KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A man who fled to Mexico and faked his own death has been sentenced in federal court for receiving and possessing child pornography, according to the United State's Attorney.

On April 9, Diego Antonio Rafael Camargo-Wasserman, 32, formerly of Columbia, Missouri, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven R. Bough to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Carmargo-Wasserman to 10 years of supervised release following&nbsp; his release from custody. Carmargo-Wasserman will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.

On August 8, 2024, Camargo-Wasserman pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

The investigation began on July 1, 2010, as part of an ongoing investigation into the distribution of child pornography over the internet.&nbsp; During a search warrant execution, Camargo-Wasserman admitted to using Limewire to download child pornography.&nbsp; Multiple videos depicting child pornography were found on Camargo-Wasserman’s cell phone.&nbsp; Camargo-Wasserman was previously indicted on federal charges for this offense in 2010, however in 2013, a bail bond agent provided documentation from Mexico stating Camargo-Wasserman had died on October 5, 2012.&nbsp; Federal charges were dismissed.

In July 2017, the FBI received information that Camargo-Wasserman was alive and was residing in Mexico.&nbsp;Federal charges were filed again in 2018 followed by extradition proceedings to return Camargo-Wasserman to the United States.&nbsp; Camargo-Wasserman was brought to the United States to face charges in 2024.&nbsp;Camargo-Wasserman is a dual citizen of both the United States and Mexico.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744585150152.png" alt=" Camargo-Wasserman photo Boone Co. Jail" />
 <figcaption> Camargo-Wasserman photo Boone Co. Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A man who fled to Mexico and faked his own death has been sentenced in federal court for receiving and possessing child pornography, according to the United State's Attorney.On April 9, Diego Antonio Rafael Camargo-Wasserman, 32, formerly of Columbia, Missouri, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven R. Bough to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Carmargo-Wasserman to 10 years of supervised release following&nbsp; his release from custody. Carmargo-Wasserman will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.On August 8, 2024, Camargo-Wasserman pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.The investigation began on July 1, 2010, as part of an ongoing investigation into the distribution of child pornography over the internet.&nbsp; During a search warrant execution, Camargo-Wasserman admitted to using Limewire to download child pornography.&nbsp; Multiple videos depicting child pornography were found on Camargo-Wasserman’s cell phone.&nbsp; Camargo-Wasserman was previously indicted on federal charges for this offense in 2010, however in 2013, a bail bond agent provided documentation from Mexico stating Camargo-Wasserman had died on October 5, 2012.&nbsp; Federal charges were dismissed.In July 2017, the FBI received information that Camargo-Wasserman was alive and was residing in Mexico.&nbsp;Federal charges were filed again in 2018 followed by extradition proceedings to return Camargo-Wasserman to the United States.&nbsp; Camargo-Wasserman was brought to the United States to face charges in 2024.&nbsp;Camargo-Wasserman is a dual citizen of both the United States and Mexico.

Man who fled to Mexico, faked his own death is going to prison

LOS ANGELES (AP) — This spring homebuying season is shaping up to be more favorable for home shoppers than it's been in recent years — as long as they can afford to buy.

Home prices are rising more slowly. Mortgage rates remain elevated, but have been mostly easing and could be headed lower if the U.S. economic outlook continues to darken over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/tariffs">the Trump administration's widespread tariffs,</a>&nbsp;which have rattled financial markets and stoked fears of a recession.

Most importantly, the number of homes on the market is up sharply from a year ago.

While the inventory of homes for sale nationally is still low by historical standards, active listings — a tally that encompasses all homes on the market except those pending a finalized sale — surged 28.5% last month from a year earlier, according to data from Realtor.com. Listings jumped between 44% and 68% in many large metro areas, including San Diego, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Washington D.C.

As homes take longer to sell, prices have started dropping in many markets. The median listing price was down last month from a year earlier in most of the nation's biggest 50 metro areas, including a more than 6% drop in Austin, Miami and Kansas City.

These trends should give prospective homebuyers more leverage as they negotiate with sellers this spring, though they are unlikely to be a game-changer for many aspiring homeowners priced out of the market after years of soaring prices.

“It’s a little hard to say that it’s a buyer’s market, but I’d call it a much more balanced market than it’s been in the last couple of years, where it’s really been a predominantly seller’s market,” said Joel Berner, senior economist at Realtor.com.

Ryan Vasko and his wife, Whitney, recently navigated both sides of the housing market equation in their move from Oregon to Colorado.

In December, the couple sold their three-bedroom, one-bath house in Portland for $505,000. That was $10,000 below their list price, but still above the $500,000 minimum they hoped to get.

At the same time, the couple searched for a home in the Denver metro area, which is among the markets that’s had the biggest increase in homes for sale this year. Active listings soared 67.3% in March from a year earlier. As listings jumped, the median listing price fell 5.6% to $585,000.

Last month, the Vaskos closed the deal on a four-bedroom, three-bathroom house in Littleton, Colorado, about 10 miles south of Denver, that had been on the market at least three weeks.

“We got under contract week one, we found out we were pregnant week two and we put an offer on this house week three,” said Vasko, 41, a creative director at an advertising agency.

The price: $680,000, or $5,000 above the list price. Still, the seller agreed to cover the cost of lowering the couple’s 6.9% mortgage rate for the first two years of the loan to 4.9% and 5.9%, respectively.

“It gives us a little wiggle room, if we need it,” said Vasko, noting that he’s hoping to eventually refinance to a lower fixed rate.

The U.S. housing market has been in a sales slump since 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes fell last year to their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/housing-home-sales-real-estate-home-prices-b7645724538b7a860c1d739e8b05380d">lowest level in nearly 30 years</a>. Easing mortgage rates and more homes on the market nationally&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/housing-home-sales-real-estate-home-prices-6b0a5692ad279ee25f106fde04656713">helped drive sales higher in February from the previous month</a>, though they were down year-over-year.

Last year, higher mortgage rates dampened the start of the spring homebuying season. This year, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage is down to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mortgage-rates-housing-interest-financing-home-a280c5075139dca518f97d964cae559d">6.6% from</a>&nbsp;just over 7% in mid-January, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac, although that’s still elevated relative to the 2-year low of about 6% it fell to in September.

Another plus for buyers: Lower prices. The median listing price fell in March from a year earlier in 32 of the 50 largest metro areas, including Kansas City, San Francisco, Miami and San Diego. Nationally, it was $424,900 last month, unchanged from a year earlier, according to Realtor.com.

The market shift may give home shoppers more leverage when sellers ask that buyers waive home inspections. Sellers may also be more willing to pay for closing costs, contribute cash to make repairs or make other concessions, real estate agents say.

“Pretty much every buyer is asking for concessions, unless they know that they are in a multiple offer situation,” said Afton Hartmann, a Redfin agent in Denver.

Such situations, although less common than a few years ago, still exist.

Gilad Hoffman, executive director at a synagogue, knew his home search was over when he spotted a four-bedroom, 2.5-bath house for sale in Escondido, 30 miles northeast of San Diego. He felt the home, listed by the estate of its late owner for $1.079 million, was “severely underpriced.”

Hoffman, 41, paid $13,000 above the asking price for the home in February as he fended off bids from three other prospective buyers -- including one offering to pay all cash.

Elevated mortgage rates didn’t dissuade Hoffman. He accepted a 7% rate in exchange for a credit from his lender to put toward closing costs.

“My philosophy going into the whole thing was: get into something now that you can afford with these high interest rates,” Hoffman said. “Hopefully in two years, they’ll come down and then you can refinance. And that’s still my intention.”

Affordability and uncertainty are still hurdles

Despite some buyer-friendly trends, the housing market remains largely out of reach for many Americans, especially first-time buyers who don't have home equity gains to put toward a new home. While home price growth has been slowing, the decline is negligible against the 47% gain in prices over the last five years.

And while home listings are up, many more are needed to return the market to more of a balance between buyers and sellers. Consider, there were 1.24 million unsold homes on the market at the end of February. While up 17% from a year earlier, that's still about 44% below the 2.21 million monthly average going back to 1999, according to data from the National Association of Realtors.

As of January, a household earning the median U.S. annual income of $79,223 would have to spend 47% of that to cover payments on a home at the median price of $390,333. That share of income matches the highest it has ever been on records going back to 2005, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. When the annual cost of homeownership exceeds 30% of the median U.S. household income, it’s considered unaffordable by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

If the decline in mortgage rates accelerates in coming months, that would boost homebuyers' purchasing power.

