LAREDO, Tx. (KGNS) - If you are looking to get rid of some unwanted clutter, residents will have the opportunity to sell some of their treasures by setting up a garage sale.

During Monday night’s City Council meeting, members discussed waiving the permit fees for National Garage Sale Weekend from Aug. 11 to Aug. 13.

Normally, the City of Laredo typically charges a $30 fee for hosting a yard sale.

Next weekend, residents will be able to host a garage sale without any fees or penalties.

LAREDO, TX. (KGNS) - A new chief will be taking over the ranks at Laredo College.

On Wednesday morning, in front of friends, family and other members of the law enforcement community, Jose Hernandez was sworn in as the new chief of police for Laredo College.

Hernandez brings with him 20 years of law enforcement experience as well as a military background.

Hernandez said he is looking forward to working with other law enforcement agencies to make sure the students at Laredo College are safe.

“We’re going to work together with the faculty and other law enforcement agencies whether state or federal,” said Chief Hernandez. “Our close proximity to the river presents a big issue and we’ve been in contact with Border Patrol, Laredo PD and the sheriff’s office and so we’re going to bridge that gap, we’re going to close it up so we can be more secure on this campus and our south campus also.”

Chief Hernandez takes the position after it was temporarily held by Jaime Castro who was the interim chief.

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Investigators are asking a federal judge to hold a man and his nephew without bond in connection with an early Monday three-vehicle crash that sent nine people to the hospital, including six migrants.

According to court documents, U.S. Border Patrol agents spotted a two-vehicle caravan in an area known for migrant smuggling shortly after midnight. The agents got behind the vehicles as they drove along Strauss Road in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.

The two vehicles turned onto Pete Domenici Highway and that’s when border agents attempted a stop. Court documents show that Andres Soriano complied and pulled into the parking lot of Love’s Travel Shop. The driver of the other vehicle, identified as David Alexis Bojorquez, allegedly disregarded Border Patrol vehicles’ flashing lights and sirens and crossed the Texas state line at Artcraft Road in El Paso, the documents allege.

Bojorquez allegedly made a sharp turn into the parking lot of the Carl’s Jr. restaurant on South Desert Boulevard and continued at a high rate of speed down the Interstate 10 service road. At that point, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers followed the vehicle until it ran a red light and struck the side of a silver-colored passenger vehicle at the intersection with Redd Road, causing injuries to all of its occupants, according to court documents. A black passenger vehicle was also struck after the collision, but its occupants were uninjured.

The injured passengers of the silver vehicle, including a child, were last reported in critical but stable condition at a hospital. Six migrants, identified as citizens of Guatemala, were also injured.

Court documents state that Bojorquez exited his vehicle and ran off. He was apprehended by DPS troopers and U.S. Border Patrol agents. He was taken to a DPS office for questioning by DPS and Homeland Security Investigations special agents, where he waived his Miranda rights in writing.

Bojorquez allegedly told investigators that an unidentified man in Mexico told him to pick up and transport the unauthorized migrants from New Mexico to a predetermined location in El Paso. He told agents he would be paid $500 for each migrant and that he was “sorry for the injuries he caused,” court documents state.

Soriano told investigators he was asked by Bojorquez, his nephew, to assist him in the alleged migrant smuggling event by being the “decoy” driver in case they were discovered by law enforcement.

Soriano said he is on probation for a federal crime and told investigators he was aware his nephew was transporting unauthorized non-citizens. He further told them both of them had transported migrants to El Paso on three prior occasions for that unidentified individual in Mexico, court documents state.

Bojorquez and Soriano are facing federal charges of “conspiring to aid and abet the commission of transporting illegal aliens.”

El Paso County Jail records show Bojorquez also is facing state charges of evading arrest, smuggling persons with the likelihood of sustaining bodily injury or death and driving when unlicensed.

The federal government is asking that Bojorquez be held without bond because he has ties to Mexico and is a flight risk, and that Soriano also be denied bond because he has a prior criminal history and has the same ties to Mexico that make him a flight risk.

Soriano has a detention hearing set for 9:45 a.m. on Friday in U.S. District Judge Leon Schydlower’s court.

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – One of the men arrested in connection to a stash house in Sunland Park, New Mexico, where migrants allegedly were being kept under threats has pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court to conspiracy charges.

Frank Castorena was one of five men arrested by Homeland Security Investigations agents who raided two contiguous properties in Sunland Park where several migrants were under armed watch. The agents learned about the location on Calle Carrosel after U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered two groups of migrants who said they “escaped” from the property, according to court records.

Castorena allegedly assisted in harboring unauthorized migrants by ensuring they remained inside the property. Court records show he pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Las Cruces last week to one count of “conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens.”

The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. But in exchange for the plea, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is not bringing additional charges against Castorena and is recommending a maximum incarceration of eight to 14 months, court records show.

The defendant agreed to waive his right to appeal once the sentence is passed and stated he is, in fact, guilty of the offense charged, according to court records. Castorena also agrees to forfeit three firearms (a pistol, an AR-15 rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun) and ammunition found at the stash house, and to pay a special court assessment of $100.

Other defendants in the pending case include Saul Castorena, Steven Castorena, Jose Torres Chairez and Jose Barrios Mesa.

Sunland Park, just across the state line from El Paso, Texas, in the past few years has become a hotbed for migrant smuggling activity and the site of medical emergencies involving injured and deceased migrants.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - During this morning’s press conference, the history of the two Laredos caught the attention of the Mexican president.

On a question regarding immigration, national sovereignty, and Texas Governor Greg. Abbott’s efforts to deter migrant crossings, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador recalled the Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty.

That treaty officially ended the Mexican-American war but caught the two Laredos right in the middle.

Since the treaty made the Rio Grande the boundary between the two countries --and forced Laredo to become part of the American side--some residents weren’t too happy it left them on the wrong side.

President Obrador said, “The citizens of Laredo rebelled. The majority of people said ‘we want to continue to be Mexican in Laredo!’ So then they demanded a conference with officials, but American officials didn’t respect that wish. Laredo remained on the U.S. side. So what did they do? Some families went across the river with their families and they even brought their dead relative’s remains and established Nuevo Laredo.”

The Mexican president then went on to say that there needs to be a more compassionate approach and condemned the governor’s actions.

Nuevo Laredo Mayor Carmen Canturosas posted a clip of the remarks to thank President Obrador on recognizing the bond the two Laredos share.

You find the full press conference here and the clip mentioning the two Laredos here.

LAREDO, TX. (KGNS) - The City of Laredo continues to see an increase in drug overdoses, with a total of 43 deaths reported so far this year.

In an effort to shed light on this epidemic, the City of Laredo is hosting an overdose awareness proclamation this Tuesday at the Laredo Fire Department building on Del Mar.

Marina Moreno-Medina, a mother who lost her son to a drug overdose created Myke’s Purpose, a nonprofit organization that seeks to raise awareness on the dangers of drugs.

Moreno-Medina urges parents to help their children if they suspect that they might be using drugs.

“To the parents I just tell them to be more aware of their kids, what they are doing, who they are hanging around with, check them out, see if they… I don’t know, if they’re always asleep or tired, check more up on them and be more there for them,” said Moreno-Medina.

In collaboration with the City of Laredo, Myke’s purpose overdose awareness will also hold a 5k run and walk and health fair this Saturday at North Central Park.

The health fair starts at 5:30 p.m. and the run begins at 7:30 p.m.