An amendment that would have allowed undocumented immigrants to obtain a permit to legally drive and purchase insurance in Texas was derailed Friday on a point of order.

Advocacy groups and business owners urged lawmakers to crack down on companies that misclassify their employees for tax and immigration purposes. But in the final days of the session, the measures have run out of steam.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn has released a new video and an accompanying opinion piece describing the hundreds of migrants found dead every year near the Texas-Mexico border. But advocacy groups say Cornyn is part of the problem.

A path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants is akin to rewarding lawbreakers, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples wrote Thursday in a letter to U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.

The tone on immigration this session is vastly different compared with 2011, when the Legislature entertained more than 100 immigration-enforcement measures. But legislation that would benefit undocumented immigrants is still unlikely to pass on its own.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has jumped into the immigration reform debate by filing several amendments to the legislation put forth by the “Gang of Eight.” His proposals call for additional fencing on the border and blocking a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

As many GOP leaders argue that passing comprehensive immigration reform is in the GOP’s best interest, some data suggests that the long-term interest of party strategists and the short-term self-interest of members of Congress are not necessarily in sync.

Analysts and lawmakers say Mexico’s recent decision to change the access that U.S. law enforcement agencies have in that country should not be considered a slap in the face. But the strong ties between the two nations could be impacted.

In what some consider a dramatic shift from the anti-immigration rhetoric that dominated the state Capitol just two years ago, a House committee on Thursday gave preliminary approval to a bill that would protect immigrant victims of and witnesses to crimes. 

At Thursday's TribLive conversation, Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples critiqued the U.S. Senate's first pass at comprehensive immigration reform — and the GOP's post-election strategy for outreach to Latinos.

UPDATED: Months after it was first drafted, a resolution seeking to inform Congress that Texas supports efforts to overhaul the country’s broken immigration system has been changed to gain support from Texas Republicans.

On Monday, I interviewed two members of the U.S. House's "Gang of Eight" — Reps. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., and John Carter, R-Round Rock — about comprehensive immigration reform: why we need it, what it should include and whether the votes are there in Congress to pass it.

Some Texas lawmakers and stakeholders are taking issue with aspects of the federal immigration reform bill filed last week, with some questioning why the measure was crafted without mechanisms to avoid a future inflow of illegal migration.

Full video of my April 18 TribLive conversation with former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza.

At Thursday's TribLive conversation, former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza assessed the still-nascent presidency of Enrique Peña Nieto and discussed lingering concerns over safety south of the border.

At Thursday's TribLive conversation, former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza talked about the rationale for comprehensive immigration reform and the prospects for passage.

Members of the House State Affairs Committee on Wednesday seemed amenable to a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants a permit to drive after passing a background check and a driving test.

The senior fellow for Latin American studies at the Council on Foreign Relations on immigration reform, security in Mexico, the country’s budding prosperity amid an escalating drug war, and what the United States needs to understand.

Details of a sweeping federal immigration reform bill emerged Tuesday. The plan includes a path to citizenship that lasts more than a decade, beefed-up border security and an expanded visa system.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio hit the Sunday talk shows to discuss an immigration reform plan that he said would not provide amnesty. In Texas, a strong majority of Texans oppose a comprehensive overhaul, with the "pathway to citizenship" a likely stumbling block.