The agency announced late Monday that it will end the Trump-era program, which forces asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases are pending, after a Texas federal judge lifted an injunction.
Jolie McCullough
Jolie McCullough was a reporter at The Texas Tribune from 2015 to 2023. She began as a data visualization journalist and then reported on criminal justice policy, ranging from policing and courts to prisons and the death penalty. She joined the Tribune from the Albuquerque Journal, her hometown newspaper. She previously worked at the Arizona Republic and is a graduate of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Gov. Greg Abbott appoints officer indicted for misconduct during George Floyd protests to police regulatory agency
Justin Berry was among 19 Austin police officers indicted earlier this year, accused of using excessive force against people protesting the murder of George Floyd.
Almost 600 Texas youths are trapped in a juvenile prison system on the brink of collapse
The agency is so understaffed that teens have reported spending up to 23 hours locked in their cells, using water bottles to go to the bathroom. A staggering number have hurt themselves or been placed on suicide watch.
Inspection reports reflect the desperation and danger youths face in Texas juvenile prisons
Visits to Texas’ severely understaffed youth prisons show suicide attempts without intervention, water bottles being used as makeshift toilets, and a rash of possibly gang-related fights.
Texas troopers are causing car chase fatalities and racially profiling drivers under Abbott’s border crackdown, complaint claims
Two civil rights groups have expanded their request for a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into Operation Lone Star, citing evidence of risky pursuits and more frequent traffic stops of Hispanic drivers.
Supreme Court refuses to reinstate Biden policy limiting immigration arrests before it hears Texas challenge
The administration told immigration officers to prioritize the detention of recent border crossers and immigrants who pose a threat to national security and public safety. A Texas judge said the guidance violated federal laws.
Limiting crypto helped the Texas power grid weather a heat wave
Cryptocurrency mining requires huge amounts of electricity, prompting concerns over the industry’s environmental impact — and whether the state’s grid can keep up.
Execution halted as court questions whether Ramiro Gonzales should have been sentenced to life in prison
The jury sentenced Gonzales to death after a prosecution expert testified that he posed a future danger to society. The expert now says his data was wrong.
Understaffed, and under federal investigation, Texas juvenile detention system halts intake
The Texas Juvenile Justice Department doesn’t have enough staff to keep minors safe or deal with increasing suicidal behavior, its interim head says. Gov. Greg Abbott recently shifted millions of dollars from the long-troubled agency to his controversial border security mission.
At a New Mexico abortion clinic, calls flood in from Texas and wait time for appointments grows
The University of New Mexico Center for Reproductive Health is one of only three clinics in the state that perform abortion procedures. The clinic’s doctors say people from Texas make up more than 75% of their patients.


