SIERRA BLANCA (Texas) — Jesus Ivan Sepulveda Martinez began his journey to seek work in America in his father’s car. two men and a truck  He then caught a bus from Ceballos to get to the border. Soon, the 22-year-old slipped into Texas, where he began walking through the deserted landscape east of El Paso with about a dozen other migrants.

Three days after Mr. Sepulveda had texted his dad that he had crossed the border, the group stopped at a small pond on a rural road to get water. Two men driving a pickup truck passed the group, and the migrants fled to the bush. The truck suddenly stopped, reversed, and stopped again.

One of the men walked out with a gun and opened fire. He fatally struck Mr. Sepulveda and wounded a young Mexican woman. This made the region near Sierra Blanca the new focal point for the nation’s growing immigration controversy.

The shooting of Michael Sheppard and Mark Sheppard, both local residents, aggravated an already volatile situation. Mark Sheppard is the warden at a troubled private prison in town, while Michael Sheppard works closely with the sheriff. Mark Sheppard is an employee at the county jail the sheriff runs.

The killing of Sept. 27 drew wide condemnation. It raised questions about the rule of law in West Texas’ cactus-strewn high plains and the real-world consequences of a bitter political split over how to manage a record-breaking number of illegal crossings at its southern border.

Beto O’Rourke (Democratic candidate for governor) said that the murder could be traced back to Gov. Greg Abbott’s “hateful speech” about immigration. Last week, Abbott said the shooting was “horrific” as well as “completely wrong”, but blamed President Biden.

He also blamed Texas for the increase in immigration and the need to send National Guard troops across the border to transport thousands of migrants to northern states.

The yellow plastic evidence numbers were still visible near the man-made lake. Mark Sheppard claimed that he and his brother mistook the women and men hiding in the brush for animals and set fire to them days later.

“At this stage, I don’t know what to do. They are great guys. They love to spend time outdoors. Mike loves hunting,” Arvin West, Hudspeth County sheriff said. two men and a truck He was speaking to reporters at his office where he showed a signed portrait of Donald J. Trump.

“I have never been hunting with them. I don’t hunt any animals. He said, “I hunt man,” in a grin reference to his law enforcement job.

Both 60-year-old brothers Sheppard was taken into custody last month and charged with manslaughter. Texas Rangers and agents from F.B.I. are investigating the killing.

Mark Sheppard told investigators that he and his brother were out hunting animals when they spotted javelinas. These are similar to wild hogs. According to the affidavits, Michael Sheppard fired two shots using a shotgun.

Mark Sheppard asked his brother “Did he get him?” According to the affidavit, Mark Sheppard said that he had asked his brother before changing “him” to it. two men and a truck They claimed they didn’t go to check if they actually hit a target.

The migrants claimed that two men taunted them in Spanish while they were hiding. The men shouted profanity at them and opened fire on them when they emerged, according to the migrants.

Family members of the migrants held a vigil at the Mexican border in Ciudad Juarez for several days demanding an account of all that transpired.

Napoleon Sepulveda Moreno (56), mourned his son’s death. He said that he had hoped to see his brother in Austin, spend a few years making money, and then return home to Mexico.

“He always spoke of going to Texas. In a telephone interview, Mr. Sepulveda stated that he had given his blessings.

His son was paid a small salary to care for farm animals and grow melons at their San Martin home, which is a few hours south of the border. He said, “My son didn’t deserve to die that way.”

Ms. Casias hails from San Jose de Bellavista. It is a small community about an hour and a quarter from San Martin. On her trip, she met Mr. Sepulveda.

Silvia Carrillo shared an audio recording of a conversation that she claimed she had with two men and a truck Ms. Casias shortly before she was shot. “I’m dying, really. They shot me,” Ms. Casias is heard saying. Then she adds, “They are okay. It’s just me, and another guy.” They shot us. The man died. “And I believe I’m next.”

Her aunt responded, “Where are you? Call 911 and the border agents can find you.

“Please don’t tell mom. “I’ll see how to get out of this one,” Ms. Casias stated.

Residents of Sierra Blanca were stunned by the shooting and renewed interest in the West Texas Detention Center. This county-owned facility is run by LaSalle Corrections. Michael Sheppard was the warden.

The company operates over a dozen detention centers in Texas, Louisiana, and Georgia. A spokesperson for the company said that Mr. Sheppard was fired following his arrest.

