If you are ever arrested in Kleberg County, Texas, make sure you smile for your mugshot, because once you’re released, you might earn free tacos! This unusual deal comes courtesy of “El Colombiano Parrilla Grill“ in the South Texas Kleberg County Seat of Kingsville.

If you are thinking, “surely there must be a catch?”

-Yes, there are two: In exchange for your free tacos, you must agree to allow El Colombiano to post your smiling mugshot on their Facebook page - as well as a photo of you enjoying your free tacos!

And, if you are wondering whether anyone would actually take them up on this offer, yes - many do:

Now - a word about the rules you MUST follow to get your free tacos. Be sure to follow them - because El Colombiano is pretty serious about enforcing them!

First, you have seven days from the time your mugshot is taken to claim your free tacos (presumably this ensures only those arrested for - and made bail for - relatively minor offenses qualify, to spare the restaurant from posting photos of a smiling murder suspect, for example, enjoying free tacos on Facebook).

Second, you must be visibly smiling in your mugshot, preferably “with teeth visible.”

Third, you must share (via Facebook) or text your smiling mugshot (they don’t search the jail website each day looking for potential customers).

Full rules follow below:

For those of you thinking the photo we posted above of the woman who allowed her smiling mugshot above to be posted on Facebook in exchange for those free tacos was a “one-off,” well, that’s not the case:

And, if you are wondering how this “smiling mugshot/free tacos” promotion plays with law enforcement officers in Kleberg County, I have your answer below: a photo of what is likely the entire night patrol shift of the Kleberg County Sheriff’s Department eating dinner at El Colombiano!

(Which gets five-star reviews on both Yelp & Tripadvisor by the way):

One last thing: (a plea on my part). As someone who was born and raised in Kingsville, Texas (and counts family and friends among its citizenry), please don’t commit a crime there just to score free tacos!

Would you allow a smiling mugshot of you to be posted on Facebook in exchange for free tacos?

Share your opinion in the comments on this article!

Other South Texas Stories by Jack Beavers you might enjoy:

• Tejano Border Culture: Growing Up in South Texas

• The Healer: Legacy of Don Pedro Jaramillo in South Texas

• Border People: Los Kineños - Hispanic heart of Nation’s Largest Ranch

• Border Politics: The Election That Made History in my Small South Texas Town

Abrazos,

Jack Beavers

I am reaching out to all readers and (free) subscribers to US Border News to help sustain this media venture.

Many of you have expressed appreciation in the comments on our articles for writing about issues that aren’t being covered by the mainstream media. I thank you for recognizing that, from the bottom of my heart. It keeps us going - so please keep the feedback coming!

On November 1, 2025, we will celebrate our first anniversary on this platform. As of today, we have about 850 (free) subscribers. I will be forever thankful for those of you who have signed up. But there is a problem - and here is where we urgently need your help.

For the past few months, we have been “stuck” at that 850 subscriber level. While I understand that some new readers will naturally subscribe, while others drop out, it’s preventing us from reaching an important goal: 1,000 (free) subscribers.

Although I am not privy to Substack’s algorithms, I am convinced this is an important milestone for us to hit if we are to enjoy greater distribution (and grow our subscriber base). With enough (free) subscribers, we will eventually be able to offer additional features worth paying for, which will (hopefully) produce an income to sustain the work we do here.

Meanwhile, we urgently need you to help boost our free subscription numbers.

Here’s how you can support us (and it won’t cost you a dime!):

• Restack our articles on Substack.

  This exposes our content to more Substackers, which could result in more free subscribers.

• Share our articles with friends & encourage them to subscribe (for free!)

• Follow us on social media, and repost on x.com & truthsocial.com so your friends see the links to our articles.

Here are the social media accounts to follow & repost:

x.com/jackbeavers

x.com/usbordernews

truthsocial.com/@usbordernews

(If you would like us to add a Facebook or Instagram account for sharing purposes, let me know).

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER! :)

As always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments to this post.

Abrazos,

Jack Beavers

I thought US Border News could use a theme song, so (lacking sufficient musical talent) I turned to AI.

Follow the link below to listen to “Borderline Tales” courtesy of my songwriter “Claude” via suno.com:

https://suno.com/s/FnPQVI2RSpI0XJUQ

Ok, so it’s no “Smuggler’s Blues” but I don’t hate it.

What do you think? (Feel free to share your opinion in comments!)

