The stories behind El Paso Times photographer Omar Ornelas' photos of the year

Omar Ornelas, El Paso Times
·2 min read
Constable David Valdez embraces Uvalde Justice of the Peace Eulalio "Lalo" Diaz as Diaz breaks down recounting having to identify the bodies of 19 children after they were shot by a gunman at Robb Elementary School on May 24 in Uvalde, Texas.
Constable David Valdez embraces Uvalde Justice of the Peace Eulalio "Lalo" Diaz as Diaz breaks down recounting having to identify the bodies of 19 children after they were shot by a gunman at Robb Elementary School on May 24 in Uvalde, Texas.

It was 8:15 in the morning when we walked into the office of Justice of the Peace Eulalio "Lalo" Diaz, less than 24 hours after a horrific shooting May 24 at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde took the lives of 19 children and two teachers.

"Lalo" a manly Tejano, received El Paso Times reporter Martha Pskowski and me in his office. Our interview started with facts: the hours, people and places.

Suddenly, Diaz started to recount having to step into the children's classrooms in order to identify the dead because Uvalde did not have a coroner. He explained that there was nothing recognizable to identify. Heartbroken and hearing himself say those words, Diaz began to weep.

His constable moved in to embrace him as we all felt tears rolling down our faces. I hid my tears behind my camera, knowing that I was witnessing the pain not just of a man, but of an entire community. This was the morning after; the pain had begun to sink in for all of us.

Santiago Ramirez, a Raramuri indigenous ultra-marathon runner, leads a group from the hiking club Senderistas de Cd. Juárez on June 4 in Juárez during a visit to the Sierra de Juárez. Ramirez visited the city to meet members of the hiking community.
Santiago Ramirez, a Raramuri indigenous ultra-marathon runner, leads a group from the hiking club Senderistas de Cd. Juárez on June 4 in Juárez during a visit to the Sierra de Juárez. Ramirez visited the city to meet members of the hiking community.

Legendary runners of the Raramuri

The Raramuri are legendary long-distance runners from the state of Chihuahua, so when I heard they were coming to Juárez I went on a walk in the Sierra of Juárez with Santiago Ramirez. The light was favorable and the long strides of Santiago Ramirez where such that his traditional attire flowed with his quick steps. The Sierra of Juárez appeared like a perfect backdrop for an image of a legendary runner.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador leaves a military base after giving a news conference in Juárez on Feb. 18. The Mexican president was visiting several cities on the northern border of Mexico to address security issues and economic development.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador leaves a military base after giving a news conference in Juárez on Feb. 18. The Mexican president was visiting several cities on the northern border of Mexico to address security issues and economic development.

Shedding light on Mexican president

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador visited Juárez just a few weeks prior to the assassination of Margarito Martínez, a friend and photojournalist colleague from Tijuana. He had been questioned about his difficult relationship with journalists during his visit. As he exited the military base after his news conference, I was able to get very close to the president when a ray of light lit up his face. It was a moment of frustration for the president and the light helped tell the story.

At the Cerro Alto monofill in September, dark brown, mudlike sludge is deposited in a trench and then an excavator covers the sludge with soil.
At the Cerro Alto monofill in September, dark brown, mudlike sludge is deposited in a trench and then an excavator covers the sludge with soil.

Sludge and the environment

Drone photography has been a great tool for photojournalists to tell visual stories. In this image, I was able to show how sludge is processed at the Cerro Alto monofill for an environmental story.

Maria de Los Angeles Croce is carried by fellow Venezuelan migrants to a health clinic after she suffered an asthma attack and lost consciousness soon after being expelled from the U.S. to Juárez on Oct. 14. Croce was one of hundreds of migrants expelled from the U.S after hoping to seek asylum.
Maria de Los Angeles Croce is carried by fellow Venezuelan migrants to a health clinic after she suffered an asthma attack and lost consciousness soon after being expelled from the U.S. to Juárez on Oct. 14. Croce was one of hundreds of migrants expelled from the U.S after hoping to seek asylum.

Immigration has been at the forefront of our Borderland coverage from the beginning of the year. When I took this photograph of a woman being carried, Venezuelans had begun to be expelled under Title 42. Venezuelans were confused and in shock. This woman had collapsed minutes after being expelled back to Mexico. Suffering from an asthma attack, she fainted and was carried by fellow migrants to emergency services in Juárez.

Other top photos

A recently arrived group of migrants from Venezuela rest on the south bank of the Rio Grande in Juárez while they contemplate crossing to El Paso to seek asylum on Dec. 19.
A recently arrived group of migrants from Venezuela rest on the south bank of the Rio Grande in Juárez while they contemplate crossing to El Paso to seek asylum on Dec. 19.
Jessi Silva inspects desks used at Blackwell Elementary in what is now the Blackwell School Museum in Marfa, Texas. Silva attended the school during a period of segregation of Mexican Americans and whites in the Texas educational system. It is now a national historic site.
Jessi Silva inspects desks used at Blackwell Elementary in what is now the Blackwell School Museum in Marfa, Texas. Silva attended the school during a period of segregation of Mexican Americans and whites in the Texas educational system. It is now a national historic site.
Shahid Mustafa, smells the soil after preparing the soil by removing weeds and tilling.
Shahid Mustafa, smells the soil after preparing the soil by removing weeds and tilling.
Friends and family of slain activist Isabel Cabanillas de la Torre on Jan. 18 walk the route in downtown Juárez that Cabanillas took during the early hours of Jan. 18, before she was killed. The march was held to bring attention to her unsolved murder.
Friends and family of slain activist Isabel Cabanillas de la Torre on Jan. 18 walk the route in downtown Juárez that Cabanillas took during the early hours of Jan. 18, before she was killed. The march was held to bring attention to her unsolved murder.
More than 500 supporters of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke attend a rally in Laredo on Sept. 2.
More than 500 supporters of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke attend a rally in Laredo on Sept. 2.
A law enforcement officer keeps guard during the unveiling of a memorial titled "Latidos de un corazón resilente" at the Arroyo El Navajo in the Valley of Juárez, where the bodies of 25 women and girls were found in a mass grave, victims of femicides.
A law enforcement officer keeps guard during the unveiling of a memorial titled "Latidos de un corazón resilente" at the Arroyo El Navajo in the Valley of Juárez, where the bodies of 25 women and girls were found in a mass grave, victims of femicides.
Members of the community trek up Mount Cristo Rey in Sunland Park, New Mexico, as part of the annual pilgrimage in the Borderland on Good Friday, April 15.
Members of the community trek up Mount Cristo Rey in Sunland Park, New Mexico, as part of the annual pilgrimage in the Borderland on Good Friday, April 15.
Commercial trucks wait to enter the U.S. at the Santa Teresa Port of Entry in New Mexico on April 11.
Commercial trucks wait to enter the U.S. at the Santa Teresa Port of Entry in New Mexico on April 11.
Supporters of Beto O'Rourke wait in line to take a photo with the candidate for Texas governor after he spoke at a rally in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Sept. 3.
Supporters of Beto O'Rourke wait in line to take a photo with the candidate for Texas governor after he spoke at a rally in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Sept. 3.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Stories behind El Paso Times photographer Omar Ornelas' photos of year