The Best of The Texas Tribune's photojournalism of 2019
![Mourners at a service held for Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal of the Harris County Sheriff's Office. Dhaliwal was shot and killed while making a traffic stop on Sept. 27, 2019.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/u-B4AGryVVh9FpNLsr_PzqTUq_A=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/464ecf37f4206af3009a98f663687c69/08%20Sandeep%20Dhaliwal%20EG%20TT.jpg)
Last year was a memorable one in Texas, but that’s always true — in a state this big, diverse and complex, every year is bound to be momentous. And for the last 10 years, The Texas Tribune has told the story of our state with stories, data, deep dives and, of course, photos.
One big change for the Tribune last year was the birth of a dedicated photo department. In the past, we relied on a remarkable roster of freelance photographers across the state to get the images that go with our stories. While we continue to rely on these wonderfully talented photojournalists, we hired our first staff photographer and photo editor, Miguel Gutierrez Jr., in late 2018. With John Jordan as his deputy and three gifted photo fellows helping out in 2019, it quickly became the little department that could, and along the way began to define a bold and distinctive visual style.
From the big political stories to the ever-changing situation at the border, from the halls and chambers of the state Capitol to the homes of people affected by the laws that were passed, and from the jungles of Central America to Washington, D.C., Tribune photographers were there, every step of the way. Here are some of our standout photos.
![Beto O'Rourke leads a counterprotest with thousands of other El Pasoans at the same time President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally on Feb. 11, 2019, in El Paso. Photo by Ivan Pierre Aguirre](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/uzpJ_4TMa0t1AJP_0pKndN0hQ3I=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/516f351af34bfada9d4a3862c853844f/06_Trump_Beto_Protest_Photos_for_Tribune_IPA_TT.jpg)
![Naida Alvarez painted "No Border Wall" on the roof of her home in La Rosita. Alvarez has received letters from the U.S. Government stating that her land is a potential site for a border wall expansion.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/26SuRZ7PQz7AEBkTjOVVxqaG2kk=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/3e4701f94af5fc866204f86f4d3608f2/No%20Border%20Wall%20Roof%20MKC%20TT.jpg)
![Speaker Dennis Bonnen during the Texas Fallen Heroes ceremony on May 25, 2019](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/izLRywpfrR493rCvC1DSRqTORs8=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/fb219faf692b4d4b9aca98376950aa83/Bonnen%20House%20MKC%20TT.jpg)
![Texas Secretary of State David Whitley attended a hearing with the Senate Committee on Nominations on Thursday. Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Whitley, but he must clear the committee and win a two-thirds vote in the full Texas Senate to keep his job.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/vYwumk_hjiAZaGRqb9RWQwJ0Cpw=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/20d3b8a3aa72922390e445682192520b/14_SOS_Whitley_Confirmation_MG.jpg)
![A young girl from the Mexican state of Guerrero looks towards the Gateway International Bridge in Matamoros on Oct. 16, 2019. Her family readied their tent for the night.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/TI1wk8YP2HwkIZ6C2st252mw12o=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f4ef3e91db034dc402c461d8cfc83fcf/Matamoros%20Camp%20MG%2017%20TT.jpg)
![At the historic La Lomita Chapel in Mission, Rio Grande Valley residents held an early-morning vigil for migrants who drowned attempting to cross the Rio Grande, on June 28, 2019.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/XNzbXP6JJZFqJWo67O-P3pH9bSo=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e58b3f2d84024e20ec970a8a580ffbe1/01%20La%20Lomita%20Migrant%20Drownings%20Mass%20MG%20TT.jpg)
![Samantha Ordaz and César Antonio Pacheco during a Silent March for those that lost their lives to the mass shooting at a local Walmart, Sunday, August 4, 2019, in El Paso, Texas. Photo by Ivan Pierre Aguirre](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/_o2ehqjKZ2md9uIqZsxzXpB8SoY=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f3e7fc0b75733390075908d2b391309a/01%20Samantha%20Ordaz%20and%20Cesar%20Antonio%20Pacheco%20IPA%20TT.jpg)
![Mexican nationals pass time in an encampment in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, as they wait their turn to seek asylum in the U.S. Oct. 13, 2019.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/P4ojtX7BvpSI6IBnwi1c7T98fS0=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/575e15f5783cea4a228ae7f6f5d70e88/Migrant%20Camp%20Matamoros%20VGC%20TT%2001.jpg)
![Yenssi Zepeda eats a meal inside the Casa Marianella migrant shelter in Austin on Nov 26, 2019.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/QQDsMJsvMN0FtMCHEnfWdYTMv7I=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/5e67259f79edd20799b5e77fcdad999c/Casa%20Marianella%20MG%20TT%2012.jpg)
![A young man from Honduras who goes by "Alexander" is seen at a house on the outskirts of town where he has been living since he was sent back to Ciudad Juarez as part of President Trump's "Remain in Mexico" program, Friday, July 19, 2019, in Ciudad Juarez. Photo by Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/9vAeAuNfGaD25cn3M7PTGQzUjNY=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/92df1bdd2acb66edfce7e657bec045f3/Migrants%20Living%20in%20Juarez%20IPA%20TT%2004.jpg)
![Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, speaks at a town hall held in Austin on Sept. 10, 2019.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/gY92T1_mhgWBN_wM3PfwNbDb6n0=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/4ed1d121f596e4a6df54a11170337ede/Warren%20Town%20ATX%20Hall%20EG%20TT.jpg)
![From left, Russell Holloway and Amanda Chavira listen to democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, speak at a town hall in Austin on Sept. 10, 2019.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/o0fYJjET7i2ttTGL44D1upbtJB4=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/051073708e383defc1d7bbbfaed61f6c/Warren%20Town%20Hall%20EG%20TT%20014.jpg)
![Baylor senior Anna Conner's campus LGBT organization, called Gamma Alpha Upsilon, or GAY, has been denied to be charted by the university nine times since 2011. Although Baylor removed a policy banning "homosexual acts" in its sexual conduct policy in 2015, LGBT students are still waiting for recognition to arrive.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/rN2x-b5JEHQQSghGKID-xzQGTlQ=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f48517b76246a70a0a8406ab531b66c9/LGBT%20Baylor%20Student%20Organization%20JF%20TT%2001.jpg)
![President Donald Trump exits Air Force One at Austin-Bergstrom Airport where he visits an Apple campus in Austin on Nov. 20, 2019.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/O7v_OqBeFHnSrkph2iQg-eNJ0nM=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e6cb243df26eeb21ef387df19f35c2c1/Air%20Force%20One%20Austin%20Landing%20EG%20TT%2015.jpg)
![Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a community event in San Antonio on Dec. 13, 2019.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/QtKNbGeKsUjUD9Zs4zSbD9MADSQ=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e26763b68650f67472d095c350d2b258/Biden%20San%20Antonio%20EG%20TT%2002.jpg)
![Eliana Peña wears her quinceañera dress for a photoshoot at the Texas Capitol on May 26, 2019.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/w9LkvP7T1KJYvdHNEgYHIyTM_r0=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/3d4bc7389b49e39e35dc9dc7671802f4/Capitol%20Quinceanera%20JF%20TT.jpg)
![San Antonio resident Rosie Torres perform a Danza Mexica prayer offering on the Capitol South Lawn on May 22, 2019 as part of the Society of Native Nations' first annual Indigenize the Texas Capitol Day.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/QDTWpcGy0MnmT3fpBgy32UVcSMo=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e6dcea49ec3f406a4d69dd91ac777ae9/Indigenize%20the%20Capitol%20May%2022%20JF%20TT.jpg)
![Thousands of mostly Indian-Americans attended "Howdy, Modi" at the NRG Stadium with Indian Prime Minister Modi and President Trump on Sept. 22, 2019.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/pcpbZeHY22MI9u9aUGMfbiBKiWc=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/4c71c6b804b7ae1c7fb5bbc9f2b5a360/Howdy%20Modi%20EG%20TT%20009.jpg)
![Thomas Williams-Platt, 18, in the backyard of his aunt’s home in Georgetown on Nov. 22, 2019. Last December the then 17-year-old was arrested for bringing a vape pen to his high school.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/6EUgRTmbhSOiQn__8y8fxe_EUT4=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/7a10eba8dff9e73b0eb638bd07303518/Georgetown%20Vape%20Arrest%20AP%20TT%2007.jpg)
![From left, Elmer de la Rosa, Orlando Jose Reyes and Carlos Lanza stand near the perimeter of the migrant shelter in Piedras Negras, Coahuila. Feb. 9, 2019.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/txTW5tdkxHpv1yR_ahsM-IhpA7o=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0671b2414ba4c4e052164c82662d8982/09_Eagle_Pass_Migrant_Shelter_MG.jpg)
![Inline article image](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/fQqLT0QbFXjnK4-GwRpQT2xVdBI=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/fb62b14856a63ac710c5cc733fcb164f/2019%20Trib%20Feast%20MT%20TT.jpg)
![Supporters listen to Houston mayor Sylvester Turner address a crowd of supporters during an election night party at the George R Brown Convention Center in Houston on Nov. 5, 2019.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/vEvHh__1_79qdy82H1MDDzCC_LQ=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/29b51dc0ca2b5ddae38ee3c1f4bd9513/Election%20Turner%20HTX%20SF%20TT%2018.jpg)
![Beto O'Rourke speaks at Texas Southern University in Houston Saturday, March 30, 2019 during his Presidential Campaign kick off . (Photo by Michael Stravato)](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/Z0TQyp2q_K0TC_glaIb3knbVyxA=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e2cef8aabe2fc105604134fd739fcd13/BETO%20Houston%20MS%20TT%203776.jpg)
![Kamala Harris at the National Education Association presidential forum in Houston on Friday, July 5, 2019.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/b0XHMqpBX2o0xGFgfdzKn90__Zs=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/a1d057c03af3df32e128365cb933fe78/NEA%20Harris%20MS%20TT.jpg)
![Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, chats with Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith during the Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 28, 2019.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/XyYyHoFqVZ7prNPix4ru68cAQ-k=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/ccc3fbba6d14808909f814a453995f70/Pelosi%20Smith%20CR%20TT.jpg)
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