(I’ve included lyrics at the bottom of this post if you’d like to sing along)

Abrazos,

Jack Beavers

(“Borderline Tales” lyrics)

Down by the river where the shadows creep

Stories of the night run dark and deep

A truck rolls by with secrets to hide

Smuggling dreams across the borderline

[Chorus]

Borderline tales the whispers fly

Truths and lies in the desert sky

With every mile the stakes grow high

Borderline tales where hopes collide

[Verse 2]

Footsteps echo in the moonlit sand

Carrying burdens with trembling hands

Under the stars the coyotes call

Risking it all for a chance to stand tall

[Chorus] Borderline tales the whispers fly

Truths and lies in the desert sky

With every mile the stakes grow high

Borderline tales where hopes collide

[Bridge]

The law keeps watch with a wary eye

Dreams and schemes both live and die

A hidden dance in the dead of night

Between the shadows and the searchlight

[Verse 3]

Families wait with a prayer in their chest

Holding to hope and fearing the rest

The news rolls in like a restless tide

Another chapter in the fight to survive

By now, you've probably heard that the "On The Border" Mexican Restaurant Chain is filing for bankruptcy and is preparing to be sold (possibly to the Pappas Restaurants Group, the owner of Pappasito’s Cantina, Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen and other casual-dining brands).

While we wait to see who will inherit the chain's remaining 60 company-owned restaurants & 20 franchise operations around the country, let's take a deep dive into "On the Border's" Tex-Mex roots - which go way back.

In 1926, Adelaida “Mama” Cuellar, a sharecropper in Kaufman, Texas, supplemented her family of fourteen's meager income by selling homemade tamales at the Kaufman County Fair. The tamales were an instant hit, enabling the family to open a small cafe two years later.

In 1940, five Cuellar family brothers moved to Dallas and opened a restaurant they named "El Chico," which was an overnight success.

Soon, crowds were lined up outside, leading the family to open more restaurants in Dallas that eventually grew into the national El Chico Restaurant Chain.

In 1969 David Franklin joined El Chico as Vice-President and Legal Counsel right after the Cuellar family took it “public” and started selling company stock.

Franklin's major contribution to the company was to lead El Chico's Frozen Foods Division, which also grew into a national brand that offered a facsimile of "Tex-Mex" cuisine to Anglo families who were unable to visit the chain's restaurants.

We'll forgive him for that because of what eventually came next:

On October 29, 1982 - eight years after Franklin left El Chico - he opened the "On The Border - South Texas Cafe" at the corner of Knox and Travis streets in Dallas. The concept was built around three flavors familiar to anyone (like me) who grew up in South Texas: mesquite wood smoke, fajitas - and tequila.

"On the border of Texas and Mexico, between the Rio Grande and Nueces Rivers, rests 20 million acres of drylands where mesquite trees once grew in abundance. This mesquite flavor is infused in everything we fire up here at On The Border and has been part of our DNA since 1982." (Our Story @ ontheborder.com)

That first Dallas "South Texas Cafe" proved popular - with a lively patio scene that would soon serve as the launching point for what became the national chain known as "On The Border Mexican Grill and Cantina" that peaked at 150 restaurants in the United States (plus more than a half dozen more in South Korea).

Its sizzling fajitas, tableside guacamole preparation, and extensive margarita menu powered its growth as it moved into suburban Anglo communities for whom "Mexican Food" was still an exotic cuisine.

In 1994, "On The Border" was acquired by the parent company of "Chili's" (which also launched from a single restaurant in Dallas seven years before the first "On The Border" opened in that city).

"On The Border" was eventually sold to Private Equity Firms that initially reported strong growth - until Covid hit, driving diners away- from which it never recovered.

As part of its bankruptcy filing, the company told the court it had closed 77 restaurants in 44 states to reduce expenses. The company has requested permission from the court to terminate those leases and use the savings to keep it afloat until a buyer can be found for its remaining operations.

Meanwhile, the Cuellar Family - who set off the growth of "Tex-Mex" restaurants that swept the nation - ran a family restaurant in Dallas (known not as "El Chico" or "On the Border") - but as "Casa Rosa" - which, unfortunately, closed in 2024 after a multi-decade run.

As for "On the Border," the Houston-based Pappas Family - which owns the following restaurants - hopes to acquire the chain by establishing a bid as the leading "stalking horse" bidder in bankruptcy proceedings;

• Pappas Brothers Steakhouse

• Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen

• Pappasito's Cantina

• Pappas Bar-B-Q

• Pappas Burger

• Yia Yia Mary's Greek Kitchen

• Pappas Seafood House

• Dot Coffee Shop

• Pappas Delta Blues Smokehouse

• C&H Steakhouse

• Pappas Pizza

• Pappas Grill Steakhouse

• Pappas Restaurant & Sports Bar

What's fascinating about this possible outcome is that - Pappas Restaurants - like the Cuellar family that influenced the founding of "On The Border" - can trace its roots back to a single family Texas restaurant (the Dot Coffee Shop established in 1967 on the Gulf Freeway in South Houston) which has since grown into a national juggernaut.

