The harboring case involving the owners of Abby’s Bakery in Los Fresnos has drawn widespread attention since news spread of their arrest.

As the case proceeded through Brownsville federal court, the fate of bakery owners Leonardo Baez and Nora Alicia Avila-Guel held particular weight on many who felt that the ensuing verdict could have resounding consequences on many throughout the United States.

One individual who was paying close attention to the case was acclaimed local author Viola Canales. The McAllen native is a lecturer at Stanford Law School and the author of the award-winning novel “The Tequila Worm.”

She said that she was drawn to the case given its proximity to her hometown and the picture it painted for many who, like her, grew up along the border.

“Right now, based on the

See Full Page