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Julián Aguilar reported for the Tribune from 2009 to 2021, most recently on politics and on the Texas-Mexico border. He focused on 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.
Providing legal status to the illegal immigrants in the Houston area could mean $1.4 billion a year in revenue for government agencies, a business group says. But others say its report doesn’t factor in costs of services for the group. Full Story
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The U.S. Department of Justice is keeping Texans guessing as to whether they will have to furnish photo IDs before casting their ballots. But a fresh lawsuit has spurred a new round of mudslinging directed at the law's Republican backers. Full Story
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He's come a long way since President Obama told him he thought he was a White House intern. San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro was invited to Tuesday's State of the Union address, and he received a coveted seat near the first lady. Full Story
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Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has made the next move in the state's face-0ff with the federal government over the state's voter ID law, which the Justice Department is reviewing. Abbott is suing to have the law implemented without further delay. Full Story
A perfume seller who federal prosecutors said tried to "remove the stench of Mexican drug cartel money" was sentenced today to nearly two decades in prison for a money-laundering scheme. Full Story
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After narcotics seizures surged 45 percent in 2010, the Laredo Customs District saw a relatively minimal increase in contraband intercepted at its ports in 2011. But others aren't sure the federal government should applaud so loudly about the Laredo district figures, saying efforts on the whole are still lacking. Full Story
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The director of 8 Murders a Day, a documentary about the carnage in Ciudad Juárez, on what prompted him to relocate to the border to work on the project, his thoughts on Mexican President Felipe Calderón’s war against organized crime, and his response to the criticism the project has received. Full Story
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Two weeks after it was originally scheduled to go in to effect, Texas’ voter ID law is back in the hands of the U.S. Department of Justice. Full Story
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The Obama administration plans to ease restrictions on illegal immigrants trying to re-enter the U.S. after applying for legal status. Some aren't sold that the move is a significant step. Full Story
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Rapper and part-time actor Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Broadus Jr., was arrested early Saturday after agents at the West Texas Border Patrol checkpoint found marijuana in his tour bus. Full Story
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