Under Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security push, Texas state police have arrested hundreds of migrants in the conservative county, usually after spotting them on cargo trains or walking remote ranch lands. Sent to a state prison retooled as an immigration jail, many men were left without lawyers for weeks.
Courts
Stay up to date on Texas courts with in-depth coverage of major rulings, judicial elections, criminal justice, and the judges shaping state law from The Texas Tribune.
Posted in
Texas Abortion Restrictions
Abortion providers and distraught patients confront stark realities of Texas’ new law
Texas’ strict new law sends patients scrambling for alternative ways to access abortion, including out-of-state clinics and “self-managed” procedures.
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Texas Abortion Restrictions
Texas law banning abortion as early as six weeks goes into effect as the U.S. Supreme Court takes no action
One abortion provider said it was “engulfed” in treating more than 100 patients at one clinic before the law took effect Wednesday.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas lawmakers pass rewrite of state’s bail system aimed at keeping more people behind bars who can’t post cash
The House balked at a part of the Senate’s bill that would have barred charitable groups from posting bail for some defendants, but otherwise embraced new limits on letting people accused of violent crimes out of jail.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas House approves additional $2 billion for border security as state moves to build border wall
The bill would nearly triple border security funding from the last biennium. The legislation needs one more vote of approval from the House before moving to the Senate.
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Texas Abortion Restrictions
Texas abortion law that bans procedure as early as six weeks set to go into effect after court cancels hearing, denies motions
Senate Bill 8 is poised to officially become law on Wednesday.
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Criminal Justice
Analysis: When the Texas state seal doesn’t signify trust
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is using the state seal to shield himself against accusations by former top aides. And former Gov. Rick Perry is using it as well — as a backdrop for a sales pitch.
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Immigration
Revival of “remain in Mexico” policy could have deadly consequences for asylum-seekers, advocates warn
The Biden administration says it will continue its legal fight against the revival of a Trump-era policy that requires asylum-seekers to stay in Mexico while their cases are pending.
Posted in
Immigration
U.S. Supreme Court says Biden administration must comply with ruling to restart “remain in Mexico” program for asylum-seekers
The “remain in Mexico” policy known as Migrant Protection Protocols requires many asylum-seekers to wait outside the United States for their cases to be decided.
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Politics
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton cleared by his own office of wrongdoing in bribery allegations
Attorneys for former employees who were fired after accusing Paxton of abuse of office say report is “full of half-truths, outright lies, and glaring omissions.” Meanwhile, the FBI is also reportedly investigating.
