Desirae Rivera, 21, was shot and killed at a party on the Southwest Side last week. The Bexar County Sheriff's Office is still investigating.

El Salvador’s government has taken its efforts against the country’s powerful street gangs to another level by sending inmates into cemeteries to destroy the tombs of gang members at a time of year when families typically visit their loved ones’ graves.

Longtime political analyst Henry Flores said he thought the bust behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office appeared familiar. Flores said the bust of Cesar Chavez was among President Joe Biden’s cherished family photos as he signed more than a dozen executive orders on Thursday. Flores said he asked himself what kind of message was the newly-inaugurated President trying to send. We welcome you in.”Biden has made Latino issues a top priority to start off his new administration, Flores said. If not, Flores said Republicans could pay a price for not supporting Biden’s Latino agenda.

Henry Flores, a professor emeritus of political science at St. Mary’s University, says redistricting will likely be the most important topic lawmakers handle this session. The redistricting process happens once a decade in the Legislature followed by the Census. It’s going to be a lot of money spent on just that process before the districts are finally drawn. The data was expected by December 2020 but is now expected in early 2021 and will complicate the process, Flores said. Lawmakers will also have to face bills dealing with public safety as the national outcry for police reform grows.

SAN ANTONIO – President-elect Joe Biden has made history by choosing the first Latino and immigrant to head up the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. If confirmed, Alejandro Mayorkas’ new job would include making decisions regarding immigration and border security. The Trump administration made many changes to immigration policies, including policies that separated children from their parents at the border to curb immigration. Flores said Mayorkas’ experience and background would play a significant role in his policymaking. “(Mayorkas has) developed a very unique perspective, and he understands the life of immigrants and the stresses and pressures that they’re under,” Flores said.

The calls for transparency came after President Donald Trump’s remarks about counting ballots Tuesday evening. Despite lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia, election workers continue to count votes across the country. “The people decide the outcome of election, not a court, not the legislative body, not any particular politician. The people —and that’s the way the Supreme Court views these elections,” said Henry Flores, professor emeritus at St. Mary’s University. As far as what’s expected for future elections, Flores says legal teams would likely play a more significant role in election planning.

Henry Flores, a longtime political scientist and professor emeritus at St. Mary’s University, said data he’s seen indicates a large percentage of Latinos have been voting early. “I don’t think there’s a lessening of support, but I don’t really see it increasing for President Trump,” Flores said. “Because he seems to be associated with all of that, Latinos are voting against him because of that,” Flores said. But not Johnny Delgado, an electrician and business owner who is among “Latinos for Trump,” who voted for him in 2016. Flores said thanks to more voter registration efforts nationally, many more Latino voters are choosing between the two candidates.