Eileen Grench

2 months ago | houstonlanding.org | Eileen Grench |Lexi Parra

Tears of relief rolled down the cheeks of Alejandrina Morales at 10:25 a.m. on Thursday when she received the news that her husband, Erik Payán, the breadwinner of their household and father who was detained during last month’s major immigration raids in Colony Ridge, had been granted bond by an immigration judge. “Dios Santo,” “Holy Lord,” she repeatedly said while listening to her lawyer recount the morning’s hearing.

2 months ago | houstonlanding.org | Eileen Grench

Normally, for the Payán family, the end of March is marked by celebration and tres leches cake. On the eves of the 21st and 31st of the month, Erik Payán would drive home early for his youngest daughters’ birthdays from his tire shop in Colony Ridge. His wife, Alejandrina Morales, would wait with his three daughters and granddaughter for his arrival. Then, they would gather to celebrate and sing Las Mañanitas, a traditional birthday song, while recording a video to upload on Facebook.

2 months ago | houstonlanding.org | Anna-Catherine Brigida |Eileen Grench

On March 5, Jose Armando Lainez Argueta had just finished buying supplies for his 5-year-old daughter Paula’s birthday party when he was stopped by two Houston Police Department officers. They had noticed a small crack in the lower right side of his windshield, according to his wife Stephanie Diaz. Lainez Argueta, 40, showed the officers his Salvadoran ID, Diaz said. The officers did not arrest him for any crime. Instead, they called ICE officers who took him into custody.

2 months ago | houstonlanding.org | Eileen Grench

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office launched the long-promised reform of its intake division on Monday, returning experienced line prosecutors to take calls from police officers at the scene of arrests. The aim of the measure, a key campaign promise of new Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare, is to streamline cases and end the county’s court backlog, plagued by high dismissal rates and blamed for unnecessary overcrowding in the county jail.

Mar 4, 2025 | houstonlanding.org | Eileen Grench |Ceili Doyle

Read this story in English. El lunes 24 de febrero, Erik Payán Ibarra se despertó de buen humor. Antes de irse a trabajar a su tienda de neumáticos en Colony Ridge, una extensa urbanización en el condado de Liberty, dejó 25 dólares en efectivo para su esposa junto a la cama. La nieta de dos años de la pareja tenía una cita con el médico ese día, y Payán quería asegurarse de que su esposa tuviera dinero para cubrir posibles gastos.