Politics
Politics news from McAllen and the Rio Grande Valley.
PoliticsU.S. Sparks Political Earthquake in Mexico by Accusing Sinaloa Governor of Ties to Drug Cartel
MEXICO CITY – A political earthquake of significant magnitude shook Mexico on Wednesday after the U.S. accused the governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, and nine other officials of drug trafficking and alleged connections to the Sinaloa Cartel. The controversy comes amid reports of the recent death of two CIA agents in Chihuahua, near the U.S. border, during an anti-narcotics operation. The U.S. Department of Justice further strained bilateral relations by launching an investigation, led by Jay Clayton, federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York. The investigation alleges that these officials conspired with cartel leaders to import large quantities of heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl into the U.S. in exchange for political support. Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (FGR) announced it would investigate whether evidence exists to substantiate the U.S. accusations against Rocha Moya and the other officials. Ulises Lara López, Special Prosecutor for Relevant Matters and FGR spokesperson, stated that the investigation aims to determine if there is legal basis for arrest warrants. The accusations formally link Rocha Moya and high-ranking officials in Sinaloa to the Sinaloa Cartel, specifically the faction known as Los Chapitos. Allegedly, the implicated individuals protected cartel operations, provided sensitive information, and facilitated drug transportation to the U.S. in exchange for multimillion-dollar bribes.
Politics'Are voters choosing leaders?': Valley leaders react to Supreme Court voting maps decision
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The U.S. Supreme Court issued a major decision impacting voting rights, making it harder to challenge electoral maps that may dilute the voting power of minority communities. Local leaders from both parties agree the ruling is significant and could shape redistricting for years. One expert says it’s the most important voting rights
PoliticsRubén Rocha, the Most Troublesome Governor for Mexico's President
MEXICO CITY — Rubén Rocha Moya, a 76-year-old politician from the ruling Morena party, has not only been one of the most challenging governors for Mexico's president but has also placed her in a difficult position after becoming the first sitting governor formally accused by Donald Trump's administration of having ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. This development forces the president to choose between her party and relations with the United States. Rocha, a career professor and former rector of Sinaloa's university, had twice aspired to govern his state before becoming a close ally of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018-2024). He served as a senator before taking office as governor of Sinaloa in late 2021—a state in northern Mexico known as the birthplace of some of the country’s most notorious drug traffickers and home to one of the world's most powerful criminal organizations, labeled a terrorist group by Trump's administration. Rocha was a staunch supporter of López Obrador’s “Hugs, Not Bullets” strategy, which aimed to address the root causes of violence but was widely criticized for failing to combat cartels, allowing them to expand their territorial control. Allegations of ties to the Sinaloa Cartel have long shadowed Rocha, partly because he hails from Badiraguato, the same municipality where Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán Loera was born. Rocha is nearly of the same generation as Guzmán and Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, the cartel’s co-founders, both of whom are currently imprisoned in the United States. The governor also accompanied the former president on controversial visits, including one where López Obrador greeted El Chapo’s mother.
PoliticsRubén Rocha, the Most Troublesome Governor for Mexico's President
MEXICO CITY — Rubén Rocha Moya, a 76-year-old politician from the ruling Morena party, has not only been one of the most challenging governors for Mexico's president, but on Wednesday, he became the first sitting governor formally accused by Donald Trump's administration of having ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. This development has placed the president in a difficult position: choosing between her party or relations with the United States. Rocha, a career professor, former rector of Sinaloa's university, and twice a gubernatorial candidate, was a historical ally of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018-2024) and served as a senator before taking office as governor of Sinaloa in late 2021. Sinaloa, located in Mexico's Pacific Northwest, is the birthplace of some of the country's most notorious drug traffickers and a stronghold of one of the world's most powerful criminal organizations, labeled a terrorist group by Trump's administration. Rocha was a staunch supporter of López Obrador's 'Hugs, Not Bullets' strategy, which aimed to address the root causes of violence but was widely criticized by analysts for failing to combat cartels, allowing them to expand territorial control across many regions. His alleged connections to members of the Sinaloa Cartel have long shadowed him, partly because Rocha hails from Badiraguato, the same municipality where Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán Loera was born, and is nearly of the same generation as the cartel's founders, Guzmán and Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, both currently imprisoned in the United States. Rocha also accompanied the former president on controversial visits, including one where López Obrador greeted 'El Chapo's' mother.
