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Heriberto Perez Lara

Heriberto Perez Lara is ABC-7’s Juárez correspondent and multimedia journalist.

13 indicted, accused of transporting stolen vehicles to Mexican cartels

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Thirteen people face federal charges in El Paso for allegedly transporting stolen vehicles from the U.S. to Mexico, U.S Attorney Justin Simmons announced Monday. Monday, Simmons hosted a press conference at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in El Paso to announce the charges. Officials from Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI and

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City council approves proposal to evaluate more safety measures on Transmountain

UPDATE (Oct. 27, 2026): City Representative for District 1, Alejandra Chavez, said she placed an agenda item to direct the city manager and city attorney to evaluate potential restrictions on heavy commercial truck traffic. Tuesday, city council approved the item. The item directs the city manager and city attorney to coordinate with the Texas Department

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El Paso residents react to proposal to rename the Bridge of the Americas after President Trump

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Thursday, some border residents expressed divided opinions regarding a local businessman’s proposal to rename the Bridge of the Americas after President Donald Trump. The El Paso Chamber, along with other local business leaders, held a news conference Wednesday in Downtown El Paso. Leaders called on local, state, and federal government

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El Paso soldier’s wife faces potential deportation despite claims of legal entry, status

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Rosa Olson, the wife of active-duty soldier Jacob Olson, is facing potential deportation following government allegations that she entered the United States illegally. Her family denies the claim, stating she originally entered the country legally on a student visa. The couple married about one year ago and subsequently began the

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Local resident creates real-time crossing estimates platform for border bridges

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — A new border monitoring platform, “Fila de Puentes,” provides live wait-time estimates at international bridges, compiled from U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, community reports, and other official sources. José Andrés Meza Parra is from Juárez and lived on the border all his life. He started Fila de Puentes nearly

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Ciudad Juárez records its least violent September in over a decade, SSPE says

CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) — The Chihuahua State Police Department (Secretaría de Seguridad Pública del Estado de Chihuahua) said this week that no murders were reported in 51 of Chihuahua’s 67 municipalities last month. SSPE’s Assistant Police Chief Luis Ángel Aguirre held a news conference this week and announced that September ended as the least

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wet roads

TxDOT’s tips for driving in severe weather conditions – stay at home if you can

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — With more heavy rain and thunderstorms coming through the Borderland, officials are urging everyone to stay safe while driving in severe weather. The main advice: stay home if you don’t need to be outside. ABC-7 spoke with TxDOT El Paso District’s Public Information Officer Lauren Macias-Cervantes. Other tips she shared

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Anthony residents concerned over damage to cemeteries caused by heavy rains

ANTHONY, New Mexico (KVIA) — Severe storms and heavy rains that hit the border area this week caused several damage across the region, including at the Anthony Community Cemetery and the Anthony Catholic Cemetery. Both cemeteries operate separately under different management: The Community Cemetery operates under a board of directors The Catholic Cemetery operates under

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2 Mexican nationals plead guilty to human smuggling, supporting designated terrorist organization

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Thursday, two Mexican Nationals pleaded guilty in federal court to human smuggling and supporting the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in Mexico. The Trump Administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization, the Drug Enforcement Administration El Paso Field Division said. The DEA said Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez and Gustavo

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Border Patrol El Paso Sector demonstrates border security efforts alongside other agencies

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector hosted a joint border security operation today in South-Central El Paso along the U.S.-Mexico border; the exercise involved federal agencies, state military forces and Mexican military partners. The exercise shown was aimed at showcasing rapid response capabilities following the U.S. Department of State’s designation

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Legal Limbo: Venezuelan migrant legally in the US fears deportation, failing to achieve his dream

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Joel Vargas is from Venezuela. He left his country back in 2022 and arrived in Ciudad Juárez in spring 2023. He’s currently navigating the federal asylum process while working in construction in Colorado Springs. After securing an entry appointment through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) One app in

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ICE will no longer use Socorro warehouses, scraps detention center plans

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — On Tuesday, U.S. Congresswoman Veronica Escobar announced that some Socorro, Texas, warehouses purchased by the Department of Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will instead go to the U.S. General Services Administration. “I’m pleased to announce that the Department of Homeland Security has transferred the Socorro warehouses to

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Legal Limbo: Migrant faces immigration uncertainty following immigration app change

UPDATE (08/13/26): EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Joel Vargas is from Venezuela. He left his country back in 2022 and arrived in Ciudad Juárez in spring 2023. He’s currently navigating the federal asylum process while working in construction in Colorado Springs. After securing an entry appointment through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) One

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Border Patrol El Paso Sector sees a continuing trend of smuggling attempts on ridesharing platforms

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector issued a warning last month to rideshare drivers about manipulation by transnational criminal organizations involved in human smuggling. Popular rideshare platforms include Uber and Lyft. Federal officials warned drivers who accept suspicious fares risk severe physical danger and federal felony charges, as they said

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