Congress

State Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, announces he's running for the U.S. Senate against John Cornyn, in Dallas on July 22, 2019.

State Sen. Royce West enters Democratic primary to challenge John Cornyn

by Alex Samuels

West joins a crowded and unsettled Democratic field of candidates looking to unseat U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.

Republican diners await the arrival of the candidates at Waterloo's Electric park Ballroom on August 14, 2011.

Analysis: Local Democrats hoping for statewide appeal in a Texas U.S. Senate race

Democrats looking for a challenger to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn have turned — and not for the first time — to local politicians in Texas who are attempting the leap to statewide politics. It works, sometimes.

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The U.S. Customs and Border Protection's station facilities in Clint on June 25, 2019. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez

Border agent in Clint accused of harassing mother of 12-year-old migrant who was in custody

by Abigail Hauslohner and Maria Sacchetti, The Washington Post

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent allegedly sought out and harassed an undocumented Guatemalan woman living in California.

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Houston congresswoman said undocumented immigrants could seek shelter in churches during announced ICE raids

by Lara Korte

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Houston Democrat, gathered with faith leaders Saturday to announce they would offer their facilities as places of refuge for immigrants during the deportation raids set to happen this weekend.

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A migrant holds a small child inside a holding area under the Paso Del Norte International Bridge to be taken to area processing facilities in El Paso on March 27, 2019. Carlos Antunez, a U.S. Border Patrol spokesman for the El Paso Sector, said they were among the latest group of about 3,000 migrants who presented themselves to border agents along the border fence in the El Paso area. The migrants mostly come from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, he said, adding that local Border Patrol resources are being diverted to dealing the with increase in migrant arrivals in order to provide shelter, food, water and transporting the sick to local health facilities. This has led to the closure of checkpoints along I-10, U.S. 54 and U.S. 62-180 in New Mexico. U.S. Coast Guard emergency medical technicians are also on hand to assist, Antunez said.

A judge ordered the end of migrant family separations last year. But a report says 30 kids remain in custody without their parents.

by Lara Korte

The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform issued subpoenas earlier this year after the federal agencies overseeing immigration policy refused to provide information voluntarily.

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State Reps. Poncho Nevárez, D-Eagle Pass, and Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, listen to testimony at a joint hearing held by the House International Relations and Economic Development, and Homeland Security and Public Safety committees, on July 12, 2019.

"The federal government has really dropped the ball": Texas lawmakers express concern about conditions for migrants in U.S. custody

by Lara Korte

Two Texas House committees met for hours to discuss the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. And some Democratic lawmakers said the state has a responsibility to provide humanitarian assistance. But what options they have remained unclear.

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The John Minor Wisdom United States Fifth Court of Appeals building in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Oct. 3, 2017.

As Texas seeks to overturn Obamacare, attention focuses on a potential swing judge

by Emma Platoff

Jennifer Walker Elrod, a federal appeals court judge appointed by George W. Bush, asked the majority of the questions in a two-hour session Tuesday on Texas' lawsuit.

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U.N. human rights chief "deeply shocked" by border processing center conditions in Texas

by Deanna Paul, The Washington Post

The high commissioner singled out the treatment of migrant children, saying she was “deeply shocked that children are forced to sleep on the floor in overcrowded facilities, without access to adequate healthcare or food, and with poor sanitation conditions.”

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A protester dressed as Death holds a sign during a rally before a hearing in a lawsuit against the Affordable Health Care Act in Fort Worth on Sept. 5, 2018. Democratic nominee for Texas attorney general Justin Nelson (not pictured) was one of the speakers.

Texas is going to court to end Obamacare. It hasn't produced a plan to replace it.

by Emma Platoff and Edgar Walters

During a legislative session focused on schools and taxes, Texas lawmakers did little to prepare for the possibility that Obamacare will be struck down in its entirety — even as the state leads the charge to have the law declared unconstitutional.

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Members of Congress visit migrant detention centers in Texas hours after report revealed offensive comments by Border Patrol agents

by Robert Moore, John Wagner and Mike DeBonis, The Washington Post

More than a dozen U.S. House members visited migrant detention centers in Texas on Monday on the heels of a report revealing current and former Border Patrol agents joking on Facebook about throwing burritos at the visiting officials.

