A South Dallas nonprofit that works with individuals transitioning out of Texas prisons aims to highlight the human side of incarceration. Trinity Restoration Ministries’ holiday gathering in a prison allowed children to celebrate Christmas with their fathers.
Texas
Border pitfalls: Teen misses graduation after El Paso smuggling pursuit arrest
President Biden targets border crossings, asylum in executive order
President Joe Biden signed an executive order that will cap entry and prevent migrants from seeking asylum if they cross into the U.S. illegally.
Instead of attending his high school graduation ceremony, an El Paso-area teenager was in jail after being arrested in a migrant smuggling high-speed chase on the West Side, court officials said.
The Operation Lone Star case is among the continuing risks young people face getting involved in border migrant smuggling vehicle pursuits on El Paso’s streets.
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Jabin Encinas, 17, is accused of leading Texas state troopers on an 80 mph chase through residential streets in a Chevrolet Silverado transporting undocumented migrants, Assistant District Attorney John Briggs said at a teleconference bond hearing on Sunday, June. 2.
Encinas, of Socorro, was booked into the El Paso County Jail on Friday, May 31, on charges of smuggling of persons with a firearm, unlawful carrying of a weapon and evading arrest in a vehicle. He was released on a surety bond on Tuesday.
Under Texas law, persons 17 and older are considered adults in the criminal justice system.
Teen smuggler suspect misses high school graduation
Encinas has no prior criminal record, had completed high school and was supposed to have taken part in his graduation ceremony last Saturday, public defense attorney Richard “Rick” Huffman said at the bond hearing. The name of the high school was not disclosed.
Huffman added that Encinas, who lives with his mother and grandmother, plans to study mechanical engineering and is enrolled to start soon at the University of Texas at El Paso.
“I spoke to his mom. His mom was really surprised by this. This is way out of character, judge,” Huffman told Magistrate Judge Ruben Nuñez at the hearing while seeking to have the bond amounts reduced.
West El Paso migrant smuggler pursuit
The incident started in the border smuggling hot zone near Santa Teresa, New Mexico, just west of El Paso.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers monitoring U.S. Border Patrol radio transmissions learned that a group of migrants had climbed over the border wall in New Mexico and were heading to a known smuggler pick-up spot, Briggs said at the hearing.
The migrants got into a Chevrolet Silverado, which a trooper found on Artcraft Road after it crossed the state line into Texas, the prosecutor said. The trooper attempted to pull over the truck because a brake light was out and registration expired in 2022.
The pursuit began when the driver of the Silverado refused to stop and traveled up Artcraft Road across Interstate 10 past a Walmart store into a neighborhood, Briggs said.
In the neighborhood, the truck momentarily stopped as three men and a woman exited and ran off before the driver continued, going 80 mph through residential streets and running red lights, almost causing several accidents before eventually stopping, the prosecutor said.
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Troopers found a loaded .40-caliber Glock 23 handgun in the truck’s center console — which made the human smuggling charge more serious because it involved a firearm, Briggs, the prosecutor, said.
One of the persons arrested after running from the truck was an undocumented Mexican citizen, who was allegedly the “guide” for other migrants who led them on foot over the border, the prosecution said.
‘Placed a lot of people in danger’
Encinas, who is accused of being the driver, was arrested on charges of smuggling of persons with a firearm, unlawful carrying of a weapon and evading arrest in a vehicle. He was booked into the El Paso County Jail in Downtown.
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Bonds were set at:
- $50,000 for the smuggling case
- $40,000 for evading arrest in a vehicle
- $10,000 for unlawful carrying of a weapon
Huffman, the public defender, argued that the young man didn’t have a criminal record and the bonds were too high for his mother to pay. Nuñez, the judge, refused to lower the bond amount.
“Mr. Encinas, I’m not going to lower your bond,” Nuñez told him. “What it is alleged that you did placed a lot of people in danger — not just you, the people that were in the vehicle, law enforcement officers that were chasing you, but more importantly, the citizens of this community.”
Jail records show Encinas was released Tuesday on a surety bond.
Smuggler groups hiring drivers in El Paso
The pursuit last week is part of a continuing pattern of Texas DPS vehicle chases of migrant smugglers on the El Paso border.
