We’re streaming “Life on the Line” — our mini-doc on a day in the life of a high-traffic Texas smuggling corridor — live on Facebook on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tune in here, and stick around for a live Q&A with reporters Jay Root and Julián Aguilar.
Bordering on Insecurity
Throughout 2016, The Texas Tribune took a deep look at the issues of border security and immigration, topics never far from the headlines — or the presidential trail. The Tribune reported on the reality and rhetoric around issues like the removal of undocumented criminal offenders, the stemming of government corruption and the conditions many immigrants are fleeing to seek sanctuary in the U.S.
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Bordering on Insecurity
Border Patrol Agent Indicted in Sweeping Drug Probe
A U.S. Border Patrol agent has been indicted in a sweeping corruption probe into a drug ring that allegedly recruited law enforcement officials to steal dope from traffickers.
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Bordering on Insecurity
Roma, Texas: A Smuggler’s Paradise
Multiple inflatable rafts on the water. Emotionally shaken kids in the back of Border Patrol vans. Dope dumped on the river’s edge. The Texas Tribune witnessed all that and more during an afternoon with the U.S. Border Patrol.
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Bordering on Insecurity
Bexar Sheriff: ICE “Disingenuous” With Detainer Claims
Bexar County Sheriff Susan Pamerleau says U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is being “disingenuous” by claiming in administrative records that her jail declined 11 “detainers” seeking custody of undocumented immigrants.
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Bordering on Insecurity
New Effort to Wipe Out Carrizo Cane Reignites Environmental Debate
A state plan to eradicate invasive Carrizo cane along the Rio Grande — cited by Gov. Greg Abbott as a border security priority — is finally getting some funding after sitting dormant for almost a year.
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Bordering on Insecurity
Hearing Probes Deportation of Criminal Immigrants
During an hours-long committee on border security and immigration Wednesday, a Republican sheriff was called out for doing what some argue only Democrats do: Let deportable immigrants out of jail.
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Bordering on Insecurity
Voices from the Border: Illegal Crossings and Deportations
Every month, busloads of deported undocumented immigrants arrive at the southern border, returning to Mexico after serving prison time in the United States. Meanwhile, other migrants prepare to attempt illegal border crossings. This story is part of our “Bordering on Insecurity” series.
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Bordering on Insecurity
Immigration Saga Leaves Teen Trapped in Mexico
Marcos Valencia was raised in Indiana, but in the eyes of the law, his home is the cartel-infested state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, where he was born. Now he’s stuck in Mexico, unable to return to the country where he grew up.
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Bordering on Insecurity
U.S. Citizen Jailed in Immigration Status Mistake
Unconvinced he was a U.S. citizen, the Dallas County Jail held Ricardo Garza for more than a month until he could prove his status to federal immigration authorities.
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Bordering on Insecurity
Undocumented Killer Had Extensive Teen Record
Before two murders landed him in Texas prison, Obed Josafhat Rodriguez racked up a criminal history stretching back to his first arrest for stealing a car at age 12, but his immigration status failed to trigger any action while he was a juvenile.