When the U.S. announced it would lift its embargo last winter, experts were excited about the prospect of increased trade with Cuba. But Texas’ trade with the island nation has dropped, and when things might pick up isn’t easy to predict.
Julián Aguilar
Julián Aguilar reported for the Tribune from 2009 to 2021, most recently on politics and on the Texas-Mexico border. He focused on immigration reform and enforcement, voter ID, international trade, border security, and the drug trade. His political coverage has included local, legislative and congressional races in Texas, as well as local and national elections in Mexico. Before joining The Texas Tribune, he was a freelance writer for the Fort Worth Weekly, a government and crime reporter for the Laredo Morning Times, and a political writer for the Rio Grande Guardian. A native of El Paso, he has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Texas and a master's degree in journalism from the Frank W. Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism at the University of North Texas.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Legal Experts Question State’s Immunity Claim
The state of Texas can’t hide behind sovereign immunity to escape a lawsuit for denying birth certificates to U.S. citizen children of undocumented immigrants, some legal experts contend.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Detained Immigrant Families Face Uncertainty
More than 2,000 undocumented women and children being held in “deplorable” conditions at federal immigration detention centers are supposed to be released under a recent federal judge’s order. But how long that takes and what happens to them next remains unclear, attorneys say.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
State Asks Federal Judge to Dismiss Lawsuit Over Birth Certificates
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday asked a federal district judge to dismiss a lawsuit that claims a state agency violated the U.S. Constitution by denying birth certificates to U.S.-citizen children of immigrant parents.
Posted in
Politics
Congress to Vote on Sanctuary Cities
Texas Republicans who grouse that the federal government doesn’t enforce immigration laws might soon have Congress to thank for beefing up enforcement at the state and local levels.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
“Chapo” Escape Should Lead to Drug Law Reform, Advocates Say
Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s brazen escape last week from a maximum-security Mexican prison prompted anger from U.S. officials. Advocates who want to see changes to drug laws argue now is the time to reassess current policies.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
McCaul: “Absurd” to Think Guzmán Fled Without Inside Help
The Texan who is the U.S. House’s top Republican on homeland security issued a scathing indictment of Mexican officials on Tuesday for letting Joaquin Guzmán, the world’s most notorious drug lord, tunnel out of a maximum-security prison.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
U.S. Rep: Guzmán’s Prison Escape an Insult to U.S. Law Enforcement
The prison escape of Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán is an affront to U.S. law enforcement, which has worked for years to build a case against the kingpin, a member of Texas’ congressional delegation said Sunday.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas Expects Another Win Against Obama’s Immigration Plan
Attorneys for the Obama administration will try again on Friday to persuade a three-judge panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans to let a controversial immigration policy take effect.
Posted in
Demographics
Mexican Official: Border Security a “Shared Responsibility”
José Antonio Meade Kuribreña, Mexico’s secretary of foreign affairs, talks about the relationship between Mexico and Texas, border security, and whether Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto’s security plan is working.
