Biden temporarily blocked from diverting border barrier funds
A judge’s ruling is the latest development in an ongoing border enforcement battle between Texas and the president. Full Story
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Uriel J. García is an immigration reporter based in El Paso. Before joining the Tribune in 2021, he worked at the Arizona Republic where he covered police violence and immigration enforcement. He started his journalism career at the Santa Fe New Mexican where he covered the city's immigrant community and criminal justice issues. Originally from Mexico and a native Spanish speaker, Uriel grew up in Phoenix and graduated from Arizona State University.
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![Border wall construction resumes near the Eli Jackson Cemetery in Pharr on March 21, 2022. In 2020, Congress exempted the cemetery from border wall construction, but it has started once again and is near completion.]()
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El Paso judge blocks Ken Paxton’s efforts to subpoena Annunciation House
The judge questioned Paxton’s true motives to investigate the shelter, saying there is “a real and credible concern” the state has a predetermined goal of shutting down Annunciation House. Full Story
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![205th District Judge Francisco Dominguez speaks during a motion hearing with in the 205th District Courtroom in El Paso on Thursday, March 7, 2024.]()
Credit: Gaby Velasquez/El Paso Times/USA TODAY Network via REUTERS -
Texas federal judge dismisses Ken Paxton’s lawsuit against Biden’s immigration program
The Trump-appointed judge has previously ruled against the Biden administration in other immigration-related lawsuits brought by Texas. This time, he said, Texas has no standing to sue. Full Story
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![A group of migrants are detained by U.S. Border Patrol on Feb. 3, 2024, in Quemado.]()
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El Paso judge says he’s concerned that Ken Paxton has “ulterior political motives”’ in migrant shelter probe
The judge will make a ruling soon on whether Annunciation House is obligated to release all the documents the attorney general’s office has demanded. Full Story
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![Ruben Garcia, director of Annunciation House, sits at the witness stand answering questions from Jerome Wesevich, a lawyer with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid representing Annunciation House, during a motion hearing with Judge Francisco Dominguez in the 205th District Courtroom in El Paso on Thursday, March 7, 2024.]()
Credit: Gaby Velasquez/El Paso Times/USA TODAY NETWORK via REUTERS -
U.S. Supreme Court continues blocking Texas immigration law
Senate Bill 4 would allow Texas police to arrest people suspected of illegally crossing the border. Full Story
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![National Guard members tell migrants that they cannot cross through that area and that they need to walk until the end of the property to turn themselves in Eagle Pass, Texas on July 29, 2023. As there is concertina wire installed along the Urbina’s property, migrants are told to walk to the end of the property. Many make that walk which can be difficult to do through slippery rocks in the water, the current and the inclined river bank, while some find spots through the concertina wire and manage to get through. Some will be sent back after being arrested for trespassing private property without allowing them to go through the immigration process in the U.S.
Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune -
Texas law allowing police to arrest migrants suspected of being in country illegally blocked by federal judge
Senate Bill 4 was Texas’ latest attempt to deter people from crossing the Texas-Mexico border amid a surge in migration. Full Story
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![Migrants traverse the bank of the Rio Grande at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, on Jan. 19, 2024.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
In two Texas border towns, Biden and Trump push for different immigration approaches
Immigration is a driving issue in the almost-certain presidential rematch between the Democratic incumbent and ousted Republican. Full Story
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![President Joe Biden gives remarks during a visit to Brownsville on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton’s Annunciation House investigation is the latest attack on religious organizations aiding migrants at the border
For years, conservative religious groups and Texas politicians have accused groups housing newly-arrived migrants of encouraging, and profiting from, illegal immigration. Full Story
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![Migrants wait inside a local migrant shelter, Annunciation House, after leaving immigration court, Tuesday, August 23, 2022, in El Paso.]()
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El Paso leaders rally around migrant shelters after Attorney General Ken Paxton’s threat to shut them down
Paxton’s office demanded records of migrants that Annunciation House has helped and threatened to shut down the Catholic shelter network. Full Story
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![Ruben Garcia, director of Annunciation House, speaks at a press conference on Feb 23, 2024. Earlier this week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, announced a lawsuit against the migrant shelter Annunciation House for allegedly operating a stash house and human trafficking. Annunciation House has been providing aid and shelter to migrants in El Paso for more than 40 years.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribune -
Texas to build 80-acre base in Eagle Pass for National Guard troops
Gov. Greg Abbott announced Friday that the base will hold up to 2,300 soldiers who have been deployed to the border. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott arrives at a press conference with several other states leadership at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass on Feb. 04, 2024.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee Beal for The Texas Tribune