant Chief/ EMT), Minnesota Fire Instructor and also a Department of the Navy Firefighter at the Blue Angels winter Base in El Centro, CA. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force where he served as a firefighter and an air rescue member. He attended Thief River Falls, MN Community College for Criminal Justice and the U.S. Air Force School of Applied Aerospace Science for Fire Fighting.

Currently, Lambrix is an integral member of the JOD/Joint Communications Division, overseeing the startup of the WebEOC for all Hazards, the AtHOC communications system – to notify CBP employees during emergencies, incidents, and international communication with CBP, Mexico Customs and Canada Customs as well as State, Local and Tribal offices. This division is currently testing a mobile pc solution (tablets) for both, office and field deployment.

Lambrix is married and has five children.

PRESIDIO COUNTY – Amid heated debate, confusion, and lots of head shaking, Presidio County officials Tuesday voted to enter into contract negotiations with S&B Infrastructure of McAllen as consultant for the expansion of the international bridge between Presidio and Ojinaga.

The county, with Ciudad Ojinaga, Chihuahua state, and Mexico plan to add two ...]]> By ALBERTO TOMÁS HALPERN

PRESIDIO COUNTY – Amid heated debate, confusion, and lots of head shaking, Presidio County officials Tuesday voted to enter into contract negotiations with S&B Infrastructure of McAllen as consultant for the expansion of the international bridge between Presidio and Ojinaga.

The county, with Ciudad Ojinaga, Chihuahua state, and Mexico plan to add two lanes to the existing two-lane international span. Cross border traffic has increase over the years.

The process begins with a presidential permit. Mexico needs one, too.

Two other firms were considered for the $1.8 million planning project to secure the permit: Structural Engineering Associates (SEA) of San Antonio, in partnership with Frank X. Spencer & Associates of El Paso and formerly of Pecos and Presidio; and Raba-Kistner Consultants of San Antonio. Both consulting entities have worked with the county before on earlier portions of the project.

Commissioners and county Judge Paul Hunt had planned on meeting in executive session to discuss, review and score the presentations.

Presidio County Commissioners and Judge Paul Hunt review scores for the consultant firms. (staff photo by ALBERTO TOMAS HALPERN)

Executive sessions are typically reserved for personnel matters, property acquisitions, and pending or existing litigation. A narrow opening in the Texas Open Meetings Act allows counties to enter into executive session to discuss issues relating to a contract being negotiated.

In order to do this, however, commissioners would have to unanimously vote that deliberating in open session would have a detrimental effect on commissioners and a third party, and they would also need a written determination from the county attorney.

County Attorney John Fowlkes said Hunt didn’t give him enough time to research the matter, and he questioned whether he would have concluded an executive session was needed in this case.

Commissioner Felipe Cordero said he wanted to meet behind closed doors. “I think we can go into executive session on something of this magnitude.”

Hunt told Cordero that without the county attorney’s blessing, a closed session might trigger a Texas Open Meetings Act violation.

Commissioners wanted to discuss the matter behind closed doors to avoid any awkward moments in front of representatives of the consulting firms who were present. Without going into executive session, commissioners couldn’t force the firms’ representatives from leaving the public meeting.

To help keep the meeting on track and to avoid any uncomfortable discussion, Raba-Kistner liaison Sterry Butcher of Marfa volunteered to exit the courtroom if the other firms’ representatives were willing to do so. All agreed. Butcher’s brother Allan Butcher is the firm’s contract senior consultant.

Commissioners decided to submit to Hunt their individual scores for the firms and from that Hunt would come up with an average score for each firm, ideally to vote to enter into negotiations with the firm that had the highest average.

After taking a quick smoking break while Hunt crunched numbers, commissioners came back to hear the results.

“There seemed to be a wide range of reports,” Hunt said, “But I did notice in particular that one of the commissioners had three times the spread of high and low scores of anybody else. A very wise way of proceeding.”

S&B received an average score of 81.6, SEA received 83.6 and Raba-Kistner an average score of 71.

“Based on those average scores we could make a selection I suppose,” Hunt said, adding that, “it was a little odd” that one of the commissioners gave a wide range of high and low scores, greatly impacting the average scores for the firms.

Going into more detail, Hunt reported that three of the five individual score sheets gave S&B the highest scores, two of the five individual score sheets gave SEA the highest scores, and none of the five gave Raba-Kistner the highest score.

