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Dallas woman allegedly tried to smuggle 9-year-old twins from Mexico under blanket

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Dallas woman allegedly tried to smuggle 9-year-old twins from Mexico under blanket


A U.S. Customs and Border Protection patch is displayed on the arm of an officer on September 28, 2024. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

A 31-year-old Dallas woman has been charged with smuggling 9-year-old twins into the United States from Mexico, according to U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

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Smuggling twins from Mexico

What we know:

According to court documents, on Oct. 26, 2024, Jovanna Netzay Diaz arrived at the Border Patrol checkpoint in Laredo. Upon initial inspection, authorities allegedly observed a blanket moving between the second and third rows of the vehicle.

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Law enforcement found one minor underneath the blanket and another hidden on the floorboard of the vehicle’s front passenger seat, according to the charges. 

The minors were determined to be nine-year-old twins, who are Mexican nationals. The twins had no familial connection to Diaz.

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Fort Worth woman sentenced for smuggling minors from Mexico

A 36-year-old Fort Worth woman has been sentenced to federal prison for trying to smuggle two Mexican children from Mexico into the United States. She was trying to take them to their mother in Fort Worth, according to what she told officers at the border.

What we don’t know:

The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the federal court documents do not say if Diaz was arrested on Oct. 26, or what happened to the twins at that time.

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Court Proceedings

An arrest warrant for Diaz was issued on Feb. 19 and was executed on Feb. 27. She was arrested in Irving, according to federal court documents. Her mugshot was not available, according to Dallas County officials.

The Indictment:

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A federal grand jury returned the three-count indictment on Feb. 19, which was unsealed upon her arrest Feb. 27. She is officially charged with conspiring to transport, attempting to transport and transporting two undocumented minors illegally in the United States for financial gain.

If convicted, Diaz faces up to 10 years in federal prison as well as a $250,000 maximum possible fine. 

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What’s next:

Diaz is expected to make her initial appearance for a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Renee Harris Toliver in Dallas on March 5 at 10 a.m. She will then be expected in Laredo federal court shortly thereafter. 

The Source: Information in this article is from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas and federal court documents.

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Dallas, TX

Dallas weather: Storms return this week with large hail and tornado threat

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Dallas weather: Storms return this week with large hail and tornado threat


North Texans will enjoy a brief break today before the next weather system arrives, bringing multiple rounds of storms. A warmup is on the way, with temperatures climbing back into the mid-80s by the weekend.

Monday Forecast

Following a few morning showers in the eastern counties, expect a warm and breezy Monday. High temperatures will climb into the low 80s under partly cloudy skies.

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Tuesday Forecast

As an upper-level low-pressure system moves to the west, scattered storms will move into the region Tuesday afternoon. Some of these storms could become severe, with the primary threats being large hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes.

Simultaneously, storms are expected to develop ahead of a dryline to the west. While the tornado threat remains low in this area, any storms that form could produce large hail and damaging wind gusts. 

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7-Day Forecast

Those overnight storms should push out to the east by Wednesday morning, but don’t put the umbrella away just yet. As the main weather system moves directly over us Wednesday afternoon, we’ll likely see another round of scattered storms that could still bring with some hail. Once everything finally clears out Wednesday evening, we can look forward to some drier, much more comfortable air moving back into the area.

Thursday will be noticeably cooler, with high temperatures settling in the mid-60s. However, sunshine and a quick warmup are expected by the weekend. Temperatures will rebound into the 80s on Friday and Saturday.

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The Source: Information in this article comes from the National Weather Service and FOX 4 forecasters.

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Off-duty Dallas officer shoots at suspects allegedly trying to steal his vehicle in Addison, police say

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Off-duty Dallas officer shoots at suspects allegedly trying to steal his vehicle in Addison, police say



An off-duty Dallas police officer shot at a group of people allegedly trying to steal his personal vehicle on Sunday afternoon in Addison, officials said. 

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According to the Addison Police Department, around 2:15 p.m., the off-duty Dallas officer saw a group of people trying to steal his vehicle in a parking lot at 5000 Belt Line Road. He confronted the suspects, “and during the encounter, fired a weapon at the suspects’ vehicle.”

The suspects fled in their vehicle, Addison police said, and it is unknown if any suspects were hit by gunfire.

The investigation is ongoing.



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Dallas dropped the ball on the Wings’ practice facility

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Dallas dropped the ball on the Wings’ practice facility


The Dallas Wings can’t seem to get a win, at least when it comes to the team’s training facility and arena. Not only is its practice facility in west Oak Cliff, approved over the summer and fast-tracked to open ahead of the team’s spring season, now running behind schedule, it is also somehow over budget.

Dallas had already committed $55 million for the team’s practice facility, a price tag we were uncomfortable with from the beginning. At the time, city staff said that was the amount needed to build a training facility with the amenities and infrastructure required for a WNBA team. The city argued there were few viable alternative locations for the practice facility after delays with the convention center, and they were running out of time. Enter the $55 million facility at Joey Georgusis Park.

But now the project needs an additional $27 million to cross the finish line. How did costs increase so much in just a few months? And how did a project that was expedited to meet the team’s deadline end up falling behind and over budget?

City staff attribute the holdup to missed deadlines by the project management firm McKissack and McKissack and new requirements from the WNBA that weren’t part of the original scope. McKissack and McKissack didn’t respond to multiple messages seeking comment for this editorial. Whatever the company’s missteps, the city is ultimately responsible for conducting due diligence and making sure the project stays on track, and it couldn’t deliver what it promised.

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Now the city wants the Wings to take over. The city would cap its total contributions at $57 million, which includes $653,000 in delay reimbursements. The Wings would then cover the remaining costs, at least $27 million, needed to finish the practice facility and agree not to sue Dallas for the delays.

Some City Council members have suggested that Dallas should consider the American Airlines Center for the Wings’ practice facility and arena. But even though the Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Stars, who currently play at the AAC, are looking to leave, their lease agreements run through 2031. That doesn’t do much for the Wings who need a practice facility now.

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Maybe all of this could have been avoided if the city had more seriously considered existing facilities that could have accommodated the Wings. That’s not to say the team doesn’t deserve a training space that will meet their needs, but repurposing an existing space instead of starting from the ground up might have saved both time and money.

This debacle is frustrating for the Wings, and it also isn’t a good look for the city. If Dallas can’t figure out how to deliver a practice facility that it promised to one of its professional sports teams, how can it hope to attract more businesses and major investments? Anyone watching this unfold would have good reason to question the city’s ability to deliver.

We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here.

If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com



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