🚔🛂 San Diego Sheriff Defends Limited ICE Cooperation Amid Immigration Crackdown and Community Backlash
🚀🏙️ SpaceX’s Starbase Could Become Texas’s Newest City in May Incorporation Vote ⚖️💉 Texas Executes Moises Mendoza for 2004 Murder of Former High School Classmate
🚔🛂 San Diego Sheriff Defends Limited ICE Cooperation Amid Immigration Crackdown and Community Backlash
Teri Figueroa, The San Diego Union-Tribune.- Despite a county resolution aimed at ending collaboration with federal immigration authorities, San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez has reaffirmed her department’s limited cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), citing public safety and adherence to state law. At a mandated public forum, Martinez reported that 30 individuals were transferred from jail to ICE custody in 2024 and over 1,000 were notified ICE had requested their release dates. Advocates and immigration attorneys condemned the practice, accusing the sheriff’s office of undermining California’s sanctuary laws and fueling community fear during a national climate of heightened immigration enforcement. Critics tied the sheriff’s actions to broader federal policies under President Trump, including new social media surveillance and deportation campaigns. Martinez countered that jail transfers reduce community ICE raids. Transfers are a fraction of the 1,143 recorded in 2017, before state laws curbed ICE access to local jails.
🚀🏙️ SpaceX’s Starbase Could Become Texas’s Newest City in May Incorporation Vote
Berenice Garcia, The Texas Tribune.- Employees and residents of Starbase, the SpaceX community near Boca Chica Beach, will vote on May 3 to incorporate as Texas’s next official city. If approved, Starbase would become a Type C municipality governed by a mayor and two commissioners, tasked with building a city from scratch. Driven by SpaceX’s growing presence, the move could give the company greater control over local services, development, and land management. With over $100 million in infrastructure already underway, the vote would unlock taxing authority and potential control over beach closures for rocket launches. Critics warn of a “company town” dynamic, but supporters argue the incorporation is a practical step to accommodate growth and streamline operations. Experts say the outcome could set a precedent for private-led city creation in Texas, blending space-age ambition with local governance. Cameron County officials will make the final approval of the vote.
⚖️💉 Texas Executes Moises Mendoza for 2004 Murder of Former High School Classmate
Ayden Runnels, The Texas Tribune.- Moises Mendoza, 41, was executed by lethal injection Wednesday evening for the 2004 abduction and murder of Rachelle Tolleson, a former classmate, in Farmersville, Texas. Mendoza became the third person executed by the state in 2025. In his final words, he apologized to Tolleson’s family and expressed remorse. Mendoza had confessed to killing Tolleson, whose remains were found burned in a remote field days after her disappearance. Appeals alleging the use of false testimony during sentencing were rejected by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. Mendoza’s clemency request was also denied. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said justice had been served. With only one more execution scheduled this year, Texas continues a yearslong trend of declining executions following a peak two decades ago.
🚓🔍 Edinburg Women Charged After Stolen Jeep Tracked to Progreso Bridge via Mobile App
Staff Report, The Monitor.- Two Edinburg women, Yadhira Berenice Rodriguez, 22, and Ruby Zapata, 18, were arrested early Sunday after allegedly attempting to return to the U.S. in a stolen 2024 Jeep Gladiator. The vehicle’s owner used a mobile tracking app to locate the Jeep at the Progreso Port of Entry after discovering it missing from her residence on Moonlight Lane. U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted the vehicle around 4:55 a.m. with assistance from the Mexican military, who had flagged the Jeep as potentially stolen. The car was recovered within hours, and the suspects were charged with auto theft. Edinburg Police Chief Jaime Ayala credited the rapid recovery to cooperation between Edinburg police, the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Combined Auto Theft Task Force, and federal agencies. Authorities say the mobile app showed the Jeep had been started at 2:55 a.m. and crossed into Mexico shortly after 4 a.m.