PoliticsTexas AG Takes Action Against Houston Center for Exploiting Birthright Citizenship
Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against a Houston-area “birth tourism” operation known as De’Ai Postpartum Care Center (“Center”) for unlawfully facilitating the invasion of Chinese nationals into Texas for the sole purpose of birthing children and obtaining “birthright citizenship” in a manner that violates Texas law, including the Texas Penal Code.
PoliticsU. S. Supreme Court weakens key pillar of Voting Rights Act, opening the door for Texas to redraw political maps
La Corte Suprema de Estados Unidos emitió un fallo que debilita una parte fundamental de la Ley de Derechos Electorales, lo que podría permitir que Texas y otros estados redibujen sus mapas políticos. Esta decisión podría tener un impacto significativo en la representación de las comunidades minoritarias en las elecciones futuras.
PoliticsWhite House says funds to pay TSA and other Homeland Security workers will soon run out
La Casa Blanca informó que los recursos financieros destinados a pagar a los empleados de la Administración de Seguridad en el Transporte (TSA, por sus siglas en inglés) y otros trabajadores del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional están cerca de agotarse. Esto podría generar interrupciones en servicios esenciales si no se toman medidas para garantizar el financiamiento necesario.
PoliticsWatch live: Trump hosts Artemis II astronauts at White House
President Trump on Wednesday afternoon will welcome the astronauts from NASA's historic Artemis II moon fly-by mission to the White House. The four-member crew — commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and Canadian mission specialist Jeremy Hansen — returned to Earth earlier this month after a 10-day mission that took the astronauts
PoliticsU.S. Accuses Governor of Sinaloa and 9 Officials of Ties to Sinaloa Cartel
PHOENIX – The governor of Sinaloa, the mayor of Culiacán, and eight other high-ranking politicians or police officers are facing serious charges in the United States for allegedly collaborating with the Sinaloa Cartel and one of its key factions, 'Los Chapitos.' The U.S. federal prosecutor announced on Wednesday that these ten Mexican officials could face life imprisonment if convicted. The indicted officials are: Ruben Rocha Moya – Governor of Sinaloa; Enrique Inzunza Cázarez – Current senator and former Secretary General of Sinaloa; Enrique Díaz Vega – Former Secretary of Administration and Finance of Sinaloa; Dámaso Castro Zaavedra – Deputy Attorney General of Sinaloa; Marco Antonio Almanza Avilés – Former Chief of the Investigative Police of the Sinaloa Attorney General's Office; Alberto Jorge Contreras Nuñez 'Cholo' – Chief of the Investigative Police of the Sinaloa Attorney General's Office; Gerardo Mérida Sánchez – Former Secretary of Public Security in Sinaloa; José Antonio Dionosio Hipólito 'Tornado' – Former Deputy Director of the State Police of Sinaloa; Juan de Dios Gamez Mendívil – Mayor of Culiacán; Juan Valenzuela Millán – Former Commander of the Municipal Police of Culiacán.
PoliticsCruz appoints Cassy Garcia as Texas State Director
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ted Cruz announced the appointment of Cassy Garcia as State Director for his Texas operations.
PoliticsPowell Says He Will Remain at the Federal Reserve Until Investigation Concludes
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell made it clear on Wednesday that he has no plans to step down for now. After the Fed once again kept interest rates steady, Powell told reporters he intends to remain on the Board of Governors, even as he prepares to hand over the chairmanship to Kevin Warsh next month. He stated he plans to maintain a 'low profile.' 'My concern really lies with the series of legal attacks against the Fed, which threaten our ability to conduct monetary policy without political considerations,' Powell told the press, referring to the Justice Department's criminal investigation against him, which has already been dismissed. However, the Justice Department has indicated it would reopen the investigation if circumstances warranted.