Economic forecasts generally have the average rate on a 30-year mortgage staying around 6.5% this year, but those forecasts may be outdated now.

A sharp downward move last week in the 10-year Treasury yield as bond investors reacted to rapidly escalating trade war between the U.S. and nations around the globe points to lower mortgage rates.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which banks use as a guide to pricing home loans, dropped to 4.01% Friday, its lowest level since October, as global trade tensions escalated.

Still, tariffs are typically inflationary, and the 10-year Treasury yield tends to rise on expectations of higher inflation. That could keep mortgage rates where they are, or nudge them higher.

If the trade war worries do pave the way for further mortgage rate drops, “those lower rates may be cold comfort to prospective buyers who are increasingly worried about job security and inflation,” said Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist at Bright MLS.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1659001075252.jpeg" alt="File AP photo" />
 <figcaption>File AP photo</figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) — This spring homebuying season is shaping up to be more favorable for home shoppers than it's been in recent years — as long as they can afford to buy.Home prices are rising more slowly. Mortgage rates remain elevated, but have been mostly easing and could be headed lower if the U.S. economic outlook continues to darken over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/tariffs">the Trump administration's widespread tariffs,</a>&nbsp;which have rattled financial markets and stoked fears of a recession.Most importantly, the number of homes on the market is up sharply from a year ago.While the inventory of homes for sale nationally is still low by historical standards, active listings — a tally that encompasses all homes on the market except those pending a finalized sale — surged 28.5% last month from a year earlier, according to data from Realtor.com. Listings jumped between 44% and 68% in many large metro areas, including San Diego, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Washington D.C.As homes take longer to sell, prices have started dropping in many markets. The median listing price was down last month from a year earlier in most of the nation's biggest 50 metro areas, including a more than 6% drop in Austin, Miami and Kansas City.These trends should give prospective homebuyers more leverage as they negotiate with sellers this spring, though they are unlikely to be a game-changer for many aspiring homeowners priced out of the market after years of soaring prices.“It’s a little hard to say that it’s a buyer’s market, but I’d call it a much more balanced market than it’s been in the last couple of years, where it’s really been a predominantly seller’s market,” said Joel Berner, senior economist at Realtor.com.Ryan Vasko and his wife, Whitney, recently navigated both sides of the housing market equation in their move from Oregon to Colorado.In December, the couple sold their three-bedroom, one-bath house in Portland for $505,000. That was $10,000 below their list price, but still above the $500,000 minimum they hoped to get.At the same time, the couple searched for a home in the Denver metro area, which is among the markets that’s had the biggest increase in homes for sale this year. Active listings soared 67.3% in March from a year earlier. As listings jumped, the median listing price fell 5.6% to $585,000.Last month, the Vaskos closed the deal on a four-bedroom, three-bathroom house in Littleton, Colorado, about 10 miles south of Denver, that had been on the market at least three weeks.“We got under contract week one, we found out we were pregnant week two and we put an offer on this house week three,” said Vasko, 41, a creative director at an advertising agency.The price: $680,000, or $5,000 above the list price. Still, the seller agreed to cover the cost of lowering the couple’s 6.9% mortgage rate for the first two years of the loan to 4.9% and 5.9%, respectively.“It gives us a little wiggle room, if we need it,” said Vasko, noting that he’s hoping to eventually refinance to a lower fixed rate.<h2>A mixed market</h2>The U.S. housing market has been in a sales slump since 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes fell last year to their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/housing-home-sales-real-estate-home-prices-b7645724538b7a860c1d739e8b05380d">lowest level in nearly 30 years</a>. Easing mortgage rates and more homes on the market nationally&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/housing-home-sales-real-estate-home-prices-6b0a5692ad279ee25f106fde04656713">helped drive sales higher in February from the previous month</a>, though they were down year-over-year.Last year, higher mortgage rates dampened the start of the spring homebuying season. This year, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage is down to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mortgage-rates-housing-interest-financing-home-a280c5075139dca518f97d964cae559d">6.6% from</a>&nbsp;just over 7% in mid-January, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac, although that’s still elevated relative to the 2-year low of about 6% it fell to in September.Another plus for buyers: Lower prices. The median listing price fell in March from a year earlier in 32 of the 50 largest metro areas, including Kansas City, San Francisco, Miami and San Diego. Nationally, it was $424,900 last month, unchanged from a year earlier, according to Realtor.com.The market shift may give home shoppers more leverage when sellers ask that buyers waive home inspections. Sellers may also be more willing to pay for closing costs, contribute cash to make repairs or make other concessions, real estate agents say.“Pretty much every buyer is asking for concessions, unless they know that they are in a multiple offer situation,” said Afton Hartmann, a Redfin agent in Denver.Such situations, although less common than a few years ago, still exist.Gilad Hoffman, executive director at a synagogue, knew his home search was over when he spotted a four-bedroom, 2.5-bath house for sale in Escondido, 30 miles northeast of San Diego. He felt the home, listed by the estate of its late owner for $1.079 million, was “severely underpriced.”Hoffman, 41, paid $13,000 above the asking price for the home in February as he fended off bids from three other prospective buyers -- including one offering to pay all cash.Elevated mortgage rates didn’t dissuade Hoffman. He accepted a 7% rate in exchange for a credit from his lender to put toward closing costs.“My philosophy going into the whole thing was: get into something now that you can afford with these high interest rates,” Hoffman said. “Hopefully in two years, they’ll come down and then you can refinance. And that’s still my intention.”<h2>Affordability and uncertainty are still hurdles</h2>Despite some buyer-friendly trends, the housing market remains largely out of reach for many Americans, especially first-time buyers who don't have home equity gains to put toward a new home. While home price growth has been slowing, the decline is negligible against the 47% gain in prices over the last five years.And while home listings are up, many more are needed to return the market to more of a balance between buyers and sellers. Consider, there were 1.24 million unsold homes on the market at the end of February. While up 17% from a year earlier, that's still about 44% below the 2.21 million monthly average going back to 1999, according to data from the National Association of Realtors.As of January, a household earning the median U.S. annual income of $79,223 would have to spend 47% of that to cover payments on a home at the median price of $390,333. That share of income matches the highest it has ever been on records going back to 2005, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. When the annual cost of homeownership exceeds 30% of the median U.S. household income, it’s considered unaffordable by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.If the decline in mortgage rates accelerates in coming months, that would boost homebuyers' purchasing power.Economic forecasts generally have the average rate on a 30-year mortgage staying around 6.5% this year, but those forecasts may be outdated now.A sharp downward move last week in the 10-year Treasury yield as bond investors reacted to rapidly escalating trade war between the U.S. and nations around the globe points to lower mortgage rates.The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which banks use as a guide to pricing home loans, dropped to 4.01% Friday, its lowest level since October, as global trade tensions escalated.Still, tariffs are typically inflationary, and the 10-year Treasury yield tends to rise on expectations of higher inflation. That could keep mortgage rates where they are, or nudge them higher.If the trade war worries do pave the way for further mortgage rate drops, “those lower rates may be cold comfort to prospective buyers who are increasingly worried about job security and inflation,” said Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist at Bright MLS.

Signs of a more buyer-friendly housing market emerge for the spring homebuying season

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/marysanchez/">Mary Sanchez</a>

Evenezer Cortez Martinez is back on U.S. soil, landing in Kansas City Tuesday afternoon after being deported.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.uscis.gov/DACA" target="_blank">DACA</a>&nbsp;recipient and Kansas father of three feared that he wouldn’t be able to return from Mexico, a country he left at the age of 4. His Roeland Park family embraced in a tearful and joyful reunion at Kansas City International airport.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection had stopped Cortez Martinez at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport more than two weeks ago, after he took a short trip to Mexico to visit his grandfather’s grave.

Instead, he was detained and questioned, then put back on a plane to Mexico City on March 23.

Cortez Martinez is a recipient of DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

He had never been back to his birth nation, having been brought to the U.S. by his parents as a toddler. His farmworker father tended grapevines in California.

Prior to his scheduled trip to Mexico, Cortez Martinez had applied for and received permission to travel and return to the U.S., a process called “advance parole.”

