In a detention center near Houston, an asylum seeker from Honduras said he agreed to sign a voluntary removal order from the U.S. after federal officials promised to reunite him with his 6-year-old daughter.
Congress
Read the latest Texas Tribune coverage of Congress, from the state’s lawmakers in Washington to key legislation and political debates shaping Texas and the nation.
Posted in
Texas Elections 2018
Legalizing marijuana, limiting access to assault-style weapons part of Texas Democrats’ platform
Party delegates in Fort Worth also decided to back required paid sick leave for working Texans and oppose building a wall on the Texas-Mexico border. Many platform ideals contradict those of Republicans, who hold every statewide office and control both chambers of the Legislature.
Posted in
Families Divided
Family separation crisis takes center stage at Texas Democratic convention
The family separations crisis quickly emerged as the top issue at the state Democratic biennial convention, fueling anger and enthusiasm as the minority party charges into a general election season determined to push back against Trump and his GOP allies in Texas.
Posted in
Families Divided
Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn tour shelters housing immigrant children separated from families
The state’s Republican senators reaffirmed their commitment to keeping kids with their parents after they cross the border — so long as future immigration policy better deters people from entering the country illegally.
Posted in
Congress
In political win for U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway, farm bill narrowly passes U.S. House
U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway, who chairs the House Agriculture Committee, has been laying the groundwork for passing the massive piece of legislation known as the farm bill for over a year.
Posted in
Families Divided
Amid family separation saga, U.S. House votes down conservative immigration package
As expected, the U.S. House rejected a hard-line immigration measure Thursday afternoon – setting the stage for a vote on a more moderate immigration bill as early as Friday.
Posted in
Families Divided
For families who have already been separated, policy change doesn’t guarantee reunification
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order he says will “keep the families together” when they’re apprehended illegally crossing the border. But that does little for families who have already been split apart.
Posted in
Families Divided
Republicans in Washington are closer to a compromise on immigration — but it’s still unclear if they can pass a bill
Republicans in Congress appear closer to reaching a compromise on immigration — and ending family separations at the Texas-Mexico border — after a closed-door meeting with President Donald Trump Tuesday evening.
Posted in
Families Divided
We asked top Texas leaders — and every Texan in Congress — about separating immigrant families
See where statewide elected officials and members of the Texas congressional delegation come down on the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration enforcement policy that separates immigrant kids from their parents.
Posted in
Families Divided
Former first lady Laura Bush calls Trump’s zero tolerance policy “cruel”
“Our government should not be in the business of warehousing children in converted box stores or making plans to place them in tent cities in the desert outside of El Paso,” former first lady Laura Bush wrote in an op-ed in The Washington Post.
