Southwest
GRAPHIC PHOTOS: Animal welfare groups call on Biden admin to address 'thousands' of dogs abandoned by migrants
FIRST ON FOX: Animal welfare groups are calling on the Biden administration to address a large number of abandoned pets at the southern border.
Fox News Digital obtained photos and videos of pets in Colony Ridge, Texas, from animal advocacy group Boots on the Ground that were reportedly abandoned by migrants, including some that appear severely neglected or injured.
Scores of animals have been abandoned at the U.S.-Mexico border as illegal immigrants flood into the country in record-breaking numbers.
Immigrants who are apprehended by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are often forced to leave their animals behind because animals are not allowed inside federal processing centers.
AS HISTORIC NUMBERS OF MIGRANTS CROSS THE BORDER, THEIR DOGS ARE OFTEN ABANDONED ALONG THE WAY
Migrants are processed in Eagle Pass, Texas, Dec. 12, 2023. (Fox News)
Chase Scott, spokesperson for Big Dog Ranch Rescue (BDRR), a dog rescue group, told Fox News Digital the “number of abandoned dogs along the border is in the thousands,” and the Biden administration is “doing virtually nothing” to address the situation.
Scott said BDRR “can lead this effort” but needs “donations or help from FEMA to address this issue.” He called on FEMA to provide “a dozen spay [and] neuter vans to stop the overpopulation” and “transport and medical supplies,” so they “can heal and rescue the dogs and get them into loving homes.”
“We need to act now before this becomes completely out of control,” Scott said.
“Colony Ridge is a huge migrant shanty town with starving dogs trying to eat chickens and livestock, so the migrants shoot them and attack them with machetes. The local communities are heartbroken and overwhelmed. They are turning into a Third World [country] with roaming packs of dogs.”
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT POPULATION SOARS UNDER BIDEN: GOVERNMENT DATA
Scott said BDRR is heading to McAllen, Texas, this weekend on a rescue mission for the abandoned dogs after having gone to the Texas border city of Eagle Pass last year.
Scott said the dogs in McAllen, Texas, “are being fed” by the National Guard, “but with the cold fronts, the situation is dire,” and BDRR will be rescuing the dogs there first.
After McAllen, Scott said BDRR will head “into the primary area with the largest issue,” adding “ground zero is Colony Ridge.”
BORDER NUMBERS FOR DECEMBER BREAK MONTHLY RECORD, AS BIDEN TALKS AMNESTY WITH MEXICO
Bianca Gracia, president of Latinos for America and Latinos for Trump, told Fox News Digital what “is happening at Colony Ridge with the abandoned and abused dogs who are voiceless is a tragedy caused by elected officials’ open border policies.
“We are asking America to step up and help us rescue these voiceless furry friends from a life they did not choose.”
Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) told Fox News Digital it has received reports that it’s not just dogs and cats being abandoned. Animals like guinea pigs have been left too.
WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES
Catie Cryar, spokesperson for PETA, told Fox News Digital that abandonment “is awful — no matter which side of the border it occurs on.”
“PETA has received reports that animals as varied as guinea pigs and small dogs have actually been brought in by people entering the U.S. from Mexico, but we know that the border processing facilities don’t allow it,” Cryar said.
“We have also heard of an informal network of people on the Mexican side who are looking after animals who have been denied entry,” she added. “Many animals are a cherished, integral part of the family and, just like children, should not be separated from that family.
“PETA is calling on the Biden administration to allow animals into the U.S. if they are vaccinated or can be quarantined.”
The White House referred Fox News Digital to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) when asked for comment.
“CBP follows CDC guidance with respect to the admission of dogs and other pets into the country,” a spokesperson for CBP said. “If the pet’s owner is an inadmissible noncitizen in DHS custody and an animal’s owner does not transfer possession to family or friends, U.S. Customs and Border Protection works with local officials from animal health services, such as a local humane shelter, to see if there can be placement for the animal while its owner remains in custody.”
Fox News Digital also reached out to FEMA and the National Guard for comment.
MAYORKAS TELLS BORDER PATROL AGENTS THAT ‘ABOVE 85%’ OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS RELEASED INTO US: SOURCES
The shocking photos and footage obtained by Fox News Digital show the harsh reality faced by the dogs and other animals abandoned by their owners as they enter the U.S. at the southern border.
The footage depicts abandoned animals in the migrant community of Colony Ridge, Texas, a collection of subdivisions outside Houston.
Colony Ridge is a controversial locale, having made headlines after being sued by the federal government for allegedly hooking Latino buyers up with seller-financed mortgages to set them up for defaulting on their loans.
Colony Ridge CEO John Harris told Fox News Digital in a statement that “Colony Ridge has done everything conceivably possible to rid the problem of stray dogs and cats and animals throughout the area.
“We have donated consistently $20,000 a year to help solve the problem to the local group that kind of helps spay and neuter and house these animals,” Harris said. “So, we are doing our part without question.”