Migrant trafficking — with its associated crimes of smuggling, kidnapping and extortion — is now as profitable as drugs for Mexican cartels on the border, Chihuahua state law enforcement officials have said.
More: El Paso high school student arrested in smuggling case after migrant falls from overpass
In the lower rungs of the smuggling organizations are the “load drivers” on the U.S. side who are hired to pick up and transport migrants after they illegally cross the border.
Generally, the drivers take the migrant “load” to a meeting spot, where someone else then transports them to a stash house, where they stay before their journey continues to other U.S. cities. Drivers are ordered not to stop for police.
Operation Lone Star made at least 33 arrests for human smuggling in the El Paso region from April 19 to May 16, according to a Texas DPS West Texas Region post on X. Those arrested were men ranging in age from 18 to 65 years old.
Border migrant smuggling: Payments and pitfalls
A quick look back at migrant smuggling cases in the El Paso Times in recent years shows drivers were to be paid from $50 to $1,000 per person — most payments appeared to be about $200 to $350 per migrant.
Teenagers and young people are being recruited by smugglers with risk-filled promises of easy cash on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and other social media, Texas DPS spokesman Sgt. Eliot Torres said in an email.
Some of those smuggler runs ended in fatal crashes and, in at least one case, a teen driver faces a murder charge set for trial next year after a Mexican migrant died in a crash while fleeing a trooper on North Mesa Street last year.
Texas DPS gives school presentations on “the dangers of human smuggling and the pitfalls that our youth go through due to recruitment to smuggle humans,” Torres said.
“Our advice is the same with any crime,” Torres said. “You get paid what you think is a lot of money to transport humans. In reality, you’re paid just a small fee that can ruin the rest of your life.”
The last time Karley Alejo spent Christmas with her dad was when she was 3 years old.
Now 16, Alejo walked into the gym at the Sanders Estes Unit, trying to make eye contact with her father, Julian Alejo, who was wearing a white inmate uniform and a red Christmas hat.
Julian Alejo, 43, who is serving a 30-year sentence for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, was one of 27 inmates at the Sanders Estes Unit selected to participate in the Christmas with Dads event organized by Trinity Restoration Ministries on Dec.19. This south Dallas non-profit organization operates a faith-based reentry program for individuals transitioning out of Texas prisons.
For the first time since Sanders Estes Prison was established 36 years ago, its gym was transformed into a holiday village for inmates to celebrate Christmas with their children.
Julian Alejo, an inmate at the Sanders Estes Unit prison in Venus, talks with his 16-year-old daughter, Karley, during a Chirstmas with dads event Dec. 19, 2025.
Azul Sordo / Staff Photographer
“This makes it more authentic and personal. Being able to open gifts and not having to just take them home and talk about them,” said Karley Alejo. “You get to actually be here, to make memories with your family here. It’s amazing.”
Inmates and volunteers pushed the gym equipment to the side to make room for four Christmas trees surrounded by presents, a red carpet, long tables set up with crafts, books, board games, a face-painting booth and food.
For a couple of hours, the gym was filled with laughter, shouts, prayers and the sound of children running around. Christmas music played in the background while children sat on their dads’ laps.
At one point, Santa showed up, and families took photos with him. The portraits were just like any family would take during the holidays. Still, the tall walls, tiny windows, and the wired patio, along with the surveillance cameras, were reminders of where the celebration was being held.
On two occasions, all the dads left the gym for the mandatory headcount before returning to be with their children.
Julian Alejo has been incarcerated for 12 years and dreamed of spending Christmas with his daughter. The night before the event, he couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t believe he was going to see her open a Christmas gift.
“Even though I’ve been away from her for years, I still have to show her that I’m her dad, I love her, and I’m here for her, and I’m going to support her, and what she does,” Julian Alejo said. “I’m going to advise her wisely, and I’ve got to make sure I’m there for her.
‘It’s about the kids, not the adults’
For Karley Alejo, living all these years with her dad has shown her how incarceration affects families and how society sees the inmates.
