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Texas woman tries to flee to Mexico across Rio Grande with infant after human smuggling bust, authorities say

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Texas woman tries to flee to Mexico across Rio Grande with infant after human smuggling bust, authorities say

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A Texas woman found with five illegal immigrants in her vehicle attempted to flee from authorities near the border by swimming across the Rio Grande into Mexico with an infant, officials said. 

Brenda Castro, a U.S. citizen, was a passenger in a Ford Explorer being driven by her husband, also an American citizen, on Dec. 19 in the border city of Laredo when he refused to stop for Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers, the agency said. 

Dashcam footage released by DPS shows the SUV traveling at a high speed along residential and rural roads. 

Authorities said a high-speed chase ensued when Castro bailed out of the vehicle with an infant and tried to swim across the river, which borders Mexico. 

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VIDEO SHOWS 23 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FOUND HIDDEN IN TRUCK CAB DURING TENSE TRAFFIC STOP: POLICE

Brenda Castro jumped into the Rio Grande with an infant in an attempt to flee to Mexico during a high-speed chase with authorities while smuggling illegal immigrants, the Texas Department of Public Safety said.  (Getty Images; Texas Department of Public Safety)

Castro’s husband swam across and made it to Mexico, a DPS spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

State and local law authorities at the scene directed Castro to come back to the U.S. side of the border, and she was arrested. 

TEXAS RAID TARGETING TREN DE ARAGUA GANG LEADS TO ARREST OF 140 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS 

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Bodycam footage shows Brenda Castro and an infant in the Rio Grande on the U.S.-Mexico border.  (Texas Department of Public Safety)

While in the river, authorities were heard telling Castro in Spanish to get back to dry land with the child. A law enforcement officer was then seen taking the child out of the water.

“I can’t believe you tried to run back with the baby. You both could have drowned,” a law enforcement officer told Castro while escorting her into a vehicle upon her arrest.

The child was placed under the care of authorities. 

Authorities said they found five illegal immigrants in Castro’s vehicle and turned them over to the U.S. Border Patrol. 

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The Rio Grande is seen from Laredo, Texas, U.S., September 19, 2020. Picture taken Sept. 19, 2020. (REUTERS/Veronica G. Cardenas)

Castro is charged with human smuggling and endangering a child.

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Family of Brianna Aguilera sues over alcohol service ahead of death

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Family of Brianna Aguilera sues over alcohol service ahead of death

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The family of Brianna Aguilera, the Texas A&M student who fell to her death from a high-rise apartment in November, is suing two organizations for allegedly overserving alcohol ahead of the 19-year-old’s death.

Attorney Tony Buzbee on Tuesday announced a $1 million wrongful death lawsuit was filed in Travis County against the Austin Blacks Rugby Club and the UT Economics and Business Association.

“It is illegal to serve minors any amount of alcohol in the State of Texas. It is reckless and irresponsible to grossly over-serve a group of minors at a University of Texas football tailgate to the point where those minors lose their physical faculties and ability to control themselves,” the lawsuit states. 

Aguilera died when she fell from an Austin high-rise apartment following a Texas A&M vs. University of Texas football tailgate at around 1 a.m. Nov. 29, according to police.

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POLICE SHOULD BE TAKING ‘CLOSER LOOK’ AT COLLEGE STUDENT’S DEATH AFTER MOTHER’S ALLEGATIONS: FORMER PROSECUTOR

An image provided by the family of the young Texas A&M student, Brianna Aguilera, found dead in Austin over the weekend. (GoFundMe)

A police investigation later determined Aguilera died by suicide despite her family’s claims that she was killed.

Brianna Aguilera was found dead in an apartment hours after attending a tailgate party. (Facebook/Brie Aguilera)

According to the filing, the alleged “egregious over-serving of minors” led to Aguilera’s death. Witnesses described her behavior over several hours as “shifting from upbeat to disoriented and ultimately grossly intoxicated,” the suit says.

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Brianna Aguilera holds a sign congratulating her on her acceptance to Texas A&M. (Instagram/brie.aguilera)

TEXAS A&M STUDENT BRIANNA AGUILERA’S FALL DEATH SPARKS POLICE RESPONSE TO FAMILY’S EXPLOSIVE CLAIMS: REPORT

Buzbee said the lawsuit is also intended to support the ongoing investigation into the events of that night by allowing the firm to seek phone and text records, documents and data and to compel witness testimony.

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The lawsuit requests a jury trial.

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Fox News Digital’s Julia Bonavita contributed to this report.