Discussing the average scores, Commissioner Carlos Armendariz said, “That’s it,” prompting Hunt to ponder, “The one thing about taking the average is, and I can’t help but notice that on one of these” had such a wide spread, saying that it was a “radically different way of scoring.” Hunt then questioned whether using the average scores was a fair way of proceeding and suggested maybe taking a different route.

Armendariz pressed using the average scores. “Averages. That’s the way it is. What else can we do?”

Hunt said to Armendariz that the court isn’t required to use the averages, and given the wide range of scores by one commissioner may distort the true wish of the court.

At this point, members of the court were beginning to become visibly frustrated on how to proceed.

Refering to SEA, which had the highest average score, Armendariz said, “If they have the highest score that’s it.”

Hunt replied, “It’s only it if we agree on one set of scores for the three outfits.”

Cordero said, “Either way the percentages tell the story as good as the numbers.”

Hunt continued pressing the issue of the scoring method, saying there is a discrepancy in the average scores. “They are distorted,” Hunt said.

“I don’t understand,” Armendariz said. Commissioner Eloy Aranda helped to explain the, “huge difference in spread between” the firms’ scores.

Armendariz made a motion to enter into negotiations with the firm that had the highest average, SEA. Cordero seconded.

Before the vote, Commissioner Frank ‘Buddy’ Knight reiterated that S&B received the highest scores from the majority of the court and suggested that the court enter into negotiations with the firm with the highest individual scores, S&B.

The court voted. Cordero and Armendariz voted in the affirmative, essentially to enter into negotiations with SEA, while Aranda, Knight, and Hunt voted against, defeating the motion.

Moving on, Hunt said, “Is there another way to go to get a score?” “What’s the use of getting another score, it’s going to be the same,” Armendariz said.

“There’s use for us as a selection committee to come to an agreement,” Hunt said.

Armendariz then suggested dividing the contract between the three firms to give them all a piece of the pie.

“That’s not the way we’re going to proceed,” Hunt said.

Hunt suggested throwing out the highest and lowest scores for each firm and coming out with a new average. Asking commissioners if anyone was interested in proceeding that way Knight agreed.

Upset at the way things went, Cordero reached for his belongings and said, “Well, I’m going to get out of here.”

“I’m concerned about that Felipe,” Hunt said, “We’re concerned about the process and concerned about the agenda,” Hunt continued, trying to keep Cordero from leaving.

Cordero sat back down.

Armendariz then suggested that each commissioner should choose the firm that they wanted. Armendariz and Frank Spencer, of Frank X. Spencer & Associates, are first cousins.

“Any volunteers,” Armendariz asked to a return of silence. “Who wants who,” Armendariz said referring to the firms, “That question can be put to me and I’ll answer it.”
Throwing out the highest and lowest scores and coming up with a new average score for the firms gave S&B the highest score, SEA the second highest and Raba-Kistner the third.

“We seem to be at an impasse and I don’t have a dog in this fight,” Knight said.

Head shaking abounded by frustrated commissioners.

After more discussion and disagreement, and even a bit of confusion in the court, Knight made a motion to vote to enter into negotiations based on the new average scores, essentially agreeing to negotiate with S&B. Commissioners voted 3-2 in favor of the motion with Knight, Aranda, and Hunt supporting the motion and Cordero and Armendariz dissenting.

PRESIDIO – An Odessa man who said he was born in Presidio was detained last week at the Presidio Port of Entry by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents who failed to provide much information as to the detention, his Midland attorney said.

Demetrio Porras Baeza was visiting his mother, who lives ...]]> By ALBERTO TOMAS HALPERN

PRESIDIO – An Odessa man who said he was born in Presidio was detained last week at the Presidio Port of Entry by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents who failed to provide much information as to the detention, his Midland attorney said.

Demetrio Porras Baeza was visiting his mother, who lives in Presidio, when he decided to go shopping in Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico on Sunday, October 9. When he tried to re-enter the United States, he was told by CBP agents that the United States Department of State was revoking his passport.

“When he displayed his passport, it was taken and revoked,” said Jeanne Morales, Baeza’s attorney. “All they will tell me is that the State Department revoked his passport.”

Baeza was held for some time that Sunday at the port of entry after which he was granted a document that allowed him to enter the United States to Presidio only. Baeza was instructed to return to the port on Thursday, October 13 at which time Baeza’s U.S. citizenship was again called into question by the CBP, and he was detained for many more hours.