“I just feel like a lot of the time, people believe that if you’re in prison, you did something awful, and you can’t change, and that nobody’s gonna forgive you, and you’re just here,” Karley Alejo said. “But a lot of the time, a lot of people don’t want that from themselves. They might have made a mistake when they were younger or older, but all the people here have families.”
Shagala Taylor, 50, decided to take Friday off from work to visit her brother, Larry Taylor, and bring his eight-year-old twins, Champion and Reagyn.
Larry Taylor, 43, who is serving a 45-year sentence for murder, was surprised by his son. The boy ran toward Larry Taylor to be picked up by ‘Daddy.’
After setting him down, Larry Taylor did the viral ‘floss dance’ with him. He gave his daughter and sister big hugs. Then, they sat down to wait for their turn to be called out for breakfast.
Larry Jr. Taylor, an inmate at the Sanders Estes Unit prison in Venus, plays with his eight-year-old twins, Champion and Reagyn, during a Chirstmas with dads event Dec. 19, 2025.
Azul Sordo / Staff Photographer
“Sometimes people don’t understand because in their mindset, ‘Adults knew what they were doing,’ but at the end of the day, it’s not about the adult, it’s about the kids of the incarcerated individuals,” Shagala Taylor said. “You have to get out of that mindset and bring it down to the kids’ level, understanding how they’re feeling. Got to have empathy and sympathy. I wish there were more programs out here like this.”
Shagala Taylor added the regular visits are tough for the kids.
They last two hours, and there’s no physical contact. Sometimes there are crayons and books, but still, the kids get bored and don’t understand why there isn’t a playground or why “Daddy” can’t pick them up or sit them on his lap.
“At the end of the day, it’s about the kids. They didn’t have a choice to be part of it. Ground the adults but not the kids,” Shagala Taylor said.
Larry Taylor treasures the memories of wearing matching pajamas with his children before he was incarcerated in 2022. He hopes one day he and his children can do it again.
Following the example
Around 200 volunteers came together to create the one-of-a-kind event, the result of months of planning, said Richard “Chico” Smith, executive director of Trinity Restoration Ministries.
The congregation from Lakepointe Church in Rockwall provided approximately 60 volunteers and covered most of the event’s expenses. Volunteers from Templo Betania in Dallas also participated by helping with decorations, serving food and greeting the families.
“Jesus told us not to forget about the incarcerated,” said volunteer Carmen Vazquez, 52. “He set an example for us to serve everyone, especially those who need us the most.”
Lamar Simpson, an inmate at the Sanders Estes Unit prison in Venus, holds his sleeping two-year-old son, Jamari during a Chirstmas with dads event Dec. 19, 2025.
Azul Sordo / Staff Photographer
With a radio in one hand and a sheet detailing the seating organization and event details, Robin Stephens, a 22-year-old program administrator at the prison, coordinated the event and ensured all guests and inmates followed the prison’s protocols.
Stephens saw the event as an opportunity for the inmates to feel hopeful and stay motivated.
Brodgrick Price, the senior warden at Sanders Estes in Venus, about 30 miles southwest of Dallas, approved the “Christmas with Dads” event to support the inmates’ rehabilitation. He had no budget for it, and that’s where the nonprofits and volunteers stepped in.
Price believes in providing inmates with the tools to be successful while incarcerated and, upon release, to rebuild their lives, “bringing people to change the thought process through a rehabilitative approach versus a punitive one,” Price said. “A lot of times, when somebody gets in trouble, people want to punish them, versus getting to the root cause of why the person is acting out.”
Price was amazed by how the gym was transformed into a holiday party for the children to celebrate Christmas.
Kevin Porter ties the shoelaces of his son, Levi, during a Chirstmas with dads event at the Sanders Estes Unit prison in Venus Dec. 19, 2025.
Azul Sordo / Staff Photographer
“I am so glad I said yes to this because I can see a lot of lives are being touched,” Price said, adding that some of the inmates were serving 12-, 15- and even 45-year sentences. “For the kids to be able to come in here and sit with them and open a present in front of them, that touches me.”
Frederick Pheiffer, 70, is an example of that rehabilitation. He was released four months ago after serving an 18-year sentence for murder.
Pheiffer graduated from the Trinity Ministries Restoration program and has been able to buy a car, get a job, and slowly reconnect with his family.
