This is your weekly news roundup, which takes a quick look at some developments in government, politics, education, environment and other topics across El Paso.
El Paso Law Firm Commits $5 Million Toward Proposed UTEP Law School
The law firm of Tawney, Acosta & Chaparro P.C. announced Wednesday its $5 million gift toward the creation of a law school at the University of Texas at El Paso.
That, along with the $5 million matching grant made by the Paul L. Foster Family Foundation in October, puts UTEP at least halfway to the $20 million goal it said it needed to operate the proposed law school for its first 10 years.
Speaking for the firm, founding partner Alex Acosta III told a packed crowd in UTEP’s Interdisciplinary Research Building lobby how the idea for the gift came from many of their clients’ children who said they wanted to become lawyers to help others.
Acosta told the audience, which included elected officials, business leaders and members of the bar, that those children’s dreams needed encouragement and a path. A law school in El Paso was the answer.
After the announcement, Daisy Chaparro Cavazos told El Paso Matters that she and the firm’s founding partners Acosta and James Tawney, discussed how they could give back to the community and decided at the end of 2025 on the beneficiary and the amount. She said the firm would allocate $1 million annually for the next five years.
The university plans to meet with the University of Texas Board of Regents and the Texas Legislature to seek the necessary approvals and financial support to keep the project going. The goal is to submit a formal request during the 2027 legislative session to launch a law school at UTEP by 2030.
The Legislature approved $250,000 in early 2023 for UTEP to conduct a Law School Planning study. The results showed a tremendous need for more lawyers in this region.
State Rep. Vince Perez, D-El Paso, whose district includes UTEP, said the financial gifts from the law firm and the Foster foundation will show how serious the El Paso community is about making this a reality.
“It’s a very big deal,” he said after the announcement.
El Paso County Sues ICE Over Unfulfilled Public Records Request
The El Paso County attorney, on behalf of the Commissioners Court, is suing Immigration and Customs Enforcement in an effort to force the agency to release documents requested through the Freedom of Information Act for the planned “mega” detention facility in Socorro.
The lawsuit filed April 6 alleges that ICE failed to comply with a mandatory 20-day response deadline under the public records law. The lawsuit seeks a federal court order to compel the agency to disclose the requested records related to plans to build the detention facility in the county and targets what local leaders describe as a persistent pattern of secrecy by ICE about the facility’s location and development.
“ICE has failed to produce responsive documents as mandated by FOIA,” the lawsuit states.
The Department of Homeland Security in February purchased three warehouses in an industrial park in far East El Paso County for $123 million to be used to house up to 8,500 detainees. No timeline for the detention center has been officially announced, but leaked ICE documents detail an initiative to convert warehouses in several cities throughout the country into detention centers by September.
READ MORE: ICE mega detention center in far East El Paso County faces water infrastructure limits
El Paso County Attorney Christina Sanchez filed the open records request with ICE on Feb. 17 for documents related to the facility’s planning, funding and environmental impact. The county also requested documents related to any people or businesses contracted to service or manage the facility, and communications with contractors or local governments regarding the development of detention facilities in El Paso.
The request was in response to a Feb. 2 Commissioners Court directive to obtain more detailed information from federal authorities. During a recent Commissioners Court meeting, more than 200 residents also raised concerns about the new detention center, as well as the treatment of detainees held at Camp East Montana.
Fabens Veterans Memorial Ribbon Cutting Set
El Paso County and the Fabens Veterans Park Committee will host a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Fabens Veterans Memorial on Friday, April 17.
The $1.12 million project broke ground in September and honors each United States military branch. The majority of the funding comes from a grant from the Economic Development Administration, with the county contributing nearly $223,000 toward it.
The memorial features six granite walls arranged in a radial pattern with the American flag in the middle. The memorial also has landscaped green spaces, walkways and seating areas, as well as around the clock lighting.
The committee was established in 2014 and has since been working to refurbish the park and establish a veterans memorial.
The event starts with a veteran resource fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, April 17, at the park, PFC Fernando Gutierrez Street (formerly 602 4th NE St.) in Fabens in far East El Paso County. A flag raising ceremony is at 1 p.m. with a mariachi performance at 2 p.m. and the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 2:30 p.m.
