Takeaways from the Texas Tribune-Associated Press report on 24 hours along the Texas-Mexico border
Reporters from both organizations spent a day documenting the reality on the border. Here’s a summary of what they found. Full Story
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Berenice Garcia is a regional reporter covering the Rio Grande Valley. She works at the Tribune as a corps members with Report for America. She previously covered local government, crime, healthcare and general assignments for The Monitor in McAllen where she was born. Though she's spent the majority of her life in the Valley, she traveled east to attend New York University where she studied journalism and politics. While there, she interned at the New York Daily News, the Daily Beast and NBC News. When she’s not working, she enjoys fighting for her life at the gym. Berenice is based in McAllen.
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![A private border wall that extends nearly three miles is seen in Mission, Texas on Aug. 9, 2024.]()
Credit: Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune -
Many Americans say immigration is out of control, but 24 hours on the Texas-Mexico border showed a new reality. Will it last?
The Texas Tribune and The Associated Press visited five locations along the 1,254-mile span to separate the facts from the political narrative during a heated election year. Full Story
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![Christina Smallwood, foreground, and Andrés García, Border Patrol agents and Public Affairs officers look for migrants underneath the vehicular McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge in Hidalgo, Texas, early Friday, Aug. 9, 2024.]()
Credit: Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune -
At this South Texas political convention, everyone has a voice, regardless of legal status
Inspired by the work of Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, the biennial “cumbre” helps South Texans organize for political change. Full Story
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![People cast their votes for the topics that they are interested in LUPE focusing on for the next two years during the Cumbre de Miembros 2024 in San Juan, Texas on Sept. 14, 2024.
Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune -
Travis County sues top Texas officials, accusing them of violating National Voter Registration Act
Attorney General Ken Paxton and Secretary of State Jane Nelson are targeted in the new suit, escalating a pre-election war over voter registration efforts. Full Story
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![Travis County Judge Andy Brown speaks during a press conference and reviews the details related to accidental drug overdoses, in Austin, on June 27, 2023.]()
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Democrats hope anti-voucher campaign will help win back South Texas House seat
The first-term Republican defending her seat said a private school voucher program will help her community, especially students from low-income families. Full Story
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![From left: Democrat Jonathan Gracia is challenging Republican incumbent Janie Lopez in state House District 37, which covers part of the Rio Grande Valley, which includes Harlingen and part of Brownsville.]()
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In South Texas, SpaceX faces skepticism over environmental damage
A federal agency has paused some of SpaceX's plans amid concerns over the environment. Full Story
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![Members of the ENTRE Film Center, a local film center and regional archive, hosted the gathering at Boca Chica to celebrate the beach and motivate people to fight for its preservation, which they view as being in jeopardy since the arrival of Elon Musk's SpaceX. Aug. 8, 2024.]()
Credit: Ben Lowy for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton’s vote harvesting investigation in South Texas renews questions over politiqueras
Since the 2020 election, Texas Republicans have dramatically rewritten the state’s voting laws, which have made some long-standing practices illegal. Full Story
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![A voting feather flag outside of Firemans Park voting station in McAllen on Election Day, Nov. 8, 2022.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
A Fox News host's debunked election conspiracy appears to have prompted a state investigation
The Fox News host who shared the allegation online has previously shared election misinformation. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton fields questions at the Frisco Gun Club during a press conference announcing his intent to sue the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on May 1, 2024. This comes after the Justice Department announced a new rule requiring all gun sellers to conduct federal background checks on buyers, closing what is known as the “gun show loophole”.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo for The Texas Tribune -
A South Texas school district received a request to remove 676 books from its libraries
The request came from a local pastor who is part of a group that trains people to “defend their freedom and liberty.” Other faith leaders have pushed back. Full Story
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![Books at Vandegrift High School's library on March 2, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
Federal court orders regulators to fix process, reconsider gas export projects in South Texas
This week’s ruling was the latest twist since cities and groups in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley sued to block the projects. Full Story
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![Construction crews work at the 750-acre site of the proposed Rio Grande LNG facility Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024 in Brownsville.]()
Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News