His case is an example of an immigrant who “did everything the right way” and still ran into problems, said&nbsp;<a href="https://sharma-crawford.com/" target="_blank">Rekha Sharma-Crawford</a>, the Kansas City-based immigration attorney who filed a lawsuit April 2 on behalf of Cortez Martinez with the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Texas. The case,&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/04/03/kansas-man-deported-after-visiting-grandfathers-grave-in-mexico/" target="_blank">first reported by The Beacon</a>, drew national attention.

“The lawsuit has been dismissed because you are home and that was really the point of the lawsuit,” Sharma-Crawford told her client at the airport.

The government had asked for time to respond, indicating that the issue could be resolved without the judge hearing the case, said Sharma-Crawford.

There seemed to be some confusion at the time when he was detained in Dallas, Cortez Martinez recalled, because a supervisor had been called over.

Still, Cortez Martinez said he was told that he’d been ordered removed in absentia on June 11, 2024, and that his documents allowing him to travel had been issued in error.

Cortez Martinez said he was never made aware of that order.

“I never got any notice,” he said. “I check everything because there is all of the paper that we get for DACA renewal.”

His current DACA is valid until October 2026.

Cortez Martinez will now have an opportunity to resolve the re-calendaring of removal proceedings in Kansas City’s immigration court, said Sharma-Crawford.

“I trust you,” Cortez Martinez said to Sharma-Crawford. “Let’s talk as soon as possible.”

His children carried a poster they’d made, each signing a note to their father.

They also brought mylar “Happy Birthday” balloons.

Cortez Martinez turned 40 while he was gone. Several other family members also had recent birthdays.

Laughing, Cortez Martinez hugged his wife and declared, “We’ll have one single party.”

This&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/04/08/daca-recipient-deported-after-visiting-mexico-back-in-kansas-city/" target="_blank">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/" target="_blank">Beacon: Kansas City</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744549104964.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/marysanchez/">Mary Sanchez</a>Evenezer Cortez Martinez is back on U.S. soil, landing in Kansas City Tuesday afternoon after being deported.The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.uscis.gov/DACA" target="_blank">DACA</a>&nbsp;recipient and Kansas father of three feared that he wouldn’t be able to return from Mexico, a country he left at the age of 4. His Roeland Park family embraced in a tearful and joyful reunion at Kansas City International airport.U.S. Customs and Border Protection had stopped Cortez Martinez at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport more than two weeks ago, after he took a short trip to Mexico to visit his grandfather’s grave.He was trying to return to Kansas City.Instead, he was detained and questioned, then put back on a plane to Mexico City on March 23.Cortez Martinez is a recipient of DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.He had never been back to his birth nation, having been brought to the U.S. by his parents as a toddler. His farmworker father tended grapevines in California.Prior to his scheduled trip to Mexico, Cortez Martinez had applied for and received permission to travel and return to the U.S., a process called “advance parole.”His case is an example of an immigrant who “did everything the right way” and still ran into problems, said&nbsp;<a href="https://sharma-crawford.com/" target="_blank">Rekha Sharma-Crawford</a>, the Kansas City-based immigration attorney who filed a lawsuit April 2 on behalf of Cortez Martinez with the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Texas. The case,&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/04/03/kansas-man-deported-after-visiting-grandfathers-grave-in-mexico/" target="_blank">first reported by The Beacon</a>, drew national attention.“The lawsuit has been dismissed because you are home and that was really the point of the lawsuit,” Sharma-Crawford told her client at the airport.The government had asked for time to respond, indicating that the issue could be resolved without the judge hearing the case, said Sharma-Crawford.There seemed to be some confusion at the time when he was detained in Dallas, Cortez Martinez recalled, because a supervisor had been called over.Still, Cortez Martinez said he was told that he’d been ordered removed in absentia on June 11, 2024, and that his documents allowing him to travel had been issued in error.Cortez Martinez said he was never made aware of that order.“I never got any notice,” he said. “I check everything because there is all of the paper that we get for DACA renewal.”His current DACA is valid until October 2026.Cortez Martinez will now have an opportunity to resolve the re-calendaring of removal proceedings in Kansas City’s immigration court, said Sharma-Crawford.“I trust you,” Cortez Martinez said to Sharma-Crawford. “Let’s talk as soon as possible.”His children carried a poster they’d made, each signing a note to their father.They also brought mylar “Happy Birthday” balloons.Cortez Martinez turned 40 while he was gone. Several other family members also had recent birthdays.Laughing, Cortez Martinez hugged his wife and declared, “We’ll have one single party.”This&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/04/08/daca-recipient-deported-after-visiting-mexico-back-in-kansas-city/" target="_blank">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/" target="_blank">Beacon: Kansas City</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.

Man deported after visiting family grave in Mexico is back in Kansas City

Gilbert F. Brungardt, 84, Hays, died Friday, April 4, 2025
at HaysMed.

He was born October 27, 1940 in Hays, the son of Bonaventure
and Helen (Weber) Brungardt.&nbsp; In 1959, he
graduated from Ellis High School, and on May 12, 1962, he was united in
marriage to Lorraine Brungardt at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Hays.&nbsp; Throughout high school, Gilbert lettered in
football, basketball, and track.&nbsp; His
love for sports continued during his time as a referee and umpire for various
high school and junior college sports and long after when watching or attending
sporting events.&nbsp; Gilbert worked for
Allied Construction, was a bus driver for USD 489, and for over 20 years, he helped
Lorraine with her daycare.&nbsp; 

He was a devout Catholic, a member of Immaculate Heart of
Mary Catholic Church, the Ellis Third and Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus,
and was active in many parish activities including funeral dinners,
extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, ushering, and teaching RCIA classes
with Lorraine.&nbsp; Gilbert maintained a
beautiful lawn and enjoyed reading, going to movies, dog sitting his grand
dogs, and taking road trips which included driving all the way to and from
Virginia to visit family.&nbsp; Most of all,
he cherished gatherings with family and friends and was a loving husband,
father, and granddad.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Survivors include his wife Lorraine of Hays, his son Darren
Brungardt of Overland Park, two daughters, Tonya Orth and husband Marty of
Urbandale, Iowa and Audra Brungardt of Hays, his grandson Matthew Orth and
fiancé Theresa Li, one sister, Helen (Jeanie) Windholz and husband Francis of
Victoria, and numerous nieces and nephews.&nbsp;


He was preceded in death by his daughter-in-law Rita Zavora
Brungardt, four brothers, Edwin, Elmer, Sonny, and Anthony Brungardt and four
sisters, Angie Kinderknecht, Anna Rita Weber, Clara Walters, and Esther Laws.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 am on Saturday,
April 12, 2025 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church with Fr. Nick Parker
officiating.&nbsp; Burial will follow in St.
Joseph Cemetery.&nbsp; Visitation will be from
5:00 pm until 8:00 on Friday and from 9:30 am until 10:15 on Saturday, all at
Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home.&nbsp;
Recitation of the rosary will be at 6:00 pm, a parish vigil service will
be at 6:30 pm, and a combined Third and Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus
rosary will follow at 7:00 pm, all on Friday at the funeral home.&nbsp; Memorials are suggested to Immaculate Heart
of Mary Catholic Church for the Unify, Beautify, Glorify campaign or for
masses.&nbsp; Condolences and memories of
Gilbert may be shared with his family at www.haysmemorial.com&nbsp;&nbsp; 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744202489488.jpeg" alt="Gilbert F. Brungardt" />
 <figcaption>Gilbert F. Brungardt</figcaption>
 </figure>Gilbert F. Brungardt, 84, Hays, died Friday, April 4, 2025
at HaysMed.He was born October 27, 1940 in Hays, the son of Bonaventure
and Helen (Weber) Brungardt.&nbsp; In 1959, he
graduated from Ellis High School, and on May 12, 1962, he was united in
marriage to Lorraine Brungardt at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Hays.&nbsp; Throughout high school, Gilbert lettered in
football, basketball, and track.&nbsp; His
love for sports continued during his time as a referee and umpire for various
high school and junior college sports and long after when watching or attending
sporting events.&nbsp; Gilbert worked for
Allied Construction, was a bus driver for USD 489, and for over 20 years, he helped
Lorraine with her daycare.&nbsp; He was a devout Catholic, a member of Immaculate Heart of
Mary Catholic Church, the Ellis Third and Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus,
and was active in many parish activities including funeral dinners,
extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, ushering, and teaching RCIA classes
with Lorraine.&nbsp; Gilbert maintained a
beautiful lawn and enjoyed reading, going to movies, dog sitting his grand
dogs, and taking road trips which included driving all the way to and from
Virginia to visit family.&nbsp; Most of all,
he cherished gatherings with family and friends and was a loving husband,
father, and granddad.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Survivors include his wife Lorraine of Hays, his son Darren
Brungardt of Overland Park, two daughters, Tonya Orth and husband Marty of
Urbandale, Iowa and Audra Brungardt of Hays, his grandson Matthew Orth and
fiancé Theresa Li, one sister, Helen (Jeanie) Windholz and husband Francis of
Victoria, and numerous nieces and nephews.&nbsp;
He was preceded in death by his daughter-in-law Rita Zavora
Brungardt, four brothers, Edwin, Elmer, Sonny, and Anthony Brungardt and four
sisters, Angie Kinderknecht, Anna Rita Weber, Clara Walters, and Esther Laws.Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 am on Saturday,
April 12, 2025 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church with Fr. Nick Parker
officiating.&nbsp; Burial will follow in St.
Joseph Cemetery.&nbsp; Visitation will be from
5:00 pm until 8:00 on Friday and from 9:30 am until 10:15 on Saturday, all at
Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home.&nbsp;
Recitation of the rosary will be at 6:00 pm, a parish vigil service will
be at 6:30 pm, and a combined Third and Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus
rosary will follow at 7:00 pm, all on Friday at the funeral home.&nbsp; Memorials are suggested to Immaculate Heart
of Mary Catholic Church for the Unify, Beautify, Glorify campaign or for
masses.&nbsp; Condolences and memories of
Gilbert may be shared with his family at www.haysmemorial.com&nbsp;&nbsp;