Harris noted that Liberty County, which houses Colony Ridge, is a “rural area” that doesn’t have an animal control group, and that if one goes “anywhere in a rural county in America, and especially here in Texas, you’re going to have stray dogs and cats and other animals.”
“That’s just a fact,” Harris said. “But we are doing everything we possibly can to curb the problem.”
Harris also said “90%” of Colony Ridge residents “come from Harris County,” 40 miles to the south.
“The animal issue is not an immigrant issue. It’s an issue that stems from bad owners who need to understand how to care for their animals,” Harris said. “We are providing that education and going above and beyond what is needed to help resolve this problem.”
The Community Property Owners Association of Colony Ridge told Fox News Digital that This is Houston, a nonprofit organization, has been assisting in the new development since 2021 due to Liberty County not having animal control services.
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A broken water main sent water gushing from an apartment building and turned nearby streets into rivers in West Hollywood early Thursday morning. The break was reported around 3 a.m. near Holloway Drive and Sunset Boulevard. “It’s a rupture of one of the significant mains that goes through here. West Hollywood, as it turns out, […]
After more than four decades, the remains of a woman who was found buried in the mountains of Riverside County were identified as a multi-millionaire who went missing in 1981.
The body of Thelma Gaston was discovered by a person gathering firewood in a mountainous area near Sugar Loaf Mountain and the Pinyon Crest community on Nov. 28, 1981.
After experiencing a series of heartbreaking life events, including the death of her husband and her 32-year-old son in the same year in 1957, Gaston continued forging ahead, focusing on her business of buying repossessed properties and selling them.
By 1980, she had amassed a fortune estimated to be over $20 million, SFGATE reported.
On June 28, 1981, a note was left on the front door of her home near Century City, saying she was out searching for her cat. However, she never returned home and her loved ones did not hear from her.
By then, Gaston was 80 years old. As Los Angeles Police Department detectives investigated her disappearance, they discovered a younger man, Lawrence Remsen, then 39, had recently entered her life and was the woman’s romantic companion, SFGATE reported.
At one point, the woman’s friends said Gaston had wondered about Remsen’s motives in being with her.
Police eventually found letters and documents reportedly signed by Gaston that gave Remsen power of attorney. Another letter allegedly written by the woman claimed she had run away “to have some fun in life.” However, her friends said the move was completely out of character.
Detectives later confirmed the letters were certified with a stolen notary stamp and her signatures were believed to be forged.
Remsen had tried selling some of Gaston’s properties and attempted to withdraw more than $100,000 from her bank accounts. Remsen eventually fled the Southern California area.
A few months later, he was arrested by border agents when he tried to enter the U.S. from Mexico. He was charged with Gaston’s murder even though the woman’s body had not been found.
During a trial hearing, Remsen later claimed he found the woman dead of natural causes in her home and, attempting to take her fortune, had disposed of her body in the ocean.
The judge disagreed and later ruled that Remsen had killed the woman “intentionally and with malice.” He was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Gaston’s body was later discovered buried in a shallow grave in the mountains. However, due to the poor condition of the remains, investigators were unable to narrow down an identity.
A breakthrough occurred in 2022 when the Riverside County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau received new funding to reexamine long-standing unidentified cases.
“Combined with significant advances in forensic science, this funding opened new avenues for identification,” the sheriff’s office said.
In May 2026, utilizing investigative genetic genealogy and dental records, the remains were positively identified as Gaston’s.
“The Riverside Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau extends its sincere appreciation to everyone whose dedication, expertise, and perseverance made this identification possible,” officials said in a statement. “Together, these efforts have ensured that Ms. Gaston has her name—and her story—returned to her.”
Remsen, who is now 83 years old, continues serving his life sentence at the California Institution for Men in Chino.
Southern California remains under an extreme heat warning as residents brace for the hottest day of the week on Wednesday.
“It will be roasty toasty in the valleys, lower mountain elevations and far interior, with highs ranging from 100 to 110 degrees,” the National Weather Service said. The warmest conditions are expected in the western San Fernando Valley.
An extreme heat warning remains in effect for much of Southern California until 8 p.m. Thursday. Forecasters say there is a high risk of heat-related illness for anyone outdoors for extended periods. Heat advisories are also in place for areas along the coast.
“Highs for today: 98 in Ojai, 100 in Ontario. Temecula, good morning to you, 100 degrees expected there. 112 in Palm Springs. Unbelievably hot,” KTLA’s Kirk Hawkins said Wednesday morning.
Residents are urged to adjust their afternoon plans to limit strenuous outdoor activities during the heat of the day, stay hydrated and check in on elderly neighbors and loved ones.
The Weather Service said record highs are slightly warmer than those forecast for Wednesday. As a result, despite the extremely hot conditions, few, if any, temperature records are expected to be broken.
A few degrees of cooling are expected Thursday, but a more significant cooldown will arrive Friday as onshore winds increase.
Afternoon highs are expected to cool even more over the weekend, with below-average temperatures possible in some areas.
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