FBI and IRS agents raided the law offices of Texas Sen. Carlos Uresti on Thursday morning, confiscating documents and other items.
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.
She was a sex-trafficking victim, but Texas law labeled her a pimp
Laws the state uses to put sex traffickers behind bars can sweep up their prey, too. A few years in age can mean the difference between a chance at rehabilitation and a lengthy prison sentence, as Yvette learned.
If Texas passes anti-“sanctuary” bill, El Paso County could face lawsuits
A 2006 settlement between an El Paso County resident and his local sheriff’s department could come back and haunt the border town if the Texas Legislature passes its anti-“sanctuary cities” bill.
Watch a film screening and discussion on the documentary Tower
The UT Tower shooting is infamous as Americaโs first mass school shooting. Meet the survivors and heroes of that day in โTower,โ an animated documentary film.
Texas couldnโt help this sex-trafficked teen, so authorities sent her to jail
No one wanted Lena behind bars. She was not a prostitute; she was a child who had been sexually exploited. But teenage sex-trafficking victims in Texas end up in jail for one simple reason: There’s nowhere else for them to go.
Juvenile justice agency pushes back on claims of ineffectiveness
A Senate Finance committee workgroup has been tasked with exploring ways to improve the Texas Juvenile Justice Department as the agency defends itself from claims of inefficiency.
Is an ICE detainer legal? Texas AG and immigration attorneys disagree
After Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton insisted in a letter last week that Texas’ anti-“sanctuary cities” bill would survive a legal challenge, immigration attorneys are trying to convince members of the Legislature that he’s wrong.
When foster care couldn’t help this 16-year-old, she ran to a pimp
After her father raped her, Jean became one of the roughly 12,000 Texas kids in long-term foster care, a system that often leaves children more damaged than when they arrive. For Jean, selling sex seemed like a safer bet.
How underage girls are sold for sex online
You don’t have to dredge the backwaters of the Internet to find underage girls sold for sex online. Take a tour of the commercial sex trade’s most recent marketplace, hidden in plain view.
Help us report on sex trafficking in Texas
Over the past five months, The Texas Tribune has investigated the hidden world of sex trafficking. Now, we want to hear about your experiences.