PoliticsPowell Accuses Trump of Putting Federal Reserve Independence 'At Risk'
Washington — Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell stated on Wednesday that the institution's independence is 'at risk' due to legal actions taken by President Donald Trump's administration, including a criminal investigation against Powell that appears to have clear political motivations. 'I believe the Fed's independence is at risk,' Powell said during a press conference in response to a journalist's question. 'I think these legal challenges, if you want to call them that, are punishing the institution because of these issues,' the economist added. Powell, 73, is set to step down as Fed chairman on May 15 but announced that, contrary to tradition, he will remain on the board of governors at least until the investigation initiated by Trump against him is 'concluded definitively and transparently.' It is also believed that Powell's decision reflects his commitment to safeguarding the Fed's independence in monetary policy during a time when the president is fixated on lowering interest rates.
PoliticsDemocrats hold 10-point edge over Republicans ahead of midterm elections: Poll
Democrats hold a 10-point advantage over Republicans on a generic congressional ballot, according to the latest in a series of polls showing the party in a strong position ahead of November’s midterm elections. In a three-day Emerson College Polling survey, conducted this past weekend, 50 percent of likely voters said they would back a generic
PoliticsSupreme Court Limits Use of Race in Redistricting in Victory for Republicans
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court further weakened the Voting Rights Act on Wednesday by ruling that a congressional map in Louisiana constitutes unconstitutional racial gerrymandering, even though it was designed to comply with the historic law aimed at protecting minority voters. In a 6-3 decision led by the conservative majority, the justices indicated that states can almost never consider race when drawing maps to comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which was created to safeguard minority voters who have long faced electoral discrimination. Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority, stated that while there may be extreme situations where the use of race is justified in map drawing, this was not the case in Louisiana. As a result, the new map was deemed an 'unconstitutional racial gerrymander,' he added. In a separate concurring opinion, conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, a longtime critic of the Voting Rights Act, argued that the ruling should 'largely put an end' to a system that he believes illegally divides people into districts based on race. The three liberal justices dissented, with Justice Elena Kagan warning that the 'consequences are likely to be broad and severe.'
PoliticsInterest Rates Expected to Remain Stable Following Federal Reserve Meeting
The Federal Reserve is expected to keep interest rates steady this Wednesday, likely marking the final monetary policy meeting under Chairman Jerome Powell at the helm of the world's most influential central bank. Last week, the path was cleared for Kevin Warsh—President Donald Trump's nominee to succeed Powell—to be confirmed by the Senate after the Department of Justice announced the closure of a criminal investigation involving Powell and the central bank. The Senate Banking Committee is expected to vote Wednesday morning to advance Warsh's nomination to the full Senate for final confirmation.
PoliticsKey Day: Trump’s Attempt to End TPS for Haitians and Syrians Reaches Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — Addressing one of the most contentious aspects of the Trump administration's policies, the Supreme Court will discuss this Wednesday its attempt to eliminate legal protections for thousands of Haitian and Syrian immigrants in the United States. If the government wins the case, it will be able to proceed with its plan to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians. For now, the protections remain in place. The Trump administration has also sought to revoke TPS for immigrants from other countries, including El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, and Afghanistan. The Supreme Court's decision could impact pending lower court cases involving countries such as Somalia, Myanmar, and Ethiopia.
PoliticsTexas DACA recipient will be allowed to return after Trump administration deported him
The Trump administration is allowing a South Texas resident to return to the U.S. after immigration officials deported him earlier this year, despite being a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — an immigration status that protects immigrants from deportation. José Contreras Diaz, 30, was arrested and quickly deported from the Rio Grande Valley
PoliticsAlamo city commissioners appoint acting city manager in special meeting
ALAMO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Alamo city commissioners voted unanimously to terminate its city manager without cause in a special meeting on Tuesday evening. A one-hour-long executive session of the special meeting was held to discuss the city manager role, formerly held by Bobby Salinas. The unanimous vote to terminate Salinas came after the executive session. The
PoliticsAlamo commissioners vote to terminate city manager contract without cause
Los comisionados de la ciudad de Alamo decidieron poner fin al contrato del administrador de la ciudad sin especificar una causa. La decisión se tomó durante una reunión reciente, generando preguntas sobre el futuro liderazgo administrativo de la ciudad. No se proporcionaron detalles adicionales sobre los motivos detrás de la decisión.