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Hidalgo County Commissioners Court proclaims Sister Norma Pimentel a Time 'Woman of the Year'
Summary
On July 7, 2026, the Hidalgo County Commissioners Court approved a proclamation recognizing Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, for being named one of Time Magazine’s 2026 Women of the Year and for her decades of service to immigrants and vulnerable residents.
The Hidalgo County Commissioners Court on July 7, 2026, approved a proclamation congratulating Sister Norma Pimentel on being named one of Time Magazine’s 2026 Women of the Year and thanking her for “three decades of service and advocacy for immigrants and refugees.”
The proclamation, adopted by the court, describes Sister Pimentel's work as executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley (CCRGV), noting that the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen has “served more than 100,000 immigrants” and provides emergency food and shelter, housing assistance, clinical counseling and pregnancy care across the Rio Grande Valley. The text says that when asylum referrals fell during a national crackdown, Sister Pimentel redirected services to support elderly, hungry and unhoused community members, and that the community stepped in after the Department of Homeland Security suspended federal funding to CCRGV. The proclamation quotes scripture to describe her mission: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” (Matthew 25:35), as included in the court’s proclamation.
The document records the formal approval date as July 7, 2026, and is signed or listed with the names of County Judge Richard F. Cortez and County Commissioners David L. Fuentes (Pct. 1), Eduardo “Eddie” Cantu (Pct. 2), Everardo “Ever” Villarreal (Pct. 3), and Ellie Torres (Pct. 4). Arturo Guajardo, Jr., is shown as County Clerk with the attestation line. The proclamation emphasizes that, despite interruptions in federal funding, faith institutions, nonprofits and neighbors donated to keep the respite center operating and that the center continues to provide up to three meals a day to hundreds of people per week and offers short-term rent and utility assistance.
The proclamation frames the recognition as formal gratitude from Hidalgo County for Sister Pimentel’s humanitarian leadership in the Rio Grande Valley and documents the county’s official congratulations and thanks.
The court’s action is administrative: it adopts a proclamation honoring an individual. No motion, vote tally or amendment is recorded in the transcript beyond the adoption and attestation of the proclamation.
