The former president is touring the border Wednesday with Abbott, who has promised to build a state-funded border wall.
James Barragán
James Barragán was a politics reporter for The Texas Tribune with a focus on accountability reporting. Prior to joining the Tribune, James worked as a statehouse reporter for The Dallas Morning News and previously had stints at the Austin American-Statesman and the Los Angeles Times. In 2021, he was a finalist for the Toner Prize for Excellence in Local Reporting for his coverage of Texas politics during the COVID-19 pandemic. James was selected as a 2023-24 Nieman Fellow at Harvard. A Southern California native, James received his bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California, Los Angeles. He was based in Austin and is a native Spanish speaker.
Posted in
Politics
In first trip to U.S.-Mexico border as vice president, Kamala Harris focuses on causes of immigration
Harris toured Border Patrol facilities in El Paso and met with local groups that aid migrants, but Republicans continued to attack her for not visiting the Rio Grande Valley, where a large number of border apprehensions are happening.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller running for reelection, instead of challenging Gov. Greg Abbott
Miller was seen as a potential challenger to Abbott because of his vocal criticism of the governor’s restrictions to stop the spread of COVID-19 last year.
Posted in
Politics
Gov. Greg Abbott announces Texas is providing initial $250 million “down payment” for border wall
The governor did not specify how long the wall would be or where it would be built. He directed the Texas Facilities Commission to hire a program manager to begin that research.
Posted in
Demographics
Republicans think they can take South Texas — especially after a win in McAllen
Statewide officials are campaigning in the Democratic stronghold and GOP groups are now targeting statehouse districts.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Lawyers prosecuting Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s fraud case challenge decision to move trial back to his home county
Last month, a divided three-judge panel ruled that the case should move back to Collin County. Prosecutors are asking the full 1st Court of Appeals to review and reverse that ruling, potentially further delaying the 6-year-old case.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott could be upsetting balance of powers with threat to veto Texas Legislature’s pay
A governor targeting the Legislature’s budget would be unprecedented in Texas history.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2021
Multiple Senate GOP priorities fail in Texas House after last-ditch effort by Democrats to run out the clock
The Democrats delayed and deflected as they tried to run out the clock on bills they oppose. Republicans strategized to push through bills they’d worked on all session.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas Senate bill dictating which school sports teams transgender children can join misses House deadline
Democratic lawmakers waved transgender pride flags on the chamber floor after Senate Bill 29 missed the deadline for the House to pass all bills from the upper chamber.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2021
Legislators running out of time to pass bills curbing law enforcement agencies from hiring bad officers
Texas law enforcement agencies have long dealt with troublesome officers who move from one department to another. Transparency bills aim to make their disciplinary records more easily accessible to such agencies.
