T-Squared: Thank you for helping us fund more coverage of families divided

There's no other way to say it: We are absolutely humbled by the outpouring of support for our crowdfund to expand The Texas Tribune's border coverage.

Barely two weeks ago, we asked readers to help us raise $35,000 to send two reporters to the Rio Grande Valley to ramp up our coverage of the family separation crisis along the Texas-Mexico border. As of today, we’re thrilled to report that we’ve raised nearly $60,000 in pledges and gifts — plus a $15,000 match made possible by the generosity of The John and Florence Newman Foundation.

Please accept my personal thanks for your support — we do not take for granted what being a member-supported newsroom means or what a difference your contributions make to our ability to pursue fearless journalism in the public interest.

With your help, here are just a few things our reporters are doing, from our Austin headquarters to El Paso to our new outpost in the Rio Grande Valley:

• Building sources with law enforcement, prosecutors’ offices, defense attorneys, immigrant families and their advocates
• Tracking court dockets and dogging federal courthouses to see how the federal government’s since-reversed “zero tolerance” policy continues to play out at the border
• Getting copies of immigrant detention contracts and subcontracts, poring over congressional testimony and reviewing civil lawsuits
• Conducting jailhouse interviews and heading out on ride-alongs with the U.S. Border Patrol
• Tapping deep into the world of smugglers and traffickers
• Holding state and local leaders accountable for their rhetoric and oversight roles in immigration and border security matters

Credible, high-quality journalism doesn’t come free. Thank you for making it possible.