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From left: Meagan O'Toole-Pitts, Mark Cortez, holding his son Oliver, Ashley Cortez and Austin Savage attempt to deliver diaper and toys to an immigrant detention center in Clint on June 24, 2019. The facility is currently housing an estimated 250 children.

Texas lawmaker files bill to allow donations of diapers, other goods to migrant kids in Border Patrol facilities

by Alex Samuels

A bill filed Friday by U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, would allow Border Patrol to accept donations from those wanting to give to children at stations in Texas.

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A group of kids are seen inside a temporary migrant holding area set up by Customs and Border Protection under the Paso del Norte International Port of Entry between Juarez and El Paso, on March 27, 2019.

Here's what's in the $4.6 billion border aid bill passed by Congress

by Adam Willis

Democratic leadership in the House signed onto the GOP-led Senate's proposal Thursday after a fight over what should be included in the bill.

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U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, speaks to reporters after a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2019.

GOP U.S. Rep. Will Hurd joins Texas Democrats in backing $4.5 billion border aid bill

by Adam Willis

Every Texas Democrat voted in support of the the $4.5 billion humanitarian aid package, which includes provisions to help migrant children. U.S. Rep. Will Hurd was the only Texas Republican to buck his party and support the measure.

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Immigrants who illegally crossed the border are escorted by CBP agents near the Paso del Norte International Bridge to a processing center in El Paso on Sunday, June 15, 2019.

How Texans in Congress feel about Trump's delay of family deportations depends on their party affiliation

by Abby Livingston

Republicans say the postponement will be successful at bringing Democrats to the negotiating table. But Democrats say the president is making people pawns in a political game.

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Coached by U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, R-Austin, Republican members of the House of Representatives practice for their annual matchup with their Democratic colleagues, in Washington, D.C. on June 20, 2019.

For Roger Williams, the annual Congressional Baseball Game is personal

by Adam Willis

The Texan is hoping to leverage a life of elite baseball experience to propel his squad past its vaunted Democratic rivals.

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A migrant holds an infant child inside a holding area under the Paso Del Norte International Bridge to be taken to area processing facilities in El Paso on March 27, 2019. Carlos Antunez, a U.S. Border Patrol spokesman for the El Paso Sector, said they were among the latest group of about 3,000 migrants who presented themselves to border agents along the border fence in the El Paso area. The migrants mostly come from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, he said, adding that local Border Patrol resources are being diverted to dealing the with increase in migrant arrivals in order to provide shelter, food, water and transporting the sick to local health facilities. This has led to the closure of checkpoints along I-10, U.S. 54 and U.S. 62-180 in New Mexico. U.S. Coast Guard emergency medical technicians are also on hand to assist, Antunez said.

Detained migrant children got no toothbrush, no soap, no sleep. It’s no problem, government argues.

by Meagan Flynn, The Washington Post

A three-judge panel questioned whether government lawyers sincerely believed they could describe the temporary detention facilities as “safe and sanitary.”

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U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) speaks as the House Judiciary Committee meets to debate whether U.S. Attorney General William Barr should be held in contempt over his refusal to comply with a subpoena seeking an unredacted version of the Mueller report on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 8, 2019.

On Juneteenth, Sheila Jackson Lee spearheads congressional hearing on reparations, calling them “long overdue”

by Alex Samuels

The Houston Democrat's bill calls for a commission to “study and develop reparation proposals for African-Americans,” and consider a national apology by the government.

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Texans approve of Trump’s job performance but have questions about his character, UT/TT Poll says

by Ross Ramsey

More than half of the state's voters think President Donald Trump is doing a good job, but they're not as pleased with some of his character traits, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.

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U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, D-Austin, and former state Sen. and gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis.

TribCast: Will Wendy Davis challenge Chip Roy?

by Emily Ramshaw and Michael Rey de Leon

On this week's TribCast, Emily talks to Patrick, Abby, Jay and Jolie about a potential Wendy Davis-Chip Roy matchup, big city mayoral runoffs, civil asset forfeiture and Beto O'Rourke's role in a contentious El Paso redevelopment plan.

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The Mueller Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election is pictured in New York, New York, U.S., April 18, 2019.

We asked every Texan in Congress: Have you read the Mueller report?

by Abby Livingston and Shiying Cheng

We also asked the 38 members of the Texas delegation how Congress should respond to the Mueller report.

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