Gilbert F. Brungardt

TOPEKA&nbsp;– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office have positively identified human remains that were found near Garnett, Kansas in April of 1973, providing answers to a family after 52 years.

On April 18, 1973, the decomposing remains of an unidentified male were located three miles southeast of Garnett, Kansas, off 1550 Road. He was found wearing a brown corduroy jacket, a green long-sleeved buttoned shirt, jeans, a black leather belt with a large belt buckle, brown hiking boots, and a navy blue stocking cap. He was also wearing two gold rings with crosses, a ring with the number “78” and a silver chain with a large cross.

During the autopsy in 1973, the coroner ruled the man’s manner of death a homicide due to signs of trauma. It was determined the man was around 20-years-old and believed to have brown hair and a slender build. Over the years, many attempts were made to identify the remains and learn what happened to the man.

In 2024, DNA was extracted from the remains so that a DNA profile could be utilized for forensic genetic genealogy testing. This advanced testing, conducted by Othram, attempts to uncover family relationships in order to identify any living relatives of the person who is unidentified. The funding to conduct the testing was provided by the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), administered by the National Institute of Justice, and managed through a contract with Research Triangle Institute International.

In early 2025, KBI learned the testing had identified relatives of the unknown man. After further investigation, KBI agents and the Anderson County Sheriff's Office located the man’s siblings. They conducted interviews and collected DNA from a sibling for comparison. The unidentified person was then positively identified as Jimmy Allen Dollison.

Jimmy Dollison had been living in Kansas City, Kansas when he went missing. He disappeared sometime in October or November of 1972, when he was 16-years-old. According to family members, he was reported missing by his parents, but the family never learned what happened to Jimmy.

The KBI and the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office continue to investigate the circumstances of Dollison’s death. Anyone who has information about the disappearance or murder of Jimmy Dollison is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME, or report tips online at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.kbi.ks.gov%2Fsar%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery/1/0100019616f0254d-ff9985bf-4b8c-4d01-bc48-88282324d6fb-000000/tIjY96t5nUzkLaJWYi5w37hsskU2VE0j-PuUqXq3654=400">https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744141977526.png" alt="Jimmy Dollison courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Jimmy Dollison courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA&nbsp;– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office have positively identified human remains that were found near Garnett, Kansas in April of 1973, providing answers to a family after 52 years.On April 18, 1973, the decomposing remains of an unidentified male were located three miles southeast of Garnett, Kansas, off 1550 Road. He was found wearing a brown corduroy jacket, a green long-sleeved buttoned shirt, jeans, a black leather belt with a large belt buckle, brown hiking boots, and a navy blue stocking cap. He was also wearing two gold rings with crosses, a ring with the number “78” and a silver chain with a large cross.During the autopsy in 1973, the coroner ruled the man’s manner of death a homicide due to signs of trauma. It was determined the man was around 20-years-old and believed to have brown hair and a slender build. Over the years, many attempts were made to identify the remains and learn what happened to the man.In 2024, DNA was extracted from the remains so that a DNA profile could be utilized for forensic genetic genealogy testing. This advanced testing, conducted by Othram, attempts to uncover family relationships in order to identify any living relatives of the person who is unidentified. The funding to conduct the testing was provided by the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), administered by the National Institute of Justice, and managed through a contract with Research Triangle Institute International.In early 2025, KBI learned the testing had identified relatives of the unknown man. After further investigation, KBI agents and the Anderson County Sheriff's Office located the man’s siblings. They conducted interviews and collected DNA from a sibling for comparison. The unidentified person was then positively identified as Jimmy Allen Dollison.Jimmy Dollison had been living in Kansas City, Kansas when he went missing. He disappeared sometime in October or November of 1972, when he was 16-years-old. According to family members, he was reported missing by his parents, but the family never learned what happened to Jimmy.The KBI and the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office continue to investigate the circumstances of Dollison’s death. Anyone who has information about the disappearance or murder of Jimmy Dollison is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME, or report tips online at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.kbi.ks.gov%2Fsar%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery/1/0100019616f0254d-ff9985bf-4b8c-4d01-bc48-88282324d6fb-000000/tIjY96t5nUzkLaJWYi5w37hsskU2VE0j-PuUqXq3654=400">https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar</a>.

KBI: Remains found in 1973 positively identified as Kansas teen

M. Mardelle Kenyon, 96, Bison, Kansas, passed away Sunday,
February 9, 2025, at Locust Grove Village, La Crosse, Kansas.

Mardelle was born November
9, 1928, in Marshall, Colorado, the daughter of Fredrick Ernest and Lela Ida
(Epler) Callihan.&nbsp; She was a resident of Rush
County, Kansas, since 1966, moving there from Holcomb, Kansas.&nbsp; She was a homemaker and X-ray technician
before her retirement.

She was a member of the
United Methodist Church, United Methodist Women, and JOY Club, all of Bison,
Kansas.

On October 29, 1950,
she married Bruce Harlan Kenyon at Broadway Methodist Church, Denver, Colorado.&nbsp; He preceded her in death May 8, 1997.

Survivors
include:&nbsp; four sons, Alan Kenyon
(Ronnell), Larned, Kansas, Roger Kenyon (Linda), Otis, Kansas, Warren Kenyon
(Shirley), Lucas, Kansas, and Mark Kenyon (Jodi), Augusta, Kansas; 12
grandchildren, Alan Kenyon (Kanoco), Eric Kenyon (Bree), Sean Kenyon (Kara),
Ann Kenyon, (Robert Hendrix), Will Kenyon (Aimee), Kara Heller, Holly Kenyon, Tim
Stude (Farah), Randy Stude (Mary), Christi Staab, Amanda Adams (Justin), and
Brett Kenyon (Kristin); 25 great grandchildren; and five great great grandchildren.

She was preceded in
death by her parents; her husband; one brother, Jon Callihan; and two sisters, Sherrie
Alverson, and Beverly Carlson.

Memorial service will
be Monday, April 14, 2025, at 10:30 A.M. at the Janousek Funeral Home, La
Crosse, Kansas, with Pastor Scott Tempero officiating.&nbsp; 

In lieu of flowers or
plants, the family requests memorials to the United Methodist Church, Bison,
Kansas.

Condolences or
remembrances may be left for the family at <a href="http://www.janousekfuneralhome.com/">www.janousekfuneralhome.com</a>.

Arrangements were by
Janousek Funeral Home, 719 Pine
  Street, P O Box 550, La Crosse, Kansas 67548,
785-222-2517.

