“The border is safe.” That’s a common refrain from lawmakers who say the unprecedented buildup of law enforcement in the region has netted positive results. But as sequestration looms, lawmakers say federal inaction could put that reality in jeopardy.

Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act appears to be in danger of being overturned, according to various news outlets covering oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday.

As lawmakers in Washington, D.C., wade into discussion of immigration reform, some El Paso leaders are urging them to include commerce considerations in their talks about safety and security on the southern border. 

Hundreds of people descended on the state Capitol on Friday to rally in support of comprehensive immigration reform. The day-long event also included visits to the offices of Republican U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn.

The debate over what to do with the estimated 12 million people living in the country illegally has dominated the discussion on comprehensive immigration reform. But attorneys say key fixes are needed to the legal immigration system as well.

For the second consecutive year, seizures of methamphetamine in the Laredo customs district — the country’s busiest land port — climbed significantly.

Freshman state Rep. Jason Villalba, R-Dallas, has been held up by some Republicans as a symbol of the party’s growing popularity with Hispanics. He says he is only motivated by the issues facing his constituents.

Two years after legislation to ban "sanctuary cities" was made a top priority, immigration legislation is barely discussed at the state Capitol. It’s put some lawmakers in a weird spot — especially when some of their own recently came out in support of what’s  a no-no in politics — amnesty. 

Democratic Texas House members on Wednesday filed an immigration resolution that could serve as a litmus test for Republican support for reforms being suggested at the national level.  

The Texas agriculture commissioner on his book and campaign to highlight what he sees as a crisis on the border, his opinions on which immigration policies work and which don't, and why Americans shouldn't believe it when they are told the border is secure.

Gov. Rick Perry on Friday set a March 2 special runoff election to fill the open seat created by the death of the late state Sen. Mario Gallegos. The race is between state Rep. Carol Alvarado and former Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia.

Apprehensions on the Texas-Mexico border by federal agents are often cited as proof that border security is either working or not working. The former director of Immigration and Naturalization Services says those statistics have holes but should still be considered in the debate.

El Paso again ranks as the safest city of its size, according to a report released the same day that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano visited the border city. 

A decision by the Texas Railroad Commission has paved the way for an open-pit coal mine to begin operating on the Texas-Mexico border. Opponents of the plan are weighing their options, which include making a request for another hearing.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized about 1.7 million pounds of narcotics in Texas in fiscal 2012, about 270,000 pounds more than their counterparts in Arizona, New Mexico and California combined.