SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Ibrahime Sylla was only 17 and all alone when he arrived in Tijuana from the West African country of Guinea two years ago.

The YMCA shelter for unaccompanied migrant minors took him in and he quickly endeared himself to staff and other residents.

“He’s an old soul, but his heart is full of love, he’s a very giving person,” said Abril Zaragoza, the director of the shelter.

Zaragoza said Sylla also showed a lot of soccer talent.

“A scout told us, ‘Take care of him. He is very good,'” she said.

He was so good that he caught the eye of several professional teams in Mexico.

However, because he was an immigrant without the proper documents, he could not sign and start realizing his dream of becoming a professional soccer player.

CANNES, France (AP) — On paper, Jacques Audiard’s buzzed-about Cannes Film Festival entry “Emilia Perez” would not seem anything like a good idea for a movie.

The film, which premiered Saturday in Cannes, is probably the first movie that can sincerely be compared to both “Sicario” and “Mrs. Doubtfire” — and that’s just a start.

Zoe Saldaña stars as Rita, a Mexico City lawyer hired by the cartel kingpin Manitas to help him flee Mexico for gender confirmation surgery. This turns out to be the beginning of a relationship that will continue between Rita and Emilia Perez (Karla Sofía Gascón). Emilia returns years later, posing as Manitas’ sister, to stay close to her children who are living with her ex-wife (Selena Gomez).

Also, it’s a musical.

As gonzo as its premise may be, or possibly because of it, “Emilia Perez” gave Cannes a mid-festival jolt. Though not every critic has swooned for its melodramatic grandeur, there was applause even after the film’s press screening.

“It occurred to me as a kind of opera,” Audiard told reporters Sunday.

Audiard, the protean French filmmaker of “A Prophet,” “Rust and Bone” and the 2015 Cannes Palme d’Or winner “Dheepan,” said the idea first occurred to him while reading a novel with a chapter about a narco trafficker who wanted to change his identity. From that starting point, Audiard built a shifting narrative worthy of a telenovela.

“To get into this kind of film by Jacques, you have to be like Jacques, who’s a bit mad,” said Gascón, laughing.

While the film boasts a pair of well-known stars in Gomez and Saldaña, Gascón is the revelation of the movie. The 52-year-old Gascón, who is trans, plays both the ruthless Manitas, with a grill covering his teeth, and the benevolent, bubbly Emilia. The two roles have strikingly physical presence.

“It was difficult at first. I didn’t want to play the part of Manitas. I only wanted to play the part of Emilia. It took several months for me to convince myself that I could do both,” said Gascón. “At one point, we didn’t know who would be playing the two characters and then it became quite obvious that it would be me.”

Audacious as “Emilia Perez” may sound, it comes off remarkably sincerely. The film, pondering questions of personal change, follows Rita and Emilia across years and multiple countries. The songs are penned by French pop musician Camille; Clément Docul does the score; and Gomez gets a moment at the microphone at a karaoke bar.

Gascón on Sunday said she hoped Emilia would be seen as not just a trans character.

“Trans people should be treated like just anybody else. I’m not better or worse than anyone else. I think we should be taken for what we are,” said Gascón. “We have our body and we’re allowed to change it because we want to.”

The narrative leaps and tonal juxtapositions of “Emilia Perez” may be a lot for some, but for Audiard, that was much of the attraction.

“Something shocks me deeply in Mexico — all these problems of missing people. There are whole regions you can’t go because they aren’t safe,” said the director. “I wanted to make a musical. So why not against the background of a tragedy?”

LAREDO, Tx. (KGNS) - A car crash sends water gushing skyward in east Laredo.

The incident was reported on Tuesday, May 21, at around 2:20 p.m. near 6420 Polaris.

A witness captured the moments after a car crashed into a water meter.

According to the Laredo Fire Department, no injuries were reported; however, it did leave puddles of water on the streets.

NUEVO LAREDO, MX (KGNS) - The body of a potentially homeless disabled man is found in the creek of a housing neighborhood across the border in Nuevo Laredo.

On Friday, May 17, first responders were called out to Benito Juarez.

Police say there was a wheelchair near the body suggesting that he may have fallen into the creek.

Officials say the man did not have any identification on him at the time.

He was taken to a Nuevo Laredo funeral home.

An autopsy is underway to determine the exact cause of death.

LAREDO, TX. (KGNS) - A man accused of brutally killing two livestock animals in Feb. of 2024 is facing additional charges.

Warning: The details surrounding the nature of the arrest may be disturbing to some viewers.

On Tuesday, May 21, Laredo Police announced that they had enough evidence to charge Ricardo Segura Jr. with bestiality death of animal.

Segura was arrested on Mar. 11 after a property owner at a home on Candlewood Drive found that one of the donkeys had been killed by blunt force trauma.

Four days later, the owner said that her pony had been decapitated.

After a thorough investigation, authorities were able to arrest Segura and charge him with cruelty to livestock animals; however, police stated that Segura may face additional charges depending on the outcome of certain tests.

Based on the test results, Segura’s DNA was found at the location of the dead animal.

Polie say Segura is still at the Webb County jail from the initial arrest and is being held on a $50,000 bond.

LAREDO, TX. (KGNS) - A man wanted for a string of charges related to stalking a woman is captured.

Laredo Police arrested Brando Mireles, 39, over the weekend.

The charges include assault, terroristic threats, burglary of a home and criminal mischief.

According to police, while on the run, Mireles continued terrorize the woman.

He was finally located Saturday afternoon and taken into custody.

LAREDO, TX. (KGNS) - A man is facing multiple charges after allegedly threatening a woman with a handgun and leading police on a chase.

Laredo Police arrested Juan Diego Robles Rubio, 36, and charged him with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, evading arrest, tampering with evidence, and resisting arrest.

Officers received a call Sunday, May 19 at around 9 p.m. regarding an assault at an apartment located at the 1500 block of Calle Del Norte.

A woman told police that Robles Rubio, had pointed a gun to her head, threatened her life and left in a grey Nissan Titan.

Police were able to locate the truck, as Robles Rubio was leaving; however, he kept driving on Springfield until his tires blew out near Del Mar.

Robles Rubio then got out of the truck and started running near H-E-B where officers were able to make an arrest.

According to Investigator Joe Baeza, after the arrest, officers were able to recover two weapons.

“They searched the car, and inside the car they found a long rifle that had been modified and had been tampered with, and so, that was recovered as evidence,” said Baeza. “They retraced the steps, he had also tossed the weapon near the hospital parking lot near Calle del Norte and Springfield, and it was recovered as well and that was identified as the weapon he used.”

Baeza adds that Robles Rubio was in the country illegally and he could potentially face federal charges for being in possession of the weapons.