Information: El Paso County on Instagram
Over 4,300 El Paso Students Apply for Private School Vouchers
Over 4,300 El Paso students have applied to take part in the first year of a new program that gives families funding to pay for private or home school, according to the state comptroller’s office.
Applications for the voucher-like Texas Education Freedom Accounts program, which establishes flexible education savings accounts for students to pay for tuition and school-related expenses, opened in early February and closed March 31.
Fewer than than 30 private schools in the El Paso region are listed in the state’s database as eligible to accept program funding.
Under the program, families can get $10,500 per student a year. Children with disabilities can get up to $30,000 per year with an individualized education plan, or IEP, which outlines accommodations and modifications for a student.
Homeschool students may also receive $2,000 per year to cover approved expenses, including textbooks, uniforms, transportation, meals, supplies, academic assessments and tutoring.
SEE ALSO: Private preschool centered on teaching children with Down syndrome to accept vouchers
Close to 4,400 students applied to participate in the program in Region 19, which encompasses El Paso and parts of West Texas.
Almost 2,200 of those students live in the El Paso Independent School District, with 1,100 in Socorro ISD. Over 500 applicants live in the Ysleta Independent School District. About 350 live in the Clint district and 150 in Canutillo ISD.
School districts with fewer than 30 applicants were not included in the data.
In total, the state received close to 274,200 applicants for the program, with the highest numbers coming from the Houston, Richardson, Fort Worth and San Antonio regions.
El Paso landed square in the middle, ranking 10 out of 19, for the region with the most applicants.
Of all applications, about 247,000 are eligible, 24,900 are ineligible and 2,200 are under review.
Rescue Mission Seeks Help During Temporary Kitchen Closure
The installation of new air conditioning units and related upgrades will force the Rescue Mission of El Paso, 221 N. Lee St., to close its kitchen and dining hall for a few weeks starting April 22. Officials have asked for the public’s help while those facilities are shut down.
Cheryl Braun, the mission’s volunteer coordinator, said the organization is seeking volunteers who can provide an entrée and side dish for about 60 people as part of the Host a Meal program.
The mission serves lunch at 11 a.m. and dinner at 4 p.m. Volunteers should arrive at least 30 minutes prior to service in the mission chapel, which is the temporary dining hall.
Braun said she asks volunteers to provide meals they would offer their own families. Some volunteers may want to bring soft drinks and snacks, but that is optional.
She said most volunteers will prepare the meals before they arrive at the mission, but the chapel has electrical outlets for those who need to keep their food warm. Additionally, the mission has a large (5-foot by 2-½-foot) outdoor propane grill that could be used to cook hot dogs and hamburgers. The mission would supply the propane.
The mission coordinator stressed that meal preparers do not need a food handlers license.
While any help is appreciated, Braun said the greatest need is at the dinner service.
Braun said the mission usually serves up to 300 meals daily at breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Information: 915-532-2575, info@rmelp.org or volunteer@rmelp.org.
Immunize El Paso to Provide Free Vaccines to Infants
ProAction and local nonprofit Immunize El Paso are hosting the city’s first Borderland Infant Immunization Week to provide free vaccines to uninsured and underinsured babies. From April 13 to 18, infants ages 2 to 12 months can receive free vaccines at the Immunize El Paso clinics located at:
- 1400 George Dieter Drive, Suite 260
- 6292 Trowbridge Drive
The week will conclude with a community event from 12 to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 18, at the George Dieter clinic, where families can receive free infant immunizations, learn how to perform CPR and stop bleeding, gather information about local health resources and participate in giveaways.
Immunize El Paso follows the schedule of childhood vaccines the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends, which includes protection against hepatitis B, whooping cough and measles.
“This initiative is about more than vaccines,” Ivan Luna, director of Immunize El Paso, said in a news release. “It’s about protecting our most vulnerable population and strengthening the health of our entire community.”
Information: immunzeelpaso.org.
The post $5 million boost for El Paso law school; county sues ICE over records appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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