How federal pandemic aid helped Texas pay for Greg Abbott’s border mission
State officials freed up cash for Operation Lone Star with the help of federal funds meant to respond to the coronavirus crisis. Full Story
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![State Troopers arrest an undocumented Mexican migrant for trespassing as part of Operation Lone Star after he was caught with others in private property in Kinney County, Texas on Nov. 9, 2021.]()
Credit: Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune/ProPublica -
Texas National Guard guidance discouraging soldiers from saving drowning migrants draws scrutiny
Critics have said that a lack of guidance and equipment to perform life-saving rescues leaves soldiers dangerously unprepared to deal with a common scenario on the border while dehumanizing the migrants attempting to cross the river. Full Story
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![A Customs and Border Protection agent collects biographical information from a group of Venezuelan migrants before taking them into custody near the southern border town of Eagle Pass on April 25, 2022.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott redirects $500 million from other agencies to fund border security mission through end of fiscal year
Abbott said the money would be taken from the budgets of other Texas agencies, including nearly $210 million from the state’s Health and Human Services Commission over two years and about $160 million from the Texas Department of Public Safety. Full Story
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![Department of Public Safety agents arrest an undocumented migrant for trespassing private property as part of Operation Lone Star in Kinney County near Brackettville, Texas on Nov. 9, 2021.
Verónica G. Cárdenas for ProPublica/The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune/ProPublica -
New federal lawsuit seeks to halt Texas’ border trespassing arrests, give more than $5 million to illegally detained migrants
Thousands of men have been arrested on trespassing charges under Gov. Greg Abbott’s border crackdown. A new lawsuit claims the attempt to skirt federal immigration authority is unconstitutional. Full Story
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![The migrant processing facility adjacent to the Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office in Del Rio on Oct. 26, 2021.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott asks for private donations to bus migrants to D.C. after criticism for using taxpayer money
The decision to crowdfund the free bus trips for migrants is a new development since his initial announcement on April 6 that the rides would be paid for by Texas taxpayers. Full Story
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![Two buses transporting migrants from Texas arrive at Union Station on April 21, 2022. Gov. Greg Abbott’s new plan in response to the end of Title 42, a pandemic-era emergency health order which allowed immigration authorities at the border to deny entry.]()
Credit: Shuran Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Texas soldier who drowned trying to help migrants wasn’t equipped with flotation device
Spc. Bishop Evans died after jumping into the Rio Grande to save migrants. He and other members of Operation Lone Star were not provided safety equipment. Texas Military Department said an order for buoys and ropes was made but has not been fulfilled. Full Story
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![A Border Patrol boat on the Rio Grande between Piedras Negras, Mexico, and Eagle Pass on Nov. 8, 2021.]()
Credit: Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for ProPublica/The Texas Tribune -
Some Texas Republicans push for Gov. Greg Abbott to use state personnel to deport migrants
Declaring an “invasion” under the U.S. Constitution is an incendiary idea that would spark immediate court challenges given that immigration law enforcement is a federal responsibility. Full Story
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![National Guard soldiers stand guard near the U.S. and Mexico border in Del Rio on July 24, 2021.]()
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National Guard soldier missing after trying to save two migrants in Rio Grande
The soldier, Bishop E. Evans, went missing Friday morning after he jumped into the river near Eagle Pass. On Sunday, the Texas Military Department reported the search was still ongoing. Full Story
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![A row of shipping containers and razor wire placed on the banks of the Rio Grande River by Gov. Greg Abbott to form a makeshift border wall in Eagle Pass on Nov. 19, 2021.]()
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Texas sues to block Biden administration from lifting Title 42, a pandemic-era health rule used to expel migrants
Texas has led the legal fight against the Biden administration’s immigration policies, filing numerous lawsuits that have led to judges overturning or altering those policies. Full Story
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![A child runs through the tent city set up in Plaza de la República. Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico. May, 29 2021.]()
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Beto O’Rourke carefully threads needle on border policy as Democrats grapple with the issue
For Democrats, especially in Texas, tackling border issues is difficult on the campaign trail as the party is not in agreement about various policies. O’Rourke has had to distance himself from President Joe Biden’s border policies, while going after Gov. Greg Abbott’s. Full Story
