After being detained by ICE last month, Sister Leticia “Letty” Ugboaja, a 56-year-old nun from Nigeria, could be detained again or subjected to constant monitoring.
Berenice Garcia
Berenice Garcia is a regional reporter covering the Rio Grande Valley. She works at the Tribune as a corps members with Report for America. She previously covered local government, crime, healthcare and general assignments for The Monitor in McAllen where she was born. Though she's spent the majority of her life in the Valley, she traveled east to attend New York University where she studied journalism and politics. While there, she interned at the New York Daily News, the Daily Beast and NBC News. When she’s not working, she enjoys fighting for her life at the gym. Berenice is based in McAllen.
Posted in
Politics
U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez takes steps to prevent renaming Boca Chica Beach
A SpaceX superfan proposed changing Boca Chica Beach’s name to reflect its significance to space travel.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Paxton and Talarico open battle for South Texas with dueling rallies, diverging pitches
Paxton rallied in McAllen while Talarico toured the border this week, offering an early look at how each will vie in the coming months for the Latino voters who swung to Trump in 2024.
Posted in
Economy
Brownsville lands $3.2B AI drone tech company. Community members question the impact it could bring.
Saronic Technologies accepted a tax incentive deal on the promise of bringing 10,000 jobs in 10 years. Critics say this deal comes with a caveat.
Posted in
Houston ICE Shooting
Houston ICE shooting strains already tense relations between U.S., Mexico
Mexico’s president said her government will file complaints and lawsuits over 17 deaths related to U.S. immigration enforcement.
Posted in
Politics
Historic Rio Grande Valley church saved from being cut off behind border wall
The wall would have blocked parishioners from reaching La Lomita chapel. A state representative has put a stop to those plans.
Posted in
Screwworm in Texas
Texas officials say rodents and other small wildlife could be to blame for New World Screwworm infestations
Until now, cattle were believed to be the main screwworm carriers. Investigations continue.
Posted in
Economy
Landmark $211M tax-break deal could trump SpaceX’s deal in South Texas
Following SpaceX’s arrival in 2014, another large technology company is eyeing South Texas, once known as the poorest area in Texas.
Posted in
Screwworm in Texas
USDA has new partners in the fight against screwworm — drones, dogs and fungi
The USDA awarded a combined $105 million to 40 different projects aimed at stopping the spread of New World Screwworm.
Posted in
Environment
Conservation groups sue to stop SpaceX land deal
The groups suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife want to preserve land that holds an endangered ocelot. They also argue SpaceX’s test launches send rocket debris into the refuge lands.