Some inside the company have referred to West Texas as a difficult facility due to its inability to provide enough water for its hundreds of prisoners.

Gregory Johnson, an ex-assistant warden at another LaSalle prison in Texas described the West Texas Detention Center as “a hellhole place”. They always have water problems at the facility.”

The facility was operated by Mr. Sheppard as a warden. It had a contract with federal authorities to house hundreds of detainees in the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement department.

According to a report from Texas A&M University School of Law and the University of Texas School of Law and Raices (a non-profit focused on immigrant legal service), two men and a truck some of these detainees complained of abuses including assaults and racial injuries.

Detainees from Somalia, mostly men in deportation proceedings, claimed that they were mistreated by staff, including the warden. One detainee claimed that Mr. Sheppard had hit and kicked him, while another stated that he had used racial abuse.

The claims of the detainees were not supported by the Office of the Inspector General of the federal Department of Homeland Security.

two men and a truck Fatma E. Marouf (Texas A&M University law professor) said that she believes there is often a credibility bias toward law enforcement. “We filed the report because it wasn’t one person complaining. There were many people complaining.”

According to inspection records, no migrants were being held at the detention center by federal authorities as of 2021. Scott Sutterfield, a company spokesperson, stated that the detention center does not currently have I.C.E. detainees.

He didn’t respond to the 2018 allegations of mistreatment in jail. He also did not say whether any action was taken against Mr. Sheppard as a result of the complaints.

two men and a truck Officials from the county said that the I.C.E. The water problems that arose from the inability to obtain an adequate water supply from a nearby community led to the termination of the contract. I.C.E. spokesmen did not respond to a request for comment.

A spokesman for I.C.E. did not respond to a request to comment. The U.S. still has inmates at the facility. According to county records, the facility still houses Marshals.

The detention center was a well-known job in Sierra Blanca. It paid more than twice the amount offered at the local jail.

According to the inspector general’s reports, two men and a truck Sheriff West served as the warden of the facility on at least one occasion when Mr. Sheppard was not in town.

Some of the people who worked with them described the two men together as friends.

Hudspeth County covers an area almost as large as Connecticut and has seen a greater number of migrants attempt to cross the dangerous desert terrain.

This is because the number of refugees seeking asylum in the United States has increased dramatically over the last few years.

Thomas Neely (95), the Hudspeth County Judge, said that there have been many problems with illegals crossing the desert and getting lost or dying.

Joanna Mackenzie is the county administrator. She also serves as its emergency manager. Officials found over 15 bodies of migrants in the desert last year. This is an increase from two to three per year in previous years. She said, “We’ve gone anywhere from you see a handful of migrants per week to hundreds crossing the property — it is unlike anything anyone has ever witnessed.”

Both Mark Sheppard and Michael Sheppard attended the meeting of the local water board on the night of the murder. They arrived at 7:30 p.m. approximately 30 minutes after the shooting. Sheriff West was also present.

The sheriff stated that he saw them at the water board the same night, and nothing was unusual. He said, referring to the 911 call regarding the murder, “We were just finishing the meeting.” “And I didn’t see their demeanor changing.”

The news quickly spread through Sierra Blanca. This is a stop for truck traffic on Interstate 10. The surrounding county is home to more than three-quarters of Hispanics. People in the area were shocked to hear that the brothers never showed any racial animus.

Paula Barrios (39), who lived nearby the brothers, said that although she is of Mexican-Native American descent, Mike was not ugly to her. “They are very nice people once you get to know them.”

Others recall conversations that took on new meanings in the wake of the arrests.

“We were speaking Spanish and Mark said, ‘Don’t speak Spanish around us,’” Bill Addington, 65, said. He was a long-time resident who had volunteered at a local foodbank where Mr. Sheppard would oversee county inmates working in striped uniforms. Waitresses around town also remember Mr. Sheppard’s objection to Spanish being spoken while they ate.

Michael and Mark Sheppard were taken from El Paso County jail where they were taken last month to Hudspeth County jail. They were then released after posting bonds of $250,000 each, according to Lasaro Salgado, a chief deputy sheriff in Hudspeth County. Both did not respond to requests for comment.

After the Texas Rangers issued a warrant for new charges in relation to the shooting, they were then remanded, Deputy Salgado, stated. Both men were in custody again on Tuesday, but this time they were closer to home, at the Hudspeth County Jail. According to the deputy, Mark Sheppard had lost his job at Hudspeth County jail.

Jack D’Isidoro produced the audio

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