Tagged News

• Judge orders ICE chief to appear in court to explain why detainees have been denied due process

  January 27, 2026 11:40 AM

  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The chief federal judge in Minnesota says the Trump administration has failed to comply with orders to hold hearings for detained immigrants and ordered the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to appear before him Friday to explain why he should not be held in contempt. ... more »

• Doctor who helped sell ketamine to actor Matthew Perry before his overdose death avoids prison time

  December 16, 2025 3:57 PM

  LOS ANGELES (AP) — A doctor who pleaded guilty in a scheme to supply ketamine to actor Matthew Perry before his overdose death was sentenced Tuesday to 8 months of home confinement. Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett handed down the sentence that included 3 years of supervised release to 55-year-old... more »

• Chicago and Illinois sue to stop Trump's Guard deployment plan after Portland ruling

  October 6, 2025 12:53 PM

  CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois leaders went to court Monday to stop President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops to Chicago, escalating a clash between Democratic-led states and the Republican administration during an aggressive immigration enforcement operation in the nation's third-largest city. The legal challenge came hours after a... more »

• Man accused of trying to kill Trump says prosecutors haven't proven assassination attempt

  September 21, 2025 11:31 AM

  FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — A man accused of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump at his Florida golf course last year told a federal judge on Friday that prosecutors haven't proven that an assassination attempt occurred. But the judge denied his motion for acquittal, meaning jurors will eventually decide... more »

• Florida federal judge tosses Trump's $15B defamation lawsuit against The New York Times

  September 19, 2025 2:58 PM

  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A Florida federal judge on Friday tossed out a $15 billion defamation lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump against The New York Times. U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday ruled that Trump's 85-page lawsuit was overly long and full of "tedious and burdensome" language that... more »

• Final preparations for trial of man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump in Florida

  September 2, 2025 9:04 AM

  FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — A man charged with trying to assassinate President Donald Trump last year in South Florida is set to represent himself during a pretrial conference on Tuesday, as final preparations are made for trial. Barring any delays, jury selection is scheduled to begin Sept. 8... more »

• Appeals court allows Trump to end temporary protections for migrants from Central America and Nepal

  August 20, 2025 4:18 PM

  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal appeals court on Wednesday sided with the Trump administration and stayed a lower court's order keeping in place temporary protections for 60,000 migrants from Central America and Nepal. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco granted the emergency stay pending... more »

• Mission Taco Ole manager sentenced to 6 months probation for hiring undocumented employees

  August 19, 2025 4:27 PM

  The manager of a Taco Ole in Mission was sentenced to six months probation after pleading guilty to hiring undocumented employees, federal court records show. Juan Ramirez Cortez, 40, pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of aiding and abetting unlawful employment of undocumented individuals. He was sentenced that same... more »

• Abby's Bakery owners found guilty of harboring undocumented employees Play Video

  August 13, 2025 12:29 PM

  The owners of a Los Fresnos Bakery were convicted Wednesday on charges of harboring undocumented employees within their business. Owners Leonardo Baez-Lara and Nora Avila-Guel will be sentenced on Nov. 18, 2025. They are permanent, legal residents but could lose their residency status following their convictions. They are currently... more »

• Judge orders temporary halt to construction at Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention center

  August 7, 2025 2:02 PM

  MIAMI (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday ordered a temporary halt to construction at an immigration detention center — built in the middle of the Florida Everglades and dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" — as attorneys argue whether it violates environmental laws. The facility can continue to operate and hold... more »

• Former La Joya mayor pleads not guilty to wire fraud charges Play Video

  February 13, 2020 7:26 PM

  MCALLEN – Former La Joya Mayor Jose A. “Fito” Salinas pleaded not guilty to federal wire fraud charges on Thursday. Fito Salinas, 81, of La Joya pleaded not guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud during a hearing Thursday at the federal courthouse in McAllen. ... more »

• Man sentenced for falsifying weapon sales form in McAllen Play Video

  February 7, 2020 9:15 PM

  MCALLEN – According to the feds, lying to obtain guns is a growing problem in the Rio Grande Valley, but it’s worse in two counties in particular. Straw purchasing is when you lie and buy a gun for someone else . Twenty people in the Valley were arrested this... more »

• Former vice chairwoman of La Joya Housing Authority board pleads not guilty Play Video

  January 23, 2020 10:06 PM

  McAllen — The former vice chairwoman of the La Joya Housing Authority board pleaded not guilty Thursday to bribery and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Sylvia Garces Valdez, 39, of La Joya pleaded not guilty on Thursday morning, according to federal court records. Garces Valdez, who served as... more »

• Jurors to Start Deliberations Tuesday in Valley Doctor’s Health Care Fraud Trial

  January 13, 2020 12:04 PM

  UPDATE (7:50 PM): The jury chose a foreperson Monday afternoon and asked permission to start deliberations on Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Ricardo Hinojosa instructed the jurors to return at 8:30 a.m. ------- MCALLEN – The jury is now deliberating the fate of a Rio Grande Valley doctor,... more »

• Valley Attorney Facing Bribery Charges Pleads Not Guilty Play Video

  July 25, 2019 11:30 AM

  MCALLEN – A Rio Grande Valley attorney facing bribery charges was granted bond Thursday. Roel Alanis is facing six counts of bribery and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. He pleaded not guilty before the federal judge in Brownsville Thursday morning. According to his indictment, the... more »

• Day Three: Former District Judge Delgado's Trial Play Video

  July 9, 2019 4:08 PM

  MCALLEN – An envelope stuffed with $5,500 in cash was passed between jurors Tuesday morning. They held the plastic-wrapped envelope probing its thickness between their thumbs and index fingers. Indicted Judge Rodolfo Delgado closely watched the jury with elbows on the table, hands clasped and twiddling his thumbs.... more »

• Brownsville Federal Court Using Electronic Monitoring to Cut Costs Play Video

  January 23, 2019 7:02 PM

  BROWNSVILLE – Federal courts sentencing defendants are looking at ways to cut back. The cost-saving measures were discussed during a hearing for a man who lied about a gun purchase. CHANNEL 5 NEWS, in collaboration with the Brownsville Herald, explains where the federal court is trying to save.... more »

• Gov't Surveyors Working on Border Wall Assessment in Rio Grande City Play Video

  January 16, 2019 5:49 PM

  RIO GRANDE CITY – Government surveyors are working on border wall assessments in Rio Grande City. The Rio Grande City Consolidated School District board members approved U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s ability to conduct survey and site assessments. A survey marker has been laid flat near Rio Grande... more »

• Former Local Police Chief Facing Drug Charges, Arraignment Set Play Video

  August 14, 2017 10:34 AM

  UPDATE(7/15): Sentencing for former La Joya police chief Geovani Hernandez is set for Tuesday. ----- UPDATE (8/18): A former La Joya police chief facing drug charges was granted bond. A judge set Geovani Hernandez's bond at $100,000 despite prosecutors saying he is a flight risk. Count... more »