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Aaron J. Montes

@aaronjmontes.bsky.social
169 followers 119 following 26 posts

Newscaster / Producer for KTEP News. El Paso, Texas. Border journalist and government accountability focus. Proud UTEP alum.

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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
And, a CATO study of Texas found undocumented immigrants are 37 percent less likely to be convicted of crime. The New York Times and Marshal Project have also found no correlation of undocumented immigrants and violent or property crime.
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
Border communities are some of the safest in the country, and at the same time, had thousands of migrants stay and walk through these cities and towns. Research by Economist Ran Abramitzky at Stanford University, found immigrants are 60 percent less likely to be incarcerated.
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
Talk of an invasion at the border by Donald Trump and other Republican figureheads is what motivated a man from North Texas to come to El Paso and murder Hispanic people. He killed 23 and injured just as many. #StateOfTheUnion In an online screed, he referred to the "Hispanic Invasion of Texas."
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
Democratic attorneys general and immigrant rights groups say the question over birthright citizenship is settled in case law and the president cannot use broad authority to negate prior decisions. Birthright citizenship is enshrined in the 14th amendment to the Constitution.
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
The commissioners court voted unanimously in favor of filing an amicus brief in New Jersey’s lawsuit against Trump this week.
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
El Paso County has joined New Jersey and over 20 states in court to challenge President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship.
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
According to the federal Bureau of Prisons, Arredondo, 49, was released from custody on Monday, the day of Trump's inauguration.
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
He was serving a 33 month sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Sanford, Arizona. He was set to be released on January 5, 2027. The DC police union decried President Trump's decision on Tuesday.
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
President Donald Trump's sweeping grant of clemency to more than 1,500 people charged and convicted in the January 6 Capitol attack four years ago extended to El Pasoan David Rene Arredondo.
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
“We work together to determine who is the best entity to enforce the law and get the best prosecution. The El Paso Police Department does not enforce immigration laws.”
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
El Paso Police Chief Peter Pacillas echoed Johnson’s comments. He said EPPD officers will however enforce state laws. That includes human smuggling, drug trafficking another crimes.
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
El Paso officials said they have not heard of any planned ICE raids in the West Texas border town.
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
El Paso mayor Renard Johnson says local authorities will not participate in immigration raids. And, the El Paso Police Department does not have the resources to enforce immigration law. “I want El Pasoans to know we’re a safe city and we will continue to be that way.” #elpaso #border #ice
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Nick Miroff @nickmiroff.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
NEW Trump will take office with a quiet border + deportations at a 10-year high www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
washingtonpost.com
Border crossings in November fell to lowest level of Biden’s term
The sharp drop in illegal crossings is due to stronger enforcement by both the U.S. and Mexico, U.S. officials and analysts say.
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CNN @cnn.com · 20/12/2024
The House has failed to pass a Trump-backed spending bill as a government shutdown looms.
cnn.com
Live updates: Government shutdown looms, Trump transition news | CNN Politics
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise confirmed Wednesday that the current government funding plan that was negotiated by Speaker Mike Johnson is officially scrapped after President-elect Donald Trump c...
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 17/12/2024
Some Americans with potentially terminal medical conditions have turned to psychedelic medicine to address the existential distress, flocking to psilocybin clinics in Oregon, the only state besides Colorado where they can legally operate.
nytimes.com
‘LIfe-Changing’ Psychedelic, for When Life Is Ending
People are turning to psilocybin, ketamine and other treatments for palliative care.
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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
Mexico has intercepted nearly 1 million migrants this year — a record high as it has ramped up policies that reduce migration to the U.S. www.axios.com/2024/12/10/m...
axios.com
Inside Mexico's massive migrant crackdown
While interceptions in Mexico have doubled in a year, in the U.S. they have gone down by a quarter.
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Reuters @reuters.com · 08/12/2024
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad boarded a plane and left Damascus for an unknown destination on Sunday, two senior army officers told Reuters, as rebels said they had entered the capital with no sign of army deployments reut.rs/3ORxDTn
reut.rs
Assad has left Damascus, say senior army officers; Syria rebels say they are in capital
Insurgents gained control after only a day of fighting, leaving President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year rule dangling by a thread as rebels marched on Damascus.
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Francesca D'Annunzio @francescadnunz.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
In October, a team of colleagues and I reported on this contract, and on how Scott and others close to incoming border czar Tom Homan profit from misinformation about immigration and the border www.texasobserver.org/border-911-m...
texasobserver.org
Border 911: The Misinformation Network Profiting Off the ‘Invasion’ Narrative
Dark money and charity organizations led by former intelligence officers and ex-feds have been spreading propaganda and laying the groundwork for presidential election challenges.
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Francesca D'Annunzio @francescadnunz.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
I obtained the contract below via a Texas Public Information Act request for an investigation in collaboration with @texasobserver.org @lhreports.bsky.social @azcir.bsky.social @palabranahj.bsky.social and Puente News Collaborative.
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Francesca D'Annunzio @francescadnunz.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
Rodney Scott, Trump's pick to lead CBP, has a $50,000 consulting contract with the Texas AG's office for the DOJ Rio Grande river buoy lawsuit, I found via public records. His contract ends in August 2025.
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 07/12/2024
South Korea was thrown into deeper uncertainty after the governing party refused to oust President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday. Protesters filled the streets of Seoul demanding his removal well into the night.
nytimes.com
South Korean President Yoon Survives Impeachment Vote After Martial Law
The country was thrown into deeper uncertainty after the governing party changed its stance and refused to oust him. Protesters vowed to keep the pressure on.
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Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 07/12/2024
From our magazine by @josephinelee.bsky.social: A story unknown to most, since the 1960s, Taiwanese-Americans have been fighting for freedom in their motherland from the Bayou City. #asianamericanhistory #aapi #taiwaneseamerican
texasobserver.org
Texas’ Hotbed of Taiwanese Nationalism
For decades, Houston families like mine have helped keep the flame of independence burning.
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 07/12/2024
Kash Patel: how Trump’s FBI pick went from public defender to provocateur
theguardian.com
Kash Patel: how Trump’s FBI pick went from public defender to provocateur
Patel has praised QAnon and suggested shutting down the bureau’s headquarters – and even the president-elect has called him ‘kind of crazy’. Now new questions are emerging over his non-profit foundation “A lot of people say he’s crazy,” Donald Trump is…
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 07/12/2024
Brian Thompson’s killing inspired rage – against the healthcare industry
theguardian.com
Brian Thompson’s killing inspired rage – against the healthcare industry
Thousands of Americans go bankrupt, lose their homes or die every year due to medical insurer practices The killing appeared so well-planned that at first glance many assumed it was a professional hit. The gunman who shot dead Brian Thompson, head of…
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
He said said state troopers should dedicate resources and technology to tracking drivers to their destination instead of engaging in high-speed chases, adding, “it might lead them to where the actual stash houses are or where other individuals are involved.” -Coronado
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
Most of the pursuits and crashes happen in Northwest El Paso near the Texas-New Mexico state line, a precinct represented by El Paso County Commissioner Sergio Coronado.
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
“If we want to address the problem of giving people rides who may be migrants, and the state of Texas really wants to put resources in addressing that, then start educating people.” El Paso County Chief Public Defender Kelli Childress.
A high-speed pursuit goes through the streets near Memorial Park in El Paso, TX in the early morning of April 2023.
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
KTEP News’ analysis of cases found teenagers and young adults are often the drivers involved in high-speed pursuits by state troopers going after suspected smugglers transporting unauthorized migrants. The strategy is part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star border enforcement initiative.
Red Chevy Equinox rolls alongside border highway in El Paso, TX during a high speed pursuit by Texas DPS.
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
The chases also pose a danger for residents. Collisions have resulted in injuries and deaths of people in the vehicles but also bystanders. Video: provided by DPS from TPIA request.
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
High speed pursuits are particularly prevalent in border communities and involve teens and young adults, often U.S. citizens, part of a strategy by smugglers to skirt the law. www.ktep.org/ktep-news/20...
ktep.org
Teens often behind the wheel in high speed chases with Texas DPS
El Paso teens and young adults are often involved in high-speed pursuits by Texas DPS troopers seeking smugglers of undocumented migrants.
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
Today, you can find police units watching the border. EPPD officials have said if pedestrians violate state law, police must act. Also, police have assisted in the apprehension of migrants who crossed the border, as seen in these photos and videos from last year.
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
for purposes to state, local, and tribal agencies to enhance border, security, cooperation, and coordination between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in a joint mission to secure The U.S. borders.
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
The grant program specifically says “ is funded by the department of Homeland security and led by the customs and border protection CBP Border Patrol, to support overtime, Equipment, fuel costs, and or mileage reimbursement
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
However, the city of El Paso as well as other government entities in town have actively sought and received funding from the federal government, specifically, Homeland Security, from an initiative called “Stonegarden.”
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
Both had similar responses saying EPPD does not have the staffing to enforce immigration law and that it is the role of federal agencies to do so.
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
In a mayoral runoff election forum, candidates Renard Johnson and Brian Kennedy were asked what role law enforcement agencies at the city level would play under President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed mass deportation plan.
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Aaron J. Montes @aaronjmontes.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
Hi, Bluesky community! Aaron Montes here. Journalist and millennial working for a better world. I try to read books but government documents are a big part of my reading diet. Photojournalism was my first step into this career. Personal time spent on video games, working out and tacos.
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