Andrea Pedro Francisco was scheduled for surgery to remove an ovarian cyst in February. Then ICE detained her, repeatedly denying her the procedures.
Lomi Kriel
Lomi Kriel is a statewide investigative reporter for The Texas Tribune. Previously, she was a founding member of the Tribune’s investigative unit with ProPublica, joining the initiative in 2020 before leaving for the Tribune in November 2025. Before joining ProPublica, Kriel reported on immigration for the Houston Chronicle, often focused on the Texas border. Months before Trump’s first administration announced its family separation policy, Kriel uncovered it in 2017. Kriel is a two-time Pulitzer finalist, in 2018 as part of the Houston Chronicle’s Hurricane Harvey coverage, and in 2024 for the Tribune’s reporting with ProPublica and FRONTLINE PBS on the Uvalde school shooting. She is a George Polk Award winner, National Magazine Award winner, Edward R. Murrow winner, and Emmy nominee, among other accolades. Kriel, who was born and raised in South Africa, immigrated to the United States in 1998. She has worked as a Central American correspondent for Thomson Reuters and a criminal justice reporter for the San Antonio Express-News, among other publications. Kriel is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and Columbia University and speaks Afrikaans and Spanish.
Posted in
Immigration
Doctors say woman in El Paso ICE detention center urgently requires surgery that she is being denied
Andrea Pedro Francisco was scheduled to have surgery to remove an ovarian cyst in February but was detained by ICE, which has repeatedly denied her surgery. Nine doctors who reviewed her case said she’s at risk of a medical emergency.
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Immigration
How the unreported killing of an American by ICE shattered two Texas families
Josh Orta was the sole witness of Ruben Martinez’s death to dispute the government’s account. Months later, he died in a crash after learning an ICE agent killed his friend.
Posted in
Immigration
ICE releases El Gamal family after re-arresting mother and 5 children, attorney says
A plane carrying the family to Michigan was reportedly on its way back to Colorado after a Texas federal judge ordered a halt to their deportation following his ruling that they be released.
Posted in
Immigration
Egyptian family of six who have spent 10 months in Dilley’s controversial detention center freed
The family had been detained since June after the father was arrested and charged with attacking mostly Jewish protesters at a Colorado event.
Posted in
Courts
South Texas officials dismissed from woman’s wrongful arrest lawsuit in controversial abortion case
Starr County remains the sole defendant in a suit seeking $1 million in damages filed by Lizelle Gonzalez, who accused local officials of malicious prosecution and conspiracy.
Posted in
Immigration
“Slowly killing us on the inside”: A family of 6 at Texas’ Dilley ICE detention center begs for freedom
The family, including the mother and her five children, detail in letters what they describe as neglectful medical care, inedible food and a disregard for their religious accommodations. They’ve been imprisoned at the nation’s only family detention center for more than nine months and are believed to be the longest held there.
Posted in
Immigration
ICE replacing operator of El Paso detention camp, report says
The Washington Post reported that a document was distributed to ICE staff indicating the agency was drafting a letter to potentially terminate the facility’s $1.2 billion contract.
Posted in
Immigration
Teen mariachis and family from McAllen released from ICE custody
The detention of the family of asylum seekers after a routine check-in with immigration officials had caused an uproar in their community.
Posted in
State Government
Footage shows the run-up to immigration officer’s fatal shooting of Texas man
The clips, from multiple angles, don’t include everything, including key audio. But lawyers for the man’s family argue they refute the Trump administration’s explanation that his killing was self-defense