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![Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke holds a press conference after holding a COVID-19 roundtable in Mission on Nov. 17, 2021.]()
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In McAllen, Gov. Greg Abbott’s border inspections meant late deliveries, rotten produce and lost business
The delays caused by the state’s inspections are the latest blow to farmers and produce businesses in the Rio Grande Valley recovering from the pandemic and losses from last year’s winter storm. Full Story
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![Eladio Corder sorts through mixed quality jalapenos at Trinidad Produce at the McAllen Produce Terminal Market. McAllen, TX. April 14, 2022.]()
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Top U.S. border official says busing migrants out of Texas complicates federal officials’ jobs
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner said Gov. Greg Abbott isn’t coordinating with the agency as Texas sends migrants far from their immigration proceedings. Full Story
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![Illuminated by a video camera's light, Cordalis, who is from Venezuela, held her child in a chair in Union Station in Washington while others accepted clothing and supplies provided by Catholic Charities on April 13, 2022.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott eases state inspections at one commercial bridge, as trade remains snarled across the border
The move provides little relief as trade between Texas and Mexico is hampered along the border because of Abbott’s order. The Colombia bridge is just one of 13 commercial crossings between the two countries and the only one connected to Nuevo León. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference with Nuevo León Gov. Samuel Alejandro García Sepúlveda on April 13, 2022.]()
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First bus of migrants arrives in Washington, D.C., from Texas under Abbott’s new controversial plan
About 30 people from Colombia, Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua traveled to the U.S. capital as part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s new plan in response to the end of Title 42. Full Story
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![The U.S. Capitol is seen from a tattered U.S. flag on a truck part of the People’s Convoy in Washington, D.C. on March 10, 2022.]()
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Biden administration, Mexican governors urge Abbott to end inspections that have bogged down border trade
Gov. Greg Abbott is slated to have a meeting and press event with Samuel Alejandro García Sepúlveda — the Mexican governor of Nuevo León, the state that includes a section of the border near Laredo — later Wednesday afternoon. Full Story
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![A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper inspects a commercial truck at an inspection station Brownsville on April 12, 2022.]()
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Predicting food shortages, Sid Miller calls on Gov. Greg Abbott to stop new vehicle inspections at the border
Abbott’s new policy has resulted in hourslong delays and protester blockades at border crossings. The state’s agriculture commissioner criticized the measure as an “economy killing action.” Full Story
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![A fruit and vegetable distribution center in Pharr, TX. April 11, 2022.]()
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TribCast: Dan Patrick takes on Disney in latest fight over Texas classrooms
In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Brian and James about Dan Patrick’s push for a Texas version of the Florida law governing the discussion of sexuality in schools and Gov. Greg Abbott’s latest action on the border. Full Story
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![Pride flags, stickers and masks, pronoun buttons and other merch are handed out at the AISD "Pride Out!" Party in the Park event at Eastside Early College High School in Austin on March 26, 2022.]()
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Greg Abbott’s call for more vehicle inspections at the border is causing delays and supply chain issues, locals say
Trucks delivering products from Mexico are facing hourslong waits at ports of entry. Full Story
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![Commercial vehicles go through the CBP inspection before entering El Paso from Juarez, Mexico at the Bridge of the Americas on April 8, 2022, in El Paso.]()
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Analysis: Abbott’s border initiative is expensive, ineffective and not as tough as it sounds
The results of the state’s $3 billion border security effort don’t match the up-front promises, and Gov. Greg Abbott is flipping the political script with loud opposition to a change in federal border policy. Full Story
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![Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw speaks at a presser with Gov. Greg Abbott in Weslaco on April 6, 2022.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to bus migrants to Washington, D.C., will be voluntary
Abbott said he’s responding to the Biden administration announcement that it will lift a pandemic-era emergency health order that allowed immigration authorities to turn away migrants at the border, even those seeking asylum. Full Story
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![Asylum seekers disembark a bus in front of the Catholic Charities Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen on Aug. 1, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune