Texas uses shipping containers to create “steel wall” next to international bridge at Eagle Pass
Gov. Greg Abbott says the wall of roughly 20 shipping containers will help prevent migrants from crossing the border. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/80eed0d685a1a7a3e7c63e2019b96261/Shipping%20Container%20Wall%20CS%20TT%2027.jpg)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/profiles/Uriel_Garcia_TT.jpg)
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.
Latest Contributions
-
![A soldier stands guard along a row of shipping containers placed on the border by Gov. Greg Abbott to form a makeshift border wall along the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass on Nov. 19, 2021.]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
Among El Pasoans, Beto O’Rourke’s gubernatorial run excites loyal fans and revives longtime grudges
El Pasoans who have followed O’Rourke’s political career are excited about his run for governor. But his critics still remember his support of a development plan that could have displaced Mexican American residents from one of the city’s oldest barrios. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/a61e56f73adc03bc4d4d4f0069cdb72e/Beto%20Early%20Voting%20Rally%20IPA%20TT%2025.jpg)
![Beto O'Rourke's early voting rally in San Jacinto Plaza and walking through downtown to vote at the County Court House.Friday, March 2, 2018, in El Paso, Texas. Photo by Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for the Sun -
“Happy to see you again”: U.S. reopens land borders with Mexico to vaccinated travelers after 19 months
The ports of entry were closed in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. Mexican nationals will need to present proof of vaccination to enter the U.S. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/8a3049d140533d6a820d421639bf7c3c/Juarez%20Border%20Reopens%20IPA%20TT%2014.jpg)
![Susana Garcia, left, embraces her sister, Martha Garcia, near the Paso del Norte International Port of Entry after not seeing her for nearly 2 years, on Monday, Nov. 8, 2021, in El Paso. Garcia is one of the first persons to cross into El Paso from Ciudad Juárez after the reopening of the border to vaccinated nonessential travelers. The border had been closed for nearly 20 months due to the global pandemic.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Five firms being considered for design and construction of Texas-Mexico border wall that Gov. Greg Abbott promised
One of the companies being considered previously built a 3-mile barrier that is at risk of falling into the Rio Grande. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/fc680e493b3ebdf7b638548cf5e6fc72/Border%20Wall%20MGO%20TT%2010.jpg)
![A storage lot for border wall fencing on Oct. 16, 2021 in Pharr. The Biden administration canceled all border wall contracts prompting a lawsuit from Ken Paxton.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues Biden administration in bid to force construction of U.S.-Mexico border wall
Paxton and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt argue that Biden can’t legally stop border wall construction after Congress dedicated money for the project. They previously sued the administration to force it to restore the “remain in Mexico” policy. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/16f76b3e67dfc90ca1aaae47295f8678/AG-Paxton-SCOTUS-0004.JPG)
![Attorney General Ken Paxton walked across the Supreme Court plaza to hold a press conference in 2016.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Bill Clark -
After months of store closures and layoffs, border businesses eager to welcome back Mexican customers Nov. 8
For 19 months, business owners along the Texas-Mexico border have seen a drastic drop in customers because of COVID-19 travel restrictions. With land borders scheduled to reopen Nov. 8, they are banking on a return to pre-pandemic sales. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/93d0595dd1274f807cfbed4ee0d927c6/El%20Paso%20Border%20File%20IPA%20TT%2004.jpg)
![Shoppers buy traditional flowers for the upcoming Mexican holiday, "Día de Los Muertos," near the Paso del Norte International Bridge in El Paso on Oct. 17, 2021.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. to reopen land borders with Mexico to vaccinated travelers starting in November
The borders were closed to nonessential travel in March 2020, which hurt businesses in Texas border cities that rely on Mexican shoppers. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/ab8c091725c4a26b356bb6432ffad54d/El%20Paso%20Closed%20Business%20IPA%20TT%2007.jpg)
![Scenes from downtown near the international bridge on day one of the shelter-in-place order that was put in place by the county judge Oct. 30, 2020, in El Paso. The El Paso mayor and Gov. Abbott are fighting the order in court.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Allen West, GOP candidate for governor, says he has pneumonia caused by COVID-19
West, the former chair of the state Republican party, tweeted that his oxygen levels are low and he will likely be hospitalized, but says his condition is “not serious.” Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/3b7bb41902b4735084aac59a2a9e4fd6/GOP%20Lege%20Agenda%20Rally%20JV%20TT%2001.jpg)
![State GOP Chairman Allen West speaks at a Texas Republican Party rally on the east side of the Capitol Grounds on January 9, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
"We suffered a lot to get here": A Haitian migrant's harrowing journey to the Texas-Mexico border
After witnessing fellow migrants swept away in a Central American river and a sexual assault by armed men, one man wants to put the traumatic journey in the past and find stability for his family in Ohio. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/df0db580965934c190b3ab0183843234/Del%20Rio%20Migrants%20Surge%20JV%20TT%2039.jpg)
![Migrants cross the Rio Grande with food, water, shelter, clothing, and other supplies as they prepare to spend the night under the International Bridge in Del Rio on Sept. 16, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas troopers create “steel wall” of patrol vehicles in Del Rio as feds continue to repatriate Haitians
Gov. Greg Abbott says the line of law enforcement and military vehicles is stopping migrants from crossing the Rio Grande into Del Rio, where the number of migrants camped under a bridge keeps dropping. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/7253b09d96cad40995534dfc806d65cc/Del%20Rio%20DPS%20REUTERS%20TT.jpg)
![Military and Texas Department of Public Safety vehicles create a cordon around migrants sheltering in a nearby makeshift border camp along the international bridge in Del Rio on September 22, 2021.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Adrees Latif