Here's to "OTB's" famous Margarita Menu living on!

Do you hope that “On the Border” continues to operate?

Share your opinion in the comments on this article!

Abrazos,

Jack Beavers

US Border News - with NO previous social media or web presence as its own “media brand” - has just signed up our 500th subscriber since we joined the Substack platform five months ago - with very modest goals in mind.

(This is in addition to our 19,000 followers on the Newsbreak mobile platform).

Thanks to you, we have shot past our expectations and have established US Border News on Google News and Bing/msn.com as a credible, indexed news source.

Although I know that 500 subscribers are a minor blip for many publishers, I am celebrating this early milestone as a vote of confidence from readers with a like-minded interest in what we cover — and, moving forward, I am sure we will bring more people aboard as subscribers.

I pledge to continue producing content worthy of your subscriptions on Substack - as well as weekly US Border Newsletters exclusive to Substack, in order to keep you informed.

Thank you again for your continued support!

Please don’t hesitate to tell us how we are doing:

My email is jackbeavers@usbordernews.com

I look forward to hearing from you!

Abrazos,

Jack Beavers

(That’s “Border Czar” Tom Homan’s face to the right of President Trump, in case you didn’t recognize him. -Can’t wait to see what they come up with for Easter).

Jack Beavers

(Note: this is the first article from our “misc.” category - things I find of interest from US Southern Border states that don’t neatly fit into our other sections):

A small Texas Panhandle school district is at the center of a growing online backlash after The Christian Post reported Bibles were pulled from the shelves of its libraries.

(This story has taken several turns since then, so bear with me until the end of this article.)

Genesis of a controversy:

The Post published an email from Canyon ISD's Superintendent Dr. Darryl Flusche in response to what appears to be a question about the absence of Bibles in the Canyon Junior High School library:

The superintendent responded by citing its required compliance with a new State Law (HB 900) which "establishes library standards that restrict content in school libraries. ... This standard for library content probits books that have one instance of sexual conduct ... Therefore, HB 900 doesn't allow numerous books, including the full text of the Bible, to be available in the school library."

Superintendent Flusche also pointed to "30 titles in the Canyon Junior High library that are Bible stories or portions of the Bible."

Those books include "In the Beginning - Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood:"

As well as "The God I Love - A Lifetime of Walking with Jesus:"

(In fact, when we plugged in search terms other than "Bible" like "God" or "Jesus") we found far more than 30 Christian titles in that Public School library. The point is: that the Canyon ISD appears far from a repository of "secular humanis m" literature).

Lamentations from the public:

Nonetheless, the criticism of the district in response to the Christian Post article - amplified by other stories in mostly conservative media outlets was swift and predictable in online comment sections - which we will not quote.

What's interesting is how the initial criticism of the district went down in Canyon itself:

Canyon ISD parent Regina Kiehne appeared before the school board at its last meeting of the year and said it "seems absurd to me that the Good Book was thrown out with the bad books."

However, instead of blasting the Superintendent or the School Board for the removal of the Bible from its libraries - she urged the community to contact the state legislature which passed the law - a point Superintendent Flusche made in his reply to the person who sent him the email that sparked the controversy:

"We hope our parents share their voice with the legislature concerning HB900" -Canyon ISD Superintendent Dr. Darryl Flusche

Exodus - The Controversy Fizzles (maybe):

(Side note: today's controversy over sexually explicit passages in the Bible was foreseen by more than a few people - including Paul Combs - who presciently wrote an essay on Medium.com a year ago: "The Texas Legislature Just Accidentally Banned the Bible from School Libraries.)"

His subtitle efficiently summed up the situation that was to come: "Oops," he wrote.

All this leads to the sponsor of HB 900 - who suddenly finds himself in the hot seat.

Austin State Representative Jared Patterson dashed off a letter this week to Canyon ISD Superintendent Dr. Darryl Flusche declaring that "the Bible, and other religious texts, are protected under HB 900."

"I strongly urge you to reread ... the Texas Education Code ... and put the Bible back on the shelves." -Texas State Representative Jared Patterson (December 18, 2024)

With that legal cover (which may or may not hold up to a court challenge) - the Canyon ISD quickly issued a new email - stating:

"After receiving clarification from Representative Patterson regarding library content, we reevaluated the guidelines and are pleased to have the Bible available in each of our Canyon ISD libraries." - Canyon ISD email (December 19, 2024)

What are your thoughts about HB 900 & the controversy about placing the Bible on the shelves of Texas Public School Libraries?

Share your opinion in the comments on this article!

Abrazos,

Jack Beavers