Honoring Mardelle’s
wishes, the family has chosen cremation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739203645042.jpeg" alt="M. Mardelle Kenyon" />
 <figcaption>M. Mardelle Kenyon</figcaption>
 </figure>M. Mardelle Kenyon, 96, Bison, Kansas, passed away Sunday,
February 9, 2025, at Locust Grove Village, La Crosse, Kansas.Mardelle was born November
9, 1928, in Marshall, Colorado, the daughter of Fredrick Ernest and Lela Ida
(Epler) Callihan.&nbsp; She was a resident of Rush
County, Kansas, since 1966, moving there from Holcomb, Kansas.&nbsp; She was a homemaker and X-ray technician
before her retirement.She was a member of the
United Methodist Church, United Methodist Women, and JOY Club, all of Bison,
Kansas.On October 29, 1950,
she married Bruce Harlan Kenyon at Broadway Methodist Church, Denver, Colorado.&nbsp; He preceded her in death May 8, 1997.Survivors
include:&nbsp; four sons, Alan Kenyon
(Ronnell), Larned, Kansas, Roger Kenyon (Linda), Otis, Kansas, Warren Kenyon
(Shirley), Lucas, Kansas, and Mark Kenyon (Jodi), Augusta, Kansas; 12
grandchildren, Alan Kenyon (Kanoco), Eric Kenyon (Bree), Sean Kenyon (Kara),
Ann Kenyon, (Robert Hendrix), Will Kenyon (Aimee), Kara Heller, Holly Kenyon, Tim
Stude (Farah), Randy Stude (Mary), Christi Staab, Amanda Adams (Justin), and
Brett Kenyon (Kristin); 25 great grandchildren; and five great great grandchildren.She was preceded in
death by her parents; her husband; one brother, Jon Callihan; and two sisters, Sherrie
Alverson, and Beverly Carlson.Memorial service will
be Monday, April 14, 2025, at 10:30 A.M. at the Janousek Funeral Home, La
Crosse, Kansas, with Pastor Scott Tempero officiating.&nbsp; In lieu of flowers or
plants, the family requests memorials to the United Methodist Church, Bison,
Kansas.Condolences or
remembrances may be left for the family at <a href="http://www.janousekfuneralhome.com/">www.janousekfuneralhome.com</a>.Arrangements were by
Janousek Funeral Home, 719 Pine
 Street, P O Box 550, La Crosse, Kansas 67548,
785-222-2517.Honoring Mardelle’s
wishes, the family has chosen cremation.

M. Mardelle Kenyon

By JOHN P. TRETBAR Eagle Media

Between tariff uncertainty and a big Saudi price cut, the crude oil market takes a beating.&nbsp; NYMEX futures prices shed five dollars a barrel on Friday to settle a penny below $62. Prices were down another three percent Monday morning. WTI was fetching a few cents over $60 a barrel after dipping below $59 earlier in the session.&nbsp; Kansas Crude prices dropped five dollars Friday. Kansas Common crude at CHS in McPherson starts the week at 52.25 per barrel.

Saudi Arabia slashed its prices by more than two dollars a barrel, dropping prices for Asia customers to a four-year low.&nbsp; Reuters reports the second monthly price cut in a row marks the biggest decline in two years.

Eight key OPEC+ producers last week agreed to raise combined crude oil output by 411,000 barrels per day, what the cartel calls the equivalent of three monthly increments.

Kansas crude production has dropped from the worst ever to the new worst ever, again. The data crunchers at the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS) have been busy with what a spokesman called "significant changes in their server architecture." This week they released the delayed and much-anticipated December and year-end crude oil production totals. The new report shows annual statewide production of 26.8 million barrels, the worst annual total in KGS records, for an average of 73,306 barrels per day. That's down from just under 76-thousand barrels a day the year before and 77-thousand-plus the year before that.

KGS reports Ellis County is still the top producing county in 2024, with 5,668 barrels per day. That's down 213 daily barrels from the year before. Finney County production jumps to the second spot with 4,405 barrels per day, up 605 daily barrels. After Haskell County at third comes Barton County at 3,847 barrels per day, down 233 barrels a day from the year before. At fifth, Russell County output dropped 87 daily barrels year-over-year, at 3,507. Stafford County drops 62 daily barrels to eighth place with 2,391 barrels per day.

Kansas regulators report 83 new intent-to-drill notices in March, or 202 so far this year. A search of the Kansas Corporation Commission Web site shows Barton County with two new intents, and four so far this year. Ellis County has a new one. That's makes two for the first three months of the year. Russell County notches its first of the year, and Stafford County adds one, for a year-to-date tally of seven. Haskell County reports five new intents or seven through the first quarter. Finney County has 17 so far this year, with five new ones in March.

The Kansas Corporation Commission okayed 26 new drilling sites, with 12 in Western Kansas including one in Stafford County. That's 199 new drilling permits this year, compared to 232 through the first quarter last year.

Independent Oil and Gas Service reports 47 new well completions in eastern Kansas last week. There were just six west of Wichita, including three in Haskell County and one in Stafford County. Completions for the first quarter total 347, compared to 301 last year at this time.

US crude production boasts its third-best weekly average, it's second-best four-week average, and all-time best cumulative average. US crude production through March 28th averaged 13.58 million barrels a day, up six thousand barrels from the week before and nearly half a million higher than the same tally a year ago.

The Energy Information Administration reports crude inventories rose 6.2 million barrels from last week to 439.8 million barrels. Stockpiles are down nearly three percent from a year ago, and are about four percent below the five-year seasonal average.

The Energy Department took delivery on another 300-thousand barrels of crude last week for the Strategic Petroleum Reserves. That's 32.8 million since full-scale refill operations began last April. SPR barrels were sold in 2022 for more than $95 a barrel. The average price we're paying remains below the ceiling established by the government. Paper savings now total over $490 million.

Crude imports from Canada rose for the second week in a row, but the tally for the month of March is the lowest since October. US refiners imported 4.4 million barrels of Canadian crude per day last week.

Total US imports averaged 6.5 million barrels per day, rising 271-thousand barrels from the previous week. EIA says crude exports averaged 3.8 million barrels a day, making the US is a net crude importer by two-and-a-half million barrels a day.

The Kansas Rig Count totals were unchanged from a week ago, with eight active rigs east of Wichita and 15 in Western Kansas. Independent Oil and Gas Service reports drilling underway or about to resume barring weather delays on a lease in Barton County, two in Finney County, one in Russell County and one in Stafford County.

Baker Hughes reports 590 active drilling rigs across the U.S. The number of oil rigs is up five. The tally of those seeking natural gas is down seven rigs. Texas is down three rigs for the week.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684775008059.jpeg" alt="Courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN P. TRETBAR Eagle MediaBetween tariff uncertainty and a big Saudi price cut, the crude oil market takes a beating.&nbsp; NYMEX futures prices shed five dollars a barrel on Friday to settle a penny below $62. Prices were down another three percent Monday morning. WTI was fetching a few cents over $60 a barrel after dipping below $59 earlier in the session.&nbsp; Kansas Crude prices dropped five dollars Friday. Kansas Common crude at CHS in McPherson starts the week at 52.25 per barrel.Saudi Arabia slashed its prices by more than two dollars a barrel, dropping prices for Asia customers to a four-year low.&nbsp; Reuters reports the second monthly price cut in a row marks the biggest decline in two years.Eight key OPEC+ producers last week agreed to raise combined crude oil output by 411,000 barrels per day, what the cartel calls the equivalent of three monthly increments.Kansas crude production has dropped from the worst ever to the new worst ever, again. The data crunchers at the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS) have been busy with what a spokesman called "significant changes in their server architecture." This week they released the delayed and much-anticipated December and year-end crude oil production totals. The new report shows annual statewide production of 26.8 million barrels, the worst annual total in KGS records, for an average of 73,306 barrels per day. That's down from just under 76-thousand barrels a day the year before and 77-thousand-plus the year before that.KGS reports Ellis County is still the top producing county in 2024, with 5,668 barrels per day. That's down 213 daily barrels from the year before. Finney County production jumps to the second spot with 4,405 barrels per day, up 605 daily barrels. After Haskell County at third comes Barton County at 3,847 barrels per day, down 233 barrels a day from the year before. At fifth, Russell County output dropped 87 daily barrels year-over-year, at 3,507. Stafford County drops 62 daily barrels to eighth place with 2,391 barrels per day.Kansas regulators report 83 new intent-to-drill notices in March, or 202 so far this year. A search of the Kansas Corporation Commission Web site shows Barton County with two new intents, and four so far this year. Ellis County has a new one. That's makes two for the first three months of the year. Russell County notches its first of the year, and Stafford County adds one, for a year-to-date tally of seven. Haskell County reports five new intents or seven through the first quarter. Finney County has 17 so far this year, with five new ones in March.The Kansas Corporation Commission okayed 26 new drilling sites, with 12 in Western Kansas including one in Stafford County. That's 199 new drilling permits this year, compared to 232 through the first quarter last year.Independent Oil and Gas Service reports 47 new well completions in eastern Kansas last week. There were just six west of Wichita, including three in Haskell County and one in Stafford County. Completions for the first quarter total 347, compared to 301 last year at this time.US crude production boasts its third-best weekly average, it's second-best four-week average, and all-time best cumulative average. US crude production through March 28th averaged 13.58 million barrels a day, up six thousand barrels from the week before and nearly half a million higher than the same tally a year ago.The Energy Information Administration reports crude inventories rose 6.2 million barrels from last week to 439.8 million barrels. Stockpiles are down nearly three percent from a year ago, and are about four percent below the five-year seasonal average.The Energy Department took delivery on another 300-thousand barrels of crude last week for the Strategic Petroleum Reserves. That's 32.8 million since full-scale refill operations began last April. SPR barrels were sold in 2022 for more than $95 a barrel. The average price we're paying remains below the ceiling established by the government. Paper savings now total over $490 million.Crude imports from Canada rose for the second week in a row, but the tally for the month of March is the lowest since October. US refiners imported 4.4 million barrels of Canadian crude per day last week.Total US imports averaged 6.5 million barrels per day, rising 271-thousand barrels from the previous week. EIA says crude exports averaged 3.8 million barrels a day, making the US is a net crude importer by two-and-a-half million barrels a day.The Kansas Rig Count totals were unchanged from a week ago, with eight active rigs east of Wichita and 15 in Western Kansas. Independent Oil and Gas Service reports drilling underway or about to resume barring weather delays on a lease in Barton County, two in Finney County, one in Russell County and one in Stafford County.Baker Hughes reports 590 active drilling rigs across the U.S. The number of oil rigs is up five. The tally of those seeking natural gas is down seven rigs. Texas is down three rigs for the week.&nbsp;&nbsp;