‘Those little things’
Adrian Casares was catching his breath after running behind his two sons. His 6-year-old wanted to kick the soccer ball, and his 3-year-old was trying to dribble a basketball.
Casares, 33, is serving a six-year sentence for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. As soon as he knew about the event, he signed up. He has had good conduct and earned ‘trusty level status.’ He’s now the barber of the officers.
Adrian Casares, an inmate at the Sanders Estes Unit prison in Venus, plays with his sons Ares and Atlas after a Chirstmas with dads event Dec. 19, 2025.
Azul Sordo / Staff Photographer
His wife, Gracey Turner, 23, drove about two hours from Temple to bring the kids to spend the day with their dad. During the whole ride, kids kept asking, ‘When are we gonna see Daddy?’
In past holidays, Casares, his wife and their kids used to make a ‘Christmas crack,’ similar to a cracker jack, with peanuts, sugar, and other ingredients. Then watch movies and open gifts in the morning.
“That’s something I miss the most for sure, those little things,” Casares said. “ I’m just taking it step by step, trying to change everything about myself for my family, my kids.”
For Turner, the hardest thing about her husband being incarcerated is raising the children alone. The event allowed them to have a family holiday, like they used to. She said this will be a memory her kids will remember.
They made crafts, shot Polaroid photos and collected animal-shaped balloons and bags of gifts.
The celebration lasted only a few hours. By the end, the Christmas trees and hats were put away by the inmates, the tables had been cleared, and the gym returned to its usual function.
The dads returned to their cells.
“Radical Islamist terrorist groups are anti-American, and the infiltration of these dangerous individuals into Texas must be stopped,” said Texas A-G regarding terrorist org. CAIR.
Air traffic controllers lost communication for about 10 minutes with a small Mexican Navy plane carrying a young medical patient and seven others before it crashed off the Texas coast, killing at least five people, Mexico’s president said Tuesday.
Authorities initially believed the plane had landed safely at its destination in Galveston, near Houston, before learning it had gone down Monday afternoon, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. A search-and-resuce operation in waters near Galveston pulled two survivors from the plane’s wreckage, Mexico’s Navy said, while one remained missing.
Four of the eight people aboard were Navy officers and four were civilians, including a child, Mexico’s Navy said. Two of the passengers were affiliated with a nonprofit that helps transport Mexican children with severe burns to a hospital in Galveston.
“My condolences to the families of the sailors who unfortunately died in this accident and to the people who were traveling on board,” Sheinbaum said in her morning press briefing, without elaborating on a possible cause. “What happened is very tragic.”
U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Luke Baker said at least five aboard had died but did not identify which passengers.
The plane crashed Monday afternoon in a bay near the base of the causeway connecting Galveston Island to the mainland. Emergency responders rushed to the scene near the popular beach destination about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Houston.
Sky Decker, a professional yacht captain who lives about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the crash site, said he jumped in his boat to see if he could help. He picked up two police officers who guided him through thick fog to a nearly submerged plane. Decker jumped into the water and found a badly injured woman trapped beneath chairs and other debris.
“I couldn’t believe. She had maybe 3 inches of air gap to breathe in,” he said. “And there was jet fuel in there mixed with the water, fumes real bad. She was really fighting for her life.”
He said he also pulled out a man seated in front of her who had already died. Both were wearing civilian clothes.
It’s not immediately clear if weather was a factor. The area has been experiencing foggy conditions over the past few days, according to Cameron Batiste, a National Weather Service meteorologist. He said that at about 2:30 p.m. Monday a fog came in that had about a half-mile visibility.
Mexico’s Navy said the plane was helping with a medical mission in coordination with the Michou and Mau Foundation. In a social media post, the foundation said: “We express our deepest solidarity with the families in light of these events. We share their grief with respect and compassion, honoring their memory and reaffirming our commitment to providing humane, sensitive, and dignified care to children with burns.”
Teams from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were at the crash site Monday, the Texas Department of Public Safety said, and a spokesperson for the NTSB said the agency was gathering information about the crash. The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office said officials from its dive team, crime scene unit, drone unit and patrol responded the crash.
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