Austin, TX
Thousands gather in Austin to protest ICE operations
AUSTIN, Texas – At the Pan American Neighborhood Park in East Austin, a sea of demonstrators joined together to protest ICE activity across the country.
East Austin ICE protest
An estimated 3,700 people RSVP’d to Saturday’s “Stop ICE” rally, held by State Rep. James Talarico. Featured alongside him were other elected officials, such as U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, and U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, who could be heard saying, “No more ICE terrorizing Minneapolis. No more ICE terrorizing Austin. No more!”
Besides officials, families who had been directly impacted by immigration enforcement also shared their experiences. Alongside her children, a woman named Evelyn spoke about how it’s been almost two months since she’s seen her husband after he was detained by immigration officials.
What they’re saying:
“ICE destroyed my family. It stole my husband from us, leaving us destitute. All my husband was doing that day, December 2nd, was getting gas to go to work. My husband is not a criminal,” Evelyn said through an interpreter.
Liam Ramos ordered to be released
Many eyes were still on Liam Ramos, a five-year-old detained alongside his father in Minnesota. The two are currently held at an immigration center in Dilley, Texas. At Saturday’s rally, Casar gave an update on his potential release.
“Austin, I’m glad to tell you that a judge has ordered Donald Trump to release Liam Ramos,” said Casar.
The ruling came from federal Judge Fred Biery, who on Saturday ordered the release of Liam Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, from the facility in Dilley. Per the order, the pair are to be released no later than Tuesday, Feb. 3.
“The case has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children,” Biery said in the order.
Other ICE detainees
But for Castro, who visited the center last week with U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, their attention now shifts to the other children and families still held in ICE detainment.
“There was also a nine-year-old named Mateo from Austin, Texas,” Castro said. “He and his family we’re picked up on New Year’s Eve, and they spent New Year’s Eve getting processed into the Dilley Detention Center.”
And as their cause moves forward, Casar urged the people of Saturday’s rally to not lose hope.
“We cannot bring back Mr. Pretti or Ms. Good. But in honor of their memories, people are rising up to demand a better world. Austin, together, we can build it,” said Casar.
The Source: Information in this article comes from FOX 7 coverage at an Austin protest.
Austin, TX
Shooting at Gus Garcia Rec Center Results in Fatality
One person is dead and other is injured but in stable condition after a shooting at the Gus Garcia Recreation Center over the weekend.
At 12:43 a.m. on Feb. 15, Austin Police Department responded to a call about shots fired at the Gus Garcia Recreation Center at 1201 E. Rundberg Lane.
When officers arrived, they located 32-year-old Jamal Elijah with apparent gunshot wounds to his body. Life-saving attempts failed and Elijah was pronounced dead at 1:07 a.m. A second male victim was transported to a local hospital and is reportedly in stable condition.
Homicide detectives later obtained surveillance video that showed Elijah at the recreation center spending time with friends when they were “confronted by a suspect group who shot and killed Elijah.”
APD posted a 29-second surveillance footage clip to its YouTube channel, and it calls the individuals shown in the video “people of interest who the Austin Police Homicide unit are trying to identify,” according to the press release.
Anyone with information about the shooting should contact the Homicide Unit at 512-974-TIPS. You can also submit anonymous tips through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers program at 512-472-8477. The department is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.
This case is being investigated as Austin’s ninth homicide of the year. The eighth homicide of the year occurred on Feb. 14. Police responded to a residence in South Austin to find two people dead in what was an apparent murder-suicide.
Although that investigation is also still ongoing, detectives believe Rios fatally stabbed Montgomery before taking his own life. Anyone with information about that case can contact APD at 512-974-TIPs or submit an anonymous tip through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program.
Austin, TX
Texas DOT Says I-35 Overpass That’s Obviously Splitting Is ‘Structurally Sound’
If you’re fed up with your government not filling potholes on your daily commute, be glad that’s all it is. At least you aren’t doing a slightly smaller scale version of the drawbridge jump from “2 Fast 2 Furious.” Drivers on Highway 290 East in Austin, Texas, can look up at the northbound Interstate 35 flyover and see what I’m talking about. Or, you can look at these embeds from social media.
Austin locals started posting about it online Tuesday, and I stumbled across it while on Reddit last night. User __MOON_KNIGHT___ uploaded this clip to r/Austin, with the comment section going about how you’d expect. To my surprise, the Texas Department of Transportation had already inspected the area and given it the all-clear.
And here’s another by Reddit user Dollypootin:
TxDOT told local ABC affiliate KVUE that there were no structural concerns with the bridge. Likewise, a spokesperson for the department told MySA, “TxDOT has monitored the flyovers at US 290 and I-35 for some time and they are structurally sound. The bridge joints are designed to expand and contract. In the case of these joints, they’ve created a larger gap and are due for replacement. There is a plan to replace the bridge joints. Replacement should get underway soon.”
So, they plan to fix it. That’s good news. But it doesn’t seem to be incredibly pressing, which is almost hard to believe.
There haven’t been any reported incidents due to the gap. You can also find previous snapshots of the joints in less-than-ideal shape on Google Earth. These screenshots show the flyover’s condition in March 2024, and although the guardrail hadn’t yet separated, it still looked super sketchy.
Anywho, just be careful if you drive an EG Civic on cut springs and decide to take that route. I can’t imagine the jolt you’d get from that when a roadkill possum rattles your teeth.
Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@thedrive.com
Austin, TX
Talarico rallies in Austin as early voting opens after Colbert interview controversy
AUSTIN, Texas — State Rep. James Talarico, who is running for U.S. Senate, spoke to supporters Tuesday night as early voting began in Texas, following controversy over an interview with “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” that aired online instead of on television.
Colbert said CBS blocked the interview from airing on TV. CBS, however, said the network had received legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal-time rule for two other candidates, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett.
The interview was set to run just before early voting for the March 3 Democratic primary. Talarico described the situation as “the most dangerous kind of cancel culture.”
“You all may have seen that they’ve launched a probe into The View after I went on that show,” Talarico said, referring to a previous FCC action. “So it’s the second time we’ve been targeted by the FCC.”
KEYE DVR_WINDOW
ALSO| Texas Rep. James Talarico caught in CBS-Colbert dispute over ‘Late Show’ interview
Colbert explained the network’s concern during his show, noting the equal-time rule requires that if a show hosts a candidate during an election, it must offer all opponents an equal opportunity to appear. The FCC issued guidance Jan. 21 saying the rule now applies to daytime and late-night talk shows, which were previously exempt.
Russ Horton, a lawyer with George Brothers Kincaid & Horton LLP in Austin, who frequently works on First Amendment issues, said the new guidelines could pressure networks to limit political appearances on entertainment programs. “The legal department of CBS decided they just didn’t want to risk having a candidate the current administration may not view as favorable,” Horton said.
Rep. Crockett, who is also running in the Democratic primary, said she understood CBS offered options to air Talarico while maintaining equal-time compliance. “There may have been advice to just have me on, and then they could clear the issue. It was my understanding that someone somewhere decided we just don’t want to do that,” she said.
Talarico kicked off early voting in Austin with a rally Tuesday night, telling supporters he is ready for the upcoming primary. CBS Austin also reached out to Ahmad Hassan, a third Democratic candidate, but had not received a response.
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