News from the Oil Patch: Kansas crude production; the lowest ever, again

A lawsuit challenging the deportation has been filed in a Texas court against U.S. Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and other government officials

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/marysanchez/">MARY SANCHEZ</a>&nbsp;-

Evenezer Cortez Martinez wanted to pay respects to a beloved grandfather who died last fall.

He ended up deported, sent back to Mexico, a country the 39-year-old Kansas husband and father left at the age of 4.

“Everything was approved, and I arrived here with no problem,” said Cortez Martinez, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.uscis.gov/DACA" target="_blank">DACA</a>&nbsp;recipient, in a phone interview from Cuernavaca, a city south of Mexico City.

On March 23, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials stopped Cortez Martinez at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport as he presented documents to board a flight back to Kansas City.

He was held, questioned and put on a flight to Mexico City that evening.

“I asked them, ‘Can I just call my lawyer and try to see if I can work things out,’” Cortez Martinez said. “They said, ‘No, you don’t have that option.’”

His attorney argues otherwise, filing a case Wednesday, April 2, with a Texas federal court.

“How many others are out there that this has also happened to, but who didn’t have the ability to get counsel?” said&nbsp;<a href="https://sharma-crawford.com/" target="_blank">Rekha Sharma-Crawford</a>, the Kansas City-based attorney who filed the case in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Texas. “The law is on his side.”

<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uDXHrV0N6Lc4Eelx7CwU5TeP3fD9myeQ/view" target="_blank">The case</a>&nbsp;could become a test of the limits of the Trump administration’s reach.

Advocates argue the administration’s zeal to deport is increasingly overstepping, scooping up immigrants, even those legally present, and not allowing due process.

The lawsuit seeks “declaratory, injunctive and mandamus relief to find that Defendants actions were arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law.”

It’s filed against the U.S. Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and other government officials.

U.S. Immigration officials do not generally comment on specific cases.

But&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/04/01/nx-s1-5339698/green-card-holders-detained-border-crackdown" target="_blank">in a statement released to NPR</a>&nbsp;recently, Customs and Border Protection argued it was merely enforcing the law.

“Those who violate these laws will be processed, detained, and removed as required,” CBP Assistant Commissioner Hilton Beckham said in the statement.

Customs agents in Dallas told Cortez Martinez that he had been ordered removed in absentia on June 11, 2024, and that his documents to travel had been issued in error.

Cortez Martinez said he had never been notified of a removal order, which is the legal term for what most people colloquially refer to as deportation.

The Roeland Park, Kansas, resident is staying with the one Mexico relative he knows, an uncle.

Cortez Martinez is believed to be the first Kansas City-area case of a DACA&nbsp; (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipient caught in the Trump administration’s vow to deport millions of people.

The latest Trump plan is called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline" target="_blank">Operation Take Back America</a>.

The lawsuit argues that Cortez Martinez has the right to appear before an immigration judge.

“Under current regulations, a holder of an Advance Parole document cannot be barred from the country (removed) without a formal removal hearing before an Immigration Judge,” the suit states.

Advance parole is the process Cortez Martinez went through, with the aid of an attorney, to travel outside of the U.S. as a DACA recipient.

His recurring two-year renewals of DACA had been approved by the government like clockwork. His current DACA is valid until October 2026.

DACA was designed by the Obama administration in 2012. It was meant to be a carveout for immigrants known as “Dreamers,” those who’d been brought to the U.S. as young children, without legal status.

DACA is a temporary reprieve from deportation. It also allows for work authorization and for people to apply for travel outside of the country, through advance parole.

The removal order the government cited is from June 2024.

“He’s not hiding, Sharma-Crawford said. “He’s doing everything that he’s supposed to be doing.”

Cortez Martinez has lived in the Kansas City area for nearly 20 years.

His wife, child and stepchildren are anxiously waiting for his return to their suburban home.

Cortez Martinez’s case is the first deportation of a Kansas City-area DACA recipient that Nubia Estefes is aware of occurring.

“It’s one of our fears,” said Estefes, executive director of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ksmoda.org/daca" target="_blank">Kansas Missouri Dream Alliance</a>, an advocacy group for “Dreamers.”

Before Trump took office, a few other area DACA recipients traveled back to their birth nations on the same documents that Cortez Martinez used, advance parole.

The trips were taken with counsel by attorneys, to ensure that nothing could be resurrected in their history as a rationale for deportation, Estefes said.

“It’s personal discretion on the part of the officers,” she said of the scrutiny that occurs at Customs.

News stories that even documented people have been deported are alarming the immigrant community.

“We’re definitely siding with the cautious side,” Estefes said. “If you don’t have to go, if it’s not life or death, I would suggest you wait it out.”

<a href="https://www.elcentroinc.com/advocacy-3/daca-clinics/" target="_blank">El Centro</a>, a Kansas social service agency, is also&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/03/14/schools-look-to-landmark-supreme-court-ruling-to-protect-undocumented-immigrant-students-from-ice/" target="_blank">advising immigrants to be careful</a>.

Justin Gust, vice president of community engagement, said the agency is continuing the help with DACA renewal applications.

But even immigrants who are legal permanent residents are being advised to take precautions, especially when traveling.

“It just seems like everything is unknown these days,” Gust said. “What was a protected status, or a protected issue, is no longer protected.”

People are disabling face recognition or a thumbprint to open their cellphone, as a safeguard against having their data combed for anything a customs agent might deem offensive to the Trump administration’s goals.

“We’re advising people that they really do need to talk to their lawyer first and don’t go just to go, because you definitely need to know that you can come back,” Gust said.

A beloved grandfather, hazy memory of Mexico

Cortez Martinez’s sole memory of his native Mexico is a limited one, possibly bolstered more by family stories than a true memory.

Cornelio Martinez Dominguez owned a panaderia, a bakery.

“I’ve been told that every time the bread was ready, I’d run to my grandpa,” Cortez Martinez said.

Through the years, he spoke with his grandfather by phone. But he’d never returned to Mexico.

Sharma-Crawford first contacted the CBP Watch Commander at the Dallas Fort Worth airport, seeing if the office would intervene.

“There are real questions if he was properly notified,” she said of Martinez’s order of removal.

Still, the existence of the order wouldn’t negate his right to be granted advance parole, she said.