“When I got there they told me I was going straight to Mexico,” Baeza said. “They told me that my passport was revoked and that supposedly I was born in Mexico.”

But Morales said, “He is an American citizen. We have proof. I have his birth certificate. He was born in Presidio.”

The attorney said the CBP told her they had evidence that supported a claim that her client isn’t a U.S. citizen, but when she asked for the evidence she was told that CBP couldn’t tell her what it was.

“They handcuffed me, and I asked why,” Baeza said, “and I was told to sit down and not worry.

“I was born in Presidio,” he said, “I graduated from Presidio. I said why do you want to send me to Mexico if I’m a U.S. citizen?”

Baeza, whose mother lives in Presidio, said that she was called by CBP and asked questions about her son.

Morales said she believes the incident stems for a child custody matter between Baeza and his ex-wife.

“What we think happened is in June he won custody of his child from the mother,” Morales said. “She made accusations to the State Department and they revoked his passport.”

Morales is looking into pressing charges against Baeza’s ex-wife, saying that Baeza’s mother was contacted by an attorney in Mexico who is allegedly representing Baeza’s ex-wife. The Mexican attorney apparently told Baeza’s mother that he was holding evidence that proved Baeza was born in Mexico and that he would exchange that information if Baeza gave custody of the child back to the mother.

“This is international blackmail,” Morales said adding that Baeza’s ex-wife “apparently concocted a story.”

Morales said that Baeza’s ex-wife has family in Ojinaga who has threatened her client with “bodily injury if he goes back to Ojinaga.”

CBP agent Bob Adams at the Presidio port said he wasn’t at liberty to discuss the case. Press Officer Roger Maier in El Paso said that they don’t comment on individual cases and that privacy issues that need to be protected. An email from a State Department public affairs officer said they were unable to discuss the details of individual passport cases.

Baeza said that after being detained for many hours, CBP agents changed their plans and gave him a 90-day permit allowing him to enter the United States. Baeza will now have to go before a judge and make his case.

“It was kinda scary, me being a U.S. citizen then all of a sudden they tell you you’re going to Mexico,” said Baeza.

“I’m 25 years-old, I’ve never been handcuffed or had problems with the law,” Baeza added. “I go to Presidio often because my mom lives there. I know everything I do is clear.”

Ricardo Andres died this past Thursday, a few days after being shot by assassins near Aldama, Chihuahua, another ...]]> OJINAGA – Ricardo Andres Trujano Aranda would have celebrated his ninth birthday on Sunday. He had already chosen a piñata and a theme for his birthday party, but instead of a celebration, he was buried on his birthday.

Ricardo Andres died this past Thursday, a few days after being shot by assassins near Aldama, Chihuahua, another victim of the narco violence in Mexico.

The Trujano family, from left, Diego Antonio, baby Luis, Sonia, Ricardo Andres, with hat, and Luis Trujano, Sr. The photo was taken the day before the assassinations at the baby’s baptism in Cd. Chihuahua.

His 33-year-old father, Luis Trujano Anaya, and his 14-year-old brother, Diego Antonio, died Sunday, October 9, the day of the attack and were buried Wednesday, October 12 in Ojinaga. Ricardo Andres died the following day in a Chihuahua City hospital where he had been taken the day of the attack.

His baby brother Luis survived the attack as did a friend, 35-year-old Nery Carrasco.

Ricardo Andres becomes another number in the sad statistics of the dead in the Mexico Narco war, a war that has claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people, many of them innocent bystanders, whose friends and relatives live on both sides of the border.

Luis “Bola” Trujano Anaya, 35, and his son ...]]> OJINAGA, CHIHUAHUA, Chih., Mexico – An Ojinaga father and his 14-year-old son were killed Sunday in Aldama, a small city near Chihuahua City, while two other children – an 8-year-old and a year and a half-old baby, as well as another companion – were wounded during the attack.

Luis “Bola” Trujano Anaya, 35, and his son Diego Antonio Trujano, 14, died when the vehicle they were in was attacked by gunmen in a white Oldsmobile, which they later abandoned a few miles further on the roadway. AK-47 bullet casings were found in its interior.

Diego Antonio was a Lucy Rede Franco Middle School ninth-grader. “There is nothing but tragedy in the senseless violence that takes the lives of young people no matter the motivation,” said Presidio ISD Superintendent Dennis McEntire. Superintendent of Presidio Schools.

