LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - On Monday night, Mayor Dr. Victor Treviño presented State Representative Tracy King with the Key to the City during a special ceremony.

Joined by City Council members, Mayor Treviño celebrated King’s three decades of public service, leadership, and unwavering dedication to Laredo and its neighboring communities.

Representative King, who has served District 80 in the Texas House of Representatives since 1994, has been a champion for agriculture, water resource management, public education, and rural healthcare.

In his remarks, Mayor Treviño praised King, saying, “Representative King is an example of someone who put his community before political party affiliations and worked with everyone. His leadership will be sorely missed, but not forgotten.”

King announced his retirement earlier this year, with his term set to conclude on December 31.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to use the U.S. military to carry out mass deportations are raising alarms among legal experts, with some calling the proposals a dramatic departure from the traditional handling of immigration issues.

On social media, Trump agreed with a commentator who suggested deploying military forces to execute mass deportations. The plan has garnered criticism, including from immigration attorney Jose Salvador Tellez, who practices in Laredo, Texas.

Tellez, speaking about the implications of such a plan, said it would require a national emergency declaration, something he believes Trump would struggle to secure.

“It has to be a natural catastrophe that occurs where there’s large-scale rioting, and he does it to maintain public safety and order,” Tellez said. “In this case, this is not a public safety and order problem.”

Tellez expressed doubts about Congress’s willingness to approve such a move, particularly with Republicans holding majorities in all three branches of government.

U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar, a Democrat from Texas, pointed to Trump’s previous term, when the president declared an emergency to fund the construction of the border wall, redirecting military funds. Cuellar suggested that the military’s role in Trump’s proposed deportations would likely involve assisting the Department of Homeland Security, which has limited capacity for detaining people.

“He’s talking about using the military to build detention centers because there’s not enough detention space, and that way he can then deport people,” Cuellar said. “They’ll be legal challenges, I’m sure, from different organizations.”

Tellez warned that granting such powers to the president could have long-term consequences for the balance of power in the U.S. government.

“It means that the president would have powers that could be equated with being a dictator, in my opinion,” Tellez said. “And he will be able to do a lot more things than we have traditionally allowed presidents to do before.”

Cuellar also raised concerns about the economic impact of mass deportations. The U.S. economy, he argued, relies on workers from immigrant communities in various industries.

“Every time I get on the airplane, and I see people coming in, every single time there are people, that has to stop,” Cuellar said. “Because those folks more likely than not those people are not going to be given asylum.”

Trump has said his focus will be on deporting criminals, but Tellez countered that the number of individuals fitting that description is relatively small, as those with felony convictions are already subject to immediate deportation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Tellez also pointed out that since the Obama administration, executive actions on immigration have become more common, bypassing Congress and marking a shift in how immigration is handled in the U.S.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - A downtown Laredo walkway is being renamed to honor the legacy of American labor activist and civil rights leader Cesar Chavez.

The walkway near the Gateway to the Americas Bridge will officially be known as the Cesar Chavez Walkway, marking a significant recognition of Laredo’s migrant community and its rich history.

Members of the Cesar Chavez Memorial Alliance of South Texas shared that this acknowledgment has been in progress for years.

“We started back in about 2002. And being myself a migrant, my background, I saw that Laredo had an opportunity to recognize the immigrant community. So I started doing the marches, involving most of the unions that were in Laredo,” said Manuel Bocanegra, Founder of the Cesar Chavez Memorial Alliance of South Texas.

Additionally, the upcoming Buena Vista Sports Complex in south Laredo will honor Chavez as well, with City Council previously approving the naming of Cesar Chavez Boulevard earlier this year.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - A Laredo drug dealer was sentenced to 30 years in prison according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

46-year-old Daniel Rodriguez was sentenced for possession with intent to distribute meth.

The case began on Wednesday, January 3, when authorities executed a search warrant at Rodriguez’s home.

According to the Attorney’s Office, Rodriguez took off from his home and attempted to throw away a baggie that was later determined to contain meth.

In handing down the sentence, the court said Rodriguez continued to sell drugs despite having multiple opportunities to stop.

Rodriguez will remain in custody pending transfer to a federal prison which will be determined later.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - Three suspected human smugglers were arrested in Laredo following the death of a Guatemalan citizen in July.

Two of the three, Dagoberto Flores and Angel Elias, are Laredo residents. A third, David Gomez Flores, is a Mexican national.

All three were expected to make an appearance before a federal judge this morning on Monday, November 18. Three others were previously charged and arrested.

The case dates back to July 2, when law enforcement pursued a group of suspected undocumented immigrants loading into a truck near a Laredo ranch.

That’s when the car suddenly came to a stop and all the occupants fled into the brush. Eventually, authorities discovered the body of a deceased man in the brush.

After an investigation, authorities were able to link the individual to the same human smuggling organization involved in the July 2 incident.

Currently, all six are charged with conspiracy to smuggle an undocumented immigrant, placing a life in jeopardy and causing serious bodily injury and resulting in death.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - A tequila business owned by two well-known celebrities is robbed in Laredo.

According to Fox News, two freight trucks carrying about a million dollars worth of products were hijacked on the weekend of November 9. The trucks were linked to Santos Spirits, which is co-owned by celebrity chef Guy Fieri and rock-and-roll star Sammy Hagar.

The article says the missing trucks were carrying more than 24,000 bottles of Santo Blanco, Reposado, and Extra Añejo.

A representative for Hagar says it looks like it was an organized crime effort where the trucks were illegally double-brokered to different carriers who transferred the products to their trucks after crossing the border from Mexico into Texas.

Fieri and Hagar reportedly discovered the crime on Thursday, November 14.

The article goes on to mention that the case is being investigated by the Laredo Police Department, the Los Angeles Cargo Criminal Apprehension Team, and a recovery network called CargoNet.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - With his return to the White House, President-elect Donald Trump is setting clear priorities for his administration, placing border security at the forefront.

Trump puts Border Policy at Top of Priority List

• Top Picks for Border Leadership: One of Trump’s first calls to make up his adminstration was to Tom Homan, now tapped as the administration’s “Border Czar.” Although not an official government title, Homan’s role will involve overseeing daily operations and strategies on border security. Homan previously served as the acting director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from 2017 to June 2018.

• Key Cabinet Appointments: Another key call went to Stephen Miller, now appointed Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy. Known for his strong stance on restrictive immigration policies, Miller crafted several immigration strategies in Trump’s first term. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is expected to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees critical agencies like ICE, CBP, FEMA, TSA, and the Secret Service.

Laredo’s Possible Role In Border Policy

• New Joint Processing Center in Laredo: Trump’s transition comes as a $285 million Joint Processing Center in South Laredo is underway, uniting CBP and ICE enforcement efforts. The facility is slated to be operational by early 2027, symbolizing an intensified focus on border management.

A Boots on the Ground Perspective

Then, Hector Garza, President of the Border Patrol Union Laredo Sector, shares insights on how Border Patrol agents are reacting to the new administration’s approach. This follows Laredo Mayor Dr. Victor Treviño’s recent interview, where he highlighted the distinctive perspective of border communities.

Addressing a national audience, Dr. Treviño remarked, “Latinos vote their mind; they don’t necessarily lean toward one party,” emphasizing that residents here prioritize economic stability and effective immigration policies—values shared with communities nationwide.