Sharma-Crawford suspects that the Trump administration has begun re-calendaring removal cases that had previously been closed.

“I never got any notice,” Cortez Martinez said of the removal order. “I never got any citations to go see a judge.”

Cortez Martinez received the approval to travel from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in early March. The document is valid until April 14, 2025, according to the lawsuit.

Still, he had been initially hesitant to take the trip.

He only considered doing so, as his grandfather’s health worsened.

In November, his grandfather died before the paperwork was approved.

The visit was shortened to a three-day excursion, just enough time to reach the cemetery a few hours outside of Mexico City, and then return to Kansas City.

“That’s the grandpa I wanted to be able to say goodbye to,” Cortez Martinez said.

This&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/04/03/kansas-man-deported-after-visiting-grandfathers-grave-in-mexico/" target="_blank">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/" target="_blank">Beacon: Kansas City</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743775932922.png" alt="A family photo of Evenezer Cortez Martinez, pictured on the far right, with his wife and children. The Roeland Park family is now awaiting a federal lawsuit filed on his behalf. Despite having DACA status and permission to travel, the husband and father was detained, deported and denied entry back to the U.S. after a trip to Mexico (photo submitted)." />
 <figcaption>A family photo of Evenezer Cortez Martinez, pictured on the far right, with his wife and children. The Roeland Park family is now awaiting a federal lawsuit filed on his behalf. Despite having DACA status and permission to travel, the husband and father was detained, deported and denied entry back to the U.S. after a trip to Mexico (photo submitted).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>A lawsuit challenging the deportation has been filed in a Texas court against U.S. Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and other government officials</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/marysanchez/">MARY SANCHEZ</a>&nbsp;-Evenezer Cortez Martinez wanted to pay respects to a beloved grandfather who died last fall.He ended up deported, sent back to Mexico, a country the 39-year-old Kansas husband and father left at the age of 4.“Everything was approved, and I arrived here with no problem,” said Cortez Martinez, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.uscis.gov/DACA" target="_blank">DACA</a>&nbsp;recipient, in a phone interview from Cuernavaca, a city south of Mexico City.On March 23, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials stopped Cortez Martinez at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport as he presented documents to board a flight back to Kansas City.He was held, questioned and put on a flight to Mexico City that evening.“I asked them, ‘Can I just call my lawyer and try to see if I can work things out,’” Cortez Martinez said. “They said, ‘No, you don’t have that option.’”His attorney argues otherwise, filing a case Wednesday, April 2, with a Texas federal court.“How many others are out there that this has also happened to, but who didn’t have the ability to get counsel?” said&nbsp;<a href="https://sharma-crawford.com/" target="_blank">Rekha Sharma-Crawford</a>, the Kansas City-based attorney who filed the case in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Texas. “The law is on his side.”<h2>Potential test case</h2><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uDXHrV0N6Lc4Eelx7CwU5TeP3fD9myeQ/view" target="_blank">The case</a>&nbsp;could become a test of the limits of the Trump administration’s reach.Advocates argue the administration’s zeal to deport is increasingly overstepping, scooping up immigrants, even those legally present, and not allowing due process.The lawsuit seeks “declaratory, injunctive and mandamus relief to find that Defendants actions were arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law.”It’s filed against the U.S. Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and other government officials.U.S. Immigration officials do not generally comment on specific cases.But&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/04/01/nx-s1-5339698/green-card-holders-detained-border-crackdown" target="_blank">in a statement released to NPR</a>&nbsp;recently, Customs and Border Protection argued it was merely enforcing the law.“Those who violate these laws will be processed, detained, and removed as required,” CBP Assistant Commissioner Hilton Beckham said in the statement.Customs agents in Dallas told Cortez Martinez that he had been ordered removed in absentia on June 11, 2024, and that his documents to travel had been issued in error.Cortez Martinez said he had never been notified of a removal order, which is the legal term for what most people colloquially refer to as deportation.The Roeland Park, Kansas, resident is staying with the one Mexico relative he knows, an uncle.Cortez Martinez is believed to be the first Kansas City-area case of a DACA&nbsp; (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipient caught in the Trump administration’s vow to deport millions of people.The latest Trump plan is called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline" target="_blank">Operation Take Back America</a>.The lawsuit argues that Cortez Martinez has the right to appear before an immigration judge.“Under current regulations, a holder of an Advance Parole document cannot be barred from the country (removed) without a formal removal hearing before an Immigration Judge,” the suit states.Advance parole is the process Cortez Martinez went through, with the aid of an attorney, to travel outside of the U.S. as a DACA recipient.His recurring two-year renewals of DACA had been approved by the government like clockwork. His current DACA is valid until October 2026.DACA was designed by the Obama administration in 2012. It was meant to be a carveout for immigrants known as “Dreamers,” those who’d been brought to the U.S. as young children, without legal status.DACA is a temporary reprieve from deportation. It also allows for work authorization and for people to apply for travel outside of the country, through advance parole.The removal order the government cited is from June 2024.“He’s not hiding, Sharma-Crawford said. “He’s doing everything that he’s supposed to be doing.”Cortez Martinez has lived in the Kansas City area for nearly 20 years.His wife, child and stepchildren are anxiously waiting for his return to their suburban home.<h2>Rising immigrant fears of being deported</h2>Cortez Martinez’s case is the first deportation of a Kansas City-area DACA recipient that Nubia Estefes is aware of occurring.“It’s one of our fears,” said Estefes, executive director of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ksmoda.org/daca" target="_blank">Kansas Missouri Dream Alliance</a>, an advocacy group for “Dreamers.”Before Trump took office, a few other area DACA recipients traveled back to their birth nations on the same documents that Cortez Martinez used, advance parole.The trips were taken with counsel by attorneys, to ensure that nothing could be resurrected in their history as a rationale for deportation, Estefes said.“It’s personal discretion on the part of the officers,” she said of the scrutiny that occurs at Customs.News stories that even documented people have been deported are alarming the immigrant community.“We’re definitely siding with the cautious side,” Estefes said. “If you don’t have to go, if it’s not life or death, I would suggest you wait it out.”<a href="https://www.elcentroinc.com/advocacy-3/daca-clinics/" target="_blank">El Centro</a>, a Kansas social service agency, is also&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/03/14/schools-look-to-landmark-supreme-court-ruling-to-protect-undocumented-immigrant-students-from-ice/" target="_blank">advising immigrants to be careful</a>.Justin Gust, vice president of community engagement, said the agency is continuing the help with DACA renewal applications.But even immigrants who are legal permanent residents are being advised to take precautions, especially when traveling.“It just seems like everything is unknown these days,” Gust said. “What was a protected status, or a protected issue, is no longer protected.”People are disabling face recognition or a thumbprint to open their cellphone, as a safeguard against having their data combed for anything a customs agent might deem offensive to the Trump administration’s goals.“We’re advising people that they really do need to talk to their lawyer first and don’t go just to go, because you definitely need to know that you can come back,” Gust said.<h2>A beloved grandfather, hazy memory of Mexico</h2>Cortez Martinez’s sole memory of his native Mexico is a limited one, possibly bolstered more by family stories than a true memory.But his grandfather is central.Cornelio Martinez Dominguez owned a panaderia, a bakery.“I’ve been told that every time the bread was ready, I’d run to my grandpa,” Cortez Martinez said.Through the years, he spoke with his grandfather by phone. But he’d never returned to Mexico.Sharma-Crawford first contacted the CBP Watch Commander at the Dallas Fort Worth airport, seeing if the office would intervene.She did not receive a reply.“There are real questions if he was properly notified,” she said of Martinez’s order of removal.Still, the existence of the order wouldn’t negate his right to be granted advance parole, she said.Sharma-Crawford suspects that the Trump administration has begun re-calendaring removal cases that had previously been closed.“I never got any notice,” Cortez Martinez said of the removal order. “I never got any citations to go see a judge.”Cortez Martinez received the approval to travel from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in early March. The document is valid until April 14, 2025, according to the lawsuit.Still, he had been initially hesitant to take the trip.He only considered doing so, as his grandfather’s health worsened.In November, his grandfather died before the paperwork was approved.The visit was shortened to a three-day excursion, just enough time to reach the cemetery a few hours outside of Mexico City, and then return to Kansas City.“That’s the grandpa I wanted to be able to say goodbye to,” Cortez Martinez said.This&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/04/03/kansas-man-deported-after-visiting-grandfathers-grave-in-mexico/" target="_blank">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/" target="_blank">Beacon: Kansas City</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.

