BROWNSVILLE, Texas (Border Report) — The Texas National Guard members worked fast Thursday reinforcing fencing with concertina wire along the banks of the Rio Grande here in deep South Texas.

The 12-foot-tall wire fence panels are laced with a 3-foot looping layer of concertina wire that is designed to prevents migrants from trying to climb it and illegally cross from Mexico.

It’s called an anti-climb barrier, and Brownsville is the first Texas border city to get this new fencing as part of Texas’ Operation Lone Star, Texas National Guard Maj. Mike Perry said as he took Border Report on an exclusive first-look tour of the project.

A total of 6,000 feet of anti-climb concertina wire fencing is slated to be built. They’re about halfway through after starting near the Gateway International Bridge four days ago, Texas National Guard Capt. Chris Daniel said.

Daniel leads the team that is building the fencing, as well as spooling concertina wire on the muddy banks of the Rio Grande.

Texas National Guard Capt. Chris Daniel, left, leads a team that is building concertina wire reinforced fencing on the Rio Grande in Brownsville, Texas. (Sandra Sanchez/Border Report Photos)

Currently, they are constructing the barrier across from a migrant camp where about 1,000 asylum seekers live in Matamoros, Mexico.

The team works quickly and installs about 15 panels per hour. Each panel is 8 feet wide and 12 feet tall and tied together to form a solid barrier.

They do this by laying the fence on the ground and spooling the concertina wire around it. Then it’s put on plastic ballasts “that we’re able to fill with water to instill more stability and rigidity to it – some weight at the bottom so it’s not easy to push over or pull down,” Daniel said.

“What it’s doing is reinforcing the concertina (wire) that’s already there on the bank to try to stop the migrant traffic that’s moving through in between these ports of entry here,” he said.

Signs put up in Spanish on the Texas banks warn migrants not to try to cross the concertina wire.

Perry says they use the clothing and fabric to climb over the concertina wire that’s on the ground.

He added that many people get injured in the process, and they hope that the concertina wire on the fence will deter migrants from trying to climb over it.

It’s called an anti-climb barrier, and Brownsville is the first Texas border city to get this new fencing as part of Texas’ Operation Lone Star, Texas National Guard Maj. Mike Perry said as he took Border Report on an exclusive first-look tour of the project.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - An elderly man is airlifted to a San Antonio hospital after a hit and run leaves him in serious condition.

According to Laredo Police, a man was attempting to cross the street at the corner of San Bernardo and Jefferson Street at around 10 p.m. on Monday night.

That’s when the man was reportedly hit by a car, and the driver fled the scene—leaving the victim with extensive injuries.

Authorites say that the car stopped momentarily, which, they say, could indicate that the driver was aware they hit someone or something.

However, Laredo Police warn that while they understand the reaction, they advise it is easier to come forward.

Inv. Joe Baeza says, “We’ve seen these types of incidents in the past before when people are kind of are in state of shock or disbelief and they have this fleeing-mentality-from-the-location type of thing, but it really shouldn’t be done that way. That creates other issues and problems for us. If they’re watching, we’re asking them to come forward so we can get their side of story for the investigation and we’ll go from there.”

The Laredo Police Department says the victim is still classified as a ‘John Doe’, which means he has not been identified yet.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - A driver and a passenger are on the run after an attempted traffic stop leads to five undocumented migrants being found.

The Texas Department of Transportation attempted the traffic stop on San Dario Thursday morning.

The chase happened when a trooper attempted to stop a white Charger and the driver started to evade instructions to pull over.

The driver then lost control, struck a curb, and came to a stop when the driver and a passenger fled on foot and were not captured, according to officials with the Texas Department of Transportation.

A search revealed five undocumented immigrants being found inside the car.

They were referred to U.S. Border Patrol and no injuries were reported.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - With Christmas and New Year’s just around the corner, a friendly reminder is for those looking to add a dash of holiday cheer to their celebrations – it’s time to plan ahead. Texas state law dictates that liquor stores across the Lone Star State will remain closed on both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Additionally, a longstanding regulation requires liquor stores to observe closures on Sundays.

Mario Flores, owner of Mario’s Discount Liquor Store, advises patrons to make their purchases in advance to ensure a stocked bar for holiday festivities. According to Flores, popular holiday choices include gift sets featuring Buchanan, Johnny Walker, and Chivas for Christmas, while New Year’s sees increased demand for selections like Jack Daniel’s, Johnny Walker, Chivas, vodkas, and tequilas.

“If you’re looking for some holiday cheer, make sure to make your purchases in advance,” Flores emphasized.

To accommodate holiday shoppers, liquor stores will be open until 9 p.m. on Saturday, December 24, for Christmas Eve purchases. Similarly, for New Year’s Eve, it’s advised to complete your shopping by 9 p.m. on Saturday, December 30.

LAREDO, TX. (KGNS) - A woman is arrested in connection to a hit-and-run crash that left a 74-year-old man in critical condition.

Laredo Police have arrested Eryka Castillo, 24, and charged her with accident involving injuries and tampering with evidence.

The crash was reported on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023, when police discovered that the 74-year-old man was hit by a vehicle near Jefferson and San Bernardo Avenue.

Throughout the course of the investigation, authorities identified the vehicle involved in the crash was a black 2016 Lincoln MKZ that was registered in Castillo’s name.

According to police, the vehicle was seen crossing into Mexico via the Lincoln Juarez Bridge.

Surveillance cameras at the bridge captured the Lincoln MKZ, displaying matching the suspect vehicle damage as it crossed from Laredo into Mexico.

The Crimes Against Persons Unit met with Castillo and took her to police headquarters for an interview.

During the interview, it was determined that Castillo was the driver at the time of the hit-and-run crash.

LAREDO, TX. (KGNS) - A former educator with UISD is arrested on multiple charges according to Webb County Jail records.

According to KGNS sources, Adriana Mariel Rullan was a teacher at Gonzalez Middle School.

On Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023, Rullan was booked and released from the Webb County Jail for several charges including sexual abuse of child continuous: victim under 14, improper relationship between educator and student and indecency with child sexual contact.

The records show that UISD’s Police Department was the arresting agency.

On Wednesday morning, UISD released a statement regarding the arrest of a former employee for various charges.

When KGNS Staff attempted to confirm with the district if the statement was in reference to Rullan, the refused to comment.

Below is the initial statement released by UISD:

UISD has learned of the arrest of a former employee for various charges. UISD promptly followed administrative and legal protocol and collaborated with UISD PD to investigate the serious allegations made against the former employee prior to the arrest. The former employee was also placed on leave once UISD was made aware of the allegations. Please note that UISD cannot provide public comment regarding the details or status of ongoing investigations. Our community can rest assured that the individual is no longer employed by the District and that UISD takes swift action to investigate allegations of inappropriate conduct once received, as required by state and federal law.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - On Christmas Eve, a 5k charity will see lots of santas running!

The “Run Santa Run” 5k will be held this Sunday morning.

Guns go off at 8 a.m. at the Jarvis Plaza downtown with the first 150 people to register receiving a Santa hat and t-shirt.

The cost of the race is $15 with a toy donation and $25 without a toy.

Toys will benefit families and children of Casa Misericordia and Bethany House of Laredo.

To register, you can head to www.runsantarun5k.itsyourrace.com.