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Key red state could decide US gas prices as Venezuelan oil hits the market

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Key red state could decide US gas prices as Venezuelan oil hits the market

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Nobody handles oil quite like Texas and a fresh supply of Venezuelan crude could soon be headed to the Lone Star State’s coast.

The first barrels of thick, tar-like crude could arrive as soon as next week at ports across Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, where dense clusters of refineries are built and bred to process heavy oil.

The development follows President Donald Trump’s Tuesday evening announcement that Caracas will transfer up to 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S., worth about $2.8 billion at current market prices. 

WE’RE GOING TO LET THE OIL FLOW: ENERGY SECRETARY SAYS US WILL OVERSEE VENEZUELAN OIL SALES

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Venezuelan children swimming near an oil tanker docked at a pier near the refinery of the state oil company PDVSA. (Jesus Vargas/picture alliance/Getty Images)

“The Gulf Coast concentrates most of our refining capacity, and those refineries were built or revamped over the years to process extra-heavy crude similar to what is produced in Venezuela,” explained Jaime Brito, executive director of refining and oil products at OPIS.

“From a market perspective, additional volumes of extra-heavy crude entering the U.S. refining system would be an extraordinarily positive development,” Brito said. “It would allow refiners to operate more efficiently, something they haven’t been able to do for years and could help keep gasoline and diesel prices at better levels because refiners would have access to cheaper crude and more optimal operations.”

‘WE BUILT VENEZUELA’S OIL INDUSTRY:’ TRUMP VOWS US ENERGY RETURN AFTER MADURO CAPTURE

He added that tankers could arrive within five to six days if they leave Venezuelan waters on Thursday.

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Because Gulf Coast refineries supply a large share of the nation’s fuel, shifts in how efficiently they operate can ultimately ripple through to prices paid by U.S. consumers.

Texas oil refineries are poised to benefit from additional crude oil supplies. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

The arrival of 15 to 25 oil tankers carrying up to 50 million barrels of crude is only a fraction of what Venezuela could ultimately supply.

With more than 300 billion barrels of proven reserves, it holds the world’s largest oil endowment — eclipsing long-standing energy heavyweights like Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait.

Despite its vast reserves, U.S. sanctions have effectively blocked most Venezuelan crude from reaching the U.S. Gulf Coast, leaving Chevron — operating under a special authorization — as the sole exporter of limited volumes.

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US NOW IN CONTROL OF VENEZUELA’S OIL RESERVES, THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD

A Chevron Corp. flag flies on the drilling floor of a Nabors Industries Ltd. drill rig in the Permian Basin near Midland, Texas, on March 1, 2018. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

That disruption has been felt most acutely in Texas, which anchors the nation’s refining hub and hosts several of the country’s largest heavy-crude refineries.

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A renewed flow of Venezuelan barrels could also intensify competition in the heavy-crude market, particularly between Venezuela and Canada, Brito said.

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“You’re going to have fierce competition between Canada and Venezuela, which benefits American refiners and gives them more flexibility to potentially lower fuel prices,” he said, adding that he was speaking strictly from an oil-market perspective.

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Security guard fatally shot outside Houston restaurant after confrontation with suspect

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Security guard fatally shot outside Houston restaurant after confrontation with suspect

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A security guard was fatally shot outside a Houston restaurant Wednesday evening after a confrontation with another man, authorities said.

The shooting happened around 6:15 p.m. outside Connie’s Seafood Market Restaurant, the Houston Police Department said.

Police told reporters that the security guard, who was working for the restaurant, was standing in the parking lot when a fight broke out between him and another man, FOX26 Houston reported.

Police said the security guard was shot at least once. He was rushed to a hospital where he later died.

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OFF-DUTY DEPUTY SHOT AND KILLED WHILE WORKING SECURITY JOB IN TEXAS, SUSPECT REMAINS AT LARGE

A security guard was fatally shot outside a Houston restaurant Wednesday evening after a confrontation with another man, authorities said. (Houston Police Department)

Authorities did not immediately release the name of the victim.

The suspect was last seen running away from the parking lot after the shooting.

The security guard was working for the restaurant at the time of the shooting. (Google Maps)

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BROWN UNIVERSITY SHOOTER CONFESSED IN VIDEOS TO PLANNING ATTACK FOR LONG TIME, SHOWED NO REMORSE: DOJ

No details about the suspect or the circumstances that led to the altercation have been released as of Thursday morning.

Houston police were reviewing surveillance footage as they search for the shooting suspect. (Mayra Beltran/Houston Chronicle, File)

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Officials said investigators were reviewing surveillance footage and speaking with witnesses to get a description of the suspect.

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