Kansas City area man deported after visiting grandfather’s grave in Mexico

By TONY GUERRERO Hays Post

A former Ellis County Attorney issued a public apology for his office's budget overrun by more than $72,000 in the final year of his term.

Former Ellis County Attorney Robert Anderson told the Ellis County Commission Tuesday that budget overage stemmed from multiple factors, including hiring Joshua Becker as a fifth attorney.

Anderson said he expected attorney James Rutherford to leave by October, but Rutherford stayed through January.&nbsp;Both attorneys remained on staff, which caused overlapping budget costs.

Ellis County Administrator Darin Myers said the 2024 fiscal budget was $1,066,725, with Anderson exceeding it by $72,400.

"If I can go back in time, my preference would have been to come to the commission and ask for that budget authority," Anderson said. "I would have never deliberately or purposely spent money we didn't have. That is my apology."

Anderson said he is handling about a dozen cases at no cost as a special prosecutor as an act of restitution.

County commissioners responded to Anderson with appreciation and understanding, commending his efforts to maintain staffing in the attorney’s office during his transition out of the role.

"It takes a real person to come and apologize," Commissioner Neal Younger said.

Anderson did not run for re-election for county attorney.&nbsp;

Aaron Cunningham ran unopposed for the position in 2024 and assumed the office in January.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743602398322.jpg" alt="Courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>By TONY GUERRERO Hays PostA former Ellis County Attorney issued a public apology for his office's budget overrun by more than $72,000 in the final year of his term.Former Ellis County Attorney Robert Anderson told the Ellis County Commission Tuesday that budget overage stemmed from multiple factors, including hiring Joshua Becker as a fifth attorney.Anderson said he expected attorney James Rutherford to leave by October, but Rutherford stayed through January.&nbsp;Both attorneys remained on staff, which caused overlapping budget costs.Ellis County Administrator Darin Myers said the 2024 fiscal budget was $1,066,725, with Anderson exceeding it by $72,400."If I can go back in time, my preference would have been to come to the commission and ask for that budget authority," Anderson said. "I would have never deliberately or purposely spent money we didn't have. That is my apology."Anderson said he is handling about a dozen cases at no cost as a special prosecutor as an act of restitution.County commissioners responded to Anderson with appreciation and understanding, commending his efforts to maintain staffing in the attorney’s office during his transition out of the role."It takes a real person to come and apologize," Commissioner Neal Younger said.Anderson did not run for re-election for county attorney.&nbsp;Aaron Cunningham ran unopposed for the position in 2024 and assumed the office in January.

Former Ellis County Attorney goes $72K over budget

&nbsp;FHSU University Communications

For the 18th consecutive year, FHSU has been recognized for its investment in programs that improve the lives of veterans and military personnel, earning the 2025-2026 Military Friendly School designation from militaryfriendly.com.

Institutions earning the&nbsp;Military Friendly School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2025-2026 survey with 830 earning special awards for going above the standard.

“Every year, we use this survey to evaluate, improve, and better FHSU and the way we take care of our military-connected students,” said Randy Adkins, military admissions advisor of FHSU online military-connected student services.

The Military Friendly program creates civilian opportunities for veterans and is the standard that measures an organization’s commitment, effort, and success in creating sustainable and meaningful opportunities for the military community.

Methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by Viqtory with input from the Military Friendly Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey scores with the assessment of the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence (degree advancement or transfer) and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.

The 2025-2026 Military Friendly Schools list will be published in the May and October issue of G.I. Jobs magazine and found at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.7LNxDHQVpzCjONIZ4OYIquXVhZdXo37pUmmwwiyqvJOdiyrzo5Wg63Pjv-2B8H5dpuQASr_1ix3pnygukYWZfKiCJpm8BsHsayWXlw0ucteiDEo46fRc0p9DVWJmv2prlqkbHR6S2dsrJiXPEopagJAn55fgrGOya21Ubchf288oY8AFP4iYaBJwhylwdd5l9F7UOfONeRH7-2BDm5ZL8gQPKvjmrMnk8V84RVwgYhxHqqwMLxfzr-2B7VKX1yD57RU7dDBos98IhfCtNQhCyQofxhh9rwtH4XModDR-2BjY5TNb5HYm7p6k0capmURz-2Fir5aWUi-2BW5FaTtbTmCLayXunMc6jVe2UCFo6YXa32i-2FcjmyD9LM4jhmmGYFpLj7gLvO-2BfZ3y0CmSx9JJtFs8LwZAg2psAE1p0tJeEYy50wnEmYOvU7mivqpZfDJ3244XqyLkoXCUX4-2B3">www.militaryfriendly.com</a>.

Military-connected student benefits at FHSU include tuition assistance, Veteran Affairs benefits, Yellow Ribbon and in-state tuition, and scholarships. Students also have access to a Military Success module, specialized career services, and a dedicated military admissions advisor.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743518175552.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;FHSU University CommunicationsFor the 18th consecutive year, FHSU has been recognized for its investment in programs that improve the lives of veterans and military personnel, earning the 2025-2026 Military Friendly School designation from militaryfriendly.com.Institutions earning the&nbsp;Military Friendly School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2025-2026 survey with 830 earning special awards for going above the standard.“Every year, we use this survey to evaluate, improve, and better FHSU and the way we take care of our military-connected students,” said Randy Adkins, military admissions advisor of FHSU online military-connected student services.The Military Friendly program creates civilian opportunities for veterans and is the standard that measures an organization’s commitment, effort, and success in creating sustainable and meaningful opportunities for the military community.Methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by Viqtory with input from the Military Friendly Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey scores with the assessment of the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence (degree advancement or transfer) and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.The 2025-2026 Military Friendly Schools list will be published in the May and October issue of G.I. Jobs magazine and found at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.7LNxDHQVpzCjONIZ4OYIquXVhZdXo37pUmmwwiyqvJOdiyrzo5Wg63Pjv-2B8H5dpuQASr_1ix3pnygukYWZfKiCJpm8BsHsayWXlw0ucteiDEo46fRc0p9DVWJmv2prlqkbHR6S2dsrJiXPEopagJAn55fgrGOya21Ubchf288oY8AFP4iYaBJwhylwdd5l9F7UOfONeRH7-2BDm5ZL8gQPKvjmrMnk8V84RVwgYhxHqqwMLxfzr-2B7VKX1yD57RU7dDBos98IhfCtNQhCyQofxhh9rwtH4XModDR-2BjY5TNb5HYm7p6k0capmURz-2Fir5aWUi-2BW5FaTtbTmCLayXunMc6jVe2UCFo6YXa32i-2FcjmyD9LM4jhmmGYFpLj7gLvO-2BfZ3y0CmSx9JJtFs8LwZAg2psAE1p0tJeEYy50wnEmYOvU7mivqpZfDJ3244XqyLkoXCUX4-2B3">www.militaryfriendly.com</a>.Military-connected student benefits at FHSU include tuition assistance, Veteran Affairs benefits, Yellow Ribbon and in-state tuition, and scholarships. Students also have access to a Military Success module, specialized career services, and a dedicated military admissions advisor.Visit the Military-Connected Student Services page for more information:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.EWtdXdo3nx3t8ZlvSfKX0SxGv-2Fva5lUgbJxYeXX5hgplSB6izMy2MRZAeywXjzC9tERd_1ix3pnygukYWZfKiCJpm8BsHsayWXlw0ucteiDEo46fRc0p9DVWJmv2prlqkbHR6S2dsrJiXPEopagJAn55fgrGOya21Ubchf288oY8AFP4iYaBJwhylwdd5l9F7UOfONeRH7-2BDm5ZL8gQPKvjmrMnk8V84RVwgYhxHqqwMLxfzr-2B7VKX1yD57RU7dDBos98IhfCtNQhCyQofxhh9rwtH6aEFIGqdNNrvXdba1nMkgCZoomq-2F7E-2FVQQiDX-2BBfTp2uZNZZ9dweRKAgrMIsPw3XoChPu01ViIwdH-2BN5dACLBLfNIRnBP6A5rstiCyJfqvRS5htCgSP6tf2hjy3GiEAUP-2BJ0rBZvUNjzwsW-2FX4V5fto88zg0PtZP-2FbhPkeOztRF">https://www.fhsu.edu/military/</a>.