For months, the families of Venezuelan men sent to CECOT by the Trump administration awaited news about their loved ones. Now that the families have been reunited, they open up about the harm they experienced.
Investigations
The Texas Tribune’s investigative journalism dives deep into the policy and political decisions that matter most to Texans. Read the latest — and most ambitious — work from our newsroom and the investigative team we share with ProPublica.
The IRS says churches can now endorse candidates. That could give Texas pastors more power than ever.
One expert said Texas — with more than 200 megachurches — will be the epicenter for pastors and congregations to test out their new influence.
Venezuelan deportees say they endured months of abuse inside a Salvadoran prison
Trump framed the deportation of more than 230 Venezuelan men as a long-overdue campaign to rid the country of immigrants who have committed violent crimes. The facts tell a different story.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is handing more of his office’s work to costly private lawyers
Despite having an office with hundreds of attorneys, Ken Paxton frequently opts to hire private lawyers. One cost taxpayers more than $24,000 in one day.
Texas lawmakers largely ignored recommendations aimed at helping rural areas like Kerr County prepare for flooding
Texas lawmakers’ inaction on flood prevention often hits rural and economically disadvantaged communities the hardest, experts said.
Why Greg Abbott refuses to release his emails with Elon Musk
The governor’s office said some of the correspondence with the billionaire and his companies contains “intimate” information that isn’t of “legitimate concern to the public.”
Elon Musk hired a dozen Texas lobbyists this year. State law keeps the extent of their influence under wraps.
How the billionaire businessman’s lobbyists helped him get so many state Legislature wins is something of a mystery.
Inside Elon Musk’s stellar year at the Texas Capitol
While Elon Musk took Washington, D.C., by storm, his company representatives and lobbyists were also notching up big political wins in Texas.
Texas lawmakers pull funding for child identification kits again after newsrooms report they don’t work
For the second time, lawmakers cut funding for kits meant to help find missing kids after ProPublica and The Texas Tribune documented the lack of evidence that the kits work.
Texas won’t force private companies to use E-Verify to check workers’ immigration status, despite leaders’ tough talk
Texas’ conservative Legislature has again and again refused to mandate that most private businesses use E-Verify. Experts say that Republican resistance is rooted in how the system could impact the state’s labor supply and economy.

