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Julián Aguilar reports on politics and border affairs from the Texas-Mexico border. His focuses include immigration reform and enforcement, voter ID, international trade, border security, and the drug trade. His political coverage has included local, legislative and congressional races in Texas, as well as local and national elections in Mexico. Before joining The Texas Tribune, he was a freelance writer for the Fort Worth Weekly, a government and crime reporter for the Laredo Morning Times, and a political writer for the Rio Grande Guardian. A native of El Paso, he has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Texas and a master's degree in journalism from the Frank W. Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism at the University of North Texas.
Local restaurants, joined by the Texas attorney general's office, had asked a judge to halt the El Paso county judge's order closing nonessential businesses for two weeks during a new COVID-19 spike. Full Story
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Cases continued rising as a state district judge heard arguments Wednesday over a shutdown order issued by El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego. Judge William Moody said he would render a decision later this week on whether to temporarily halt the county order. Full Story
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Mayor Dee Margo and County Judge Ricardo Samaniego have battled over what authority local officials have to issue stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Full Story
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The county is experiencing a record-breaking rise of COVID-19 cases that have overwhelmed hospitals. Full Story
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The situation in El Paso prompted city leaders to ask residents to stay home unless it’s absolutely necessary to be out in public. But they said residents should still get out to vote. Full Story
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The Trump administration ended Temporary Protective Status for immigrants from several countries, and the decision is now before the courts. Tens of thousands of TPS recipients live in Texas. Full Story
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"Please continue to exercise your right to vote," said El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego, who announced a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew. Full Story
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A new University of Texas report says the El Paso area is at high risk of exceeding hospital bed and ICU capacity early next month, and many other Texas cities could see similar problems in the coming weeks. Full Story
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The Migrant Protection Protocols program has been criticized for sending thousands of vulnerable asylum seekers to Mexican border states that have seen sustained violence. Full Story
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In addition to greater capacity limits for nonessential businesses, visits to nursing homes and elderly care facilities will be put on hold. Full Story
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Apprehensions of unaccompanied children dropped by as much as 70% in Border Patrol sectors along the Texas-Mexico border this fiscal year. Full Story
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The 2-1 decision from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals comes as $3.6 billion was slated for construction of about a dozen projects, including two projects in the Laredo and El Paso areas. Full Story
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City and county officials said the increase is largely due to residents letting their guard down. Full Story
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A Pearland police official told the Houston Chronicle the city needed to be prepared for an event some thought might draw 60,000 people, including protesters and counter-protesters. Full Story
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Texas is among the states that have accepted the most refugees within their borders since 2002. But those numbers have dropped under the Trump administration. Full Story
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Local leaders say the federal government’s decision to extend a ban on nonessential travel across the U.S.-Mexico border is crippling their budgets and local businesses. Full Story
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President Trump hopes to quickly appoint a replacement for the liberal justice, and immigrant and civil rights groups are bracing for what could be years of losses in the high court. Full Story
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Frank De La Cruz went to war with the U.S. Navy and came home with a drinking problem. Then he was arrested for driving while intoxicated, and the government kicked him out of the country. Full Story
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The Trump administration wants to end Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of people from a number of countries who received protection because of armed conflicts and natural disasters. Full Story
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U.S. citizens who have undocumented family members were barred from receiving stimulus checks earlier this year. They're hoping that Congress doesn't leave them out again. Full Story
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