Mexican law enforcement officers at the crime scene. The victims' vehicle came to a rest in the brush, at left.

“The thoughts and prayers of Presidio ISD are with the family and friends mourning the death of Diego Antonio Trujano, our ninth grade student.  The District has counselors on hand to assist students and staff in dealing with this loss.”

The attack took place at 5:45pm on the Aldama-Ojinaga highway loop where the victims´ red 2011 Jeep Wrangler was found, in back of Las Palapas restaurant. The body of Diego Antonio was found inside the vehicle. Eyewitnesses reported that the shooting lasted several minutes.

The four victims who didn´t perish at the crime scene were transported from Aldama to Chihuahua under a tight police escort. However, Luis “Bola” Trujano, father of the deceased teenager and the other two minor-age children injured in the attack, later died at Central Hospital.

Preliminary investigations show that Bola Trujano was the target of the attack.

Luis Trujano, the year and a half old baby, was slightly wounded as bullets only grazed him. His 8-year-old brother, Ricardo Andrés Trujano, was seriously wounded and, at press time was battling between life and death in a private Chihuahua City hospital.

The other person wounded is Nery Carrasco, 36, an Ojinaga native, who was admitted to the General Hospital due to the bullet wounds he suffered to his leg.

The events were handled with “maximum discretion” on behalf of the justice institution authorities, according to reports. Although little is known about the assailants, a military inspection post is located almost across from the scene of the shooting. The site was cordoned off by various police and law enforcement personnel who gathered evidence and began working on initial investigations while the bodies were taken to the Medical Forensic Service.

“Bola” is the nephew of Juan Anaya Coronel, owner of Los Comales restaurant in Ojinaga.

Funeral for “Bola” and his son Diego Antonio were held Wednesday in Ojinaga.

Translation by MIRIAM HALPERN CARDONA

Ojinaga Chih.- Un albañil, Luis Aguilar, 55, falleció la tarde de este lunes al sufrir una caída de un andamio de 6 metros de altura, cuando se encontraba en compañía de su trabajador haciendo unos trabajos en el techo del interior de una vivienda en construcción. El fuerte golpe le provoco ...]]> Por. DAVID R. REYNOSO ATAYDE

Ojinaga Chih.- Un albañil, Luis Aguilar, 55, falleció la tarde de este lunes al sufrir una caída de un andamio de 6 metros de altura, cuando se encontraba en compañía de su trabajador haciendo unos trabajos en el techo del interior de una vivienda en construcción. El fuerte golpe le provoco traumatismo craneoencefálico, lo que le causo su muerte instantánea.

Los hechos, según el trabajador se registraron como a las 16: 30 horas, cuando ambos se encontraban instalando madera en el interior de una casa habitación en construcción, arriba de un andamio y en un descuido el Sr. Aguilar resbala un pie en un tubo de la tarima, perdiendo el control y al caer de cabeza sobre el piso dejó de existir instantáneamente. Al lugar acudió personal de la Fiscalía General del Estado, entre agentes ministeriales y peritos, agentes de la Policía Municipal, además de personal de la Funeraria de Valle, quienes se encargaron de trasladar el cuerpo a sus instalaciones en donde le será practicada la autopsia de ley.

OJINAGA, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO – Oscar Zúñiga Piña, 48, a well-known rancher in Ojinaga, was found dead last Sunday.

City police from Camargo, Chihuahua, said the Zúñiga Piña´s body was found at 6:30am on the Camargo-Jiménez highway, at the kilometer 5 marker. Zúñiga Piña had been shot to death, police said.

Family members of the ...]]> By LUIS ARMANDO RAMOS

OJINAGA, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO – Oscar Zúñiga Piña, 48, a well-known rancher in Ojinaga, was found dead last Sunday.

City police from Camargo, Chihuahua, said the Zúñiga Piña´s body was found at 6:30am on the Camargo-Jiménez highway, at the kilometer 5 marker. Zúñiga Piña had been shot to death, police said.

Family members of the victim who live in Camargo took 36 hours to identify the body at the funeral home and at the Camargo Preliminary Investigations Department and said that Zúñiga Piña had been missing for three days.

Police found 36 223-caliber bullet casings at the scene, where it is thought that Oscar Zúñiga was murdered.

(MN/Ojinaga,Chih)