The latest criminal justice news from The Texas Tribune.
Some Texas lawmakers are questioning Gov. Rick Perry’s decision to tap $38 million in unused Texas Department of Public Safety funds to pay for the emergency deployment of the Texas National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border. Full Story
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UPDATED: After the U.S. House called off a vote Tuesday afternoon on a $659 million supplemental bill for border security operations, Gov. Rick Perry said Congress is "abandoning its post." Full Story
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U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, has asked Gov. Rick Perry to meet with the entire Texas congressional delegation to discuss the influx of illegal immigrants at the border and to “help set a more positive tone.” Full Story
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If lawmakers do not act to address the immigration crisis on Texas' southern border before their August break, smugglers will get the message that the government does not take the crisis seriously, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar says. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry’s office said on Tuesday that because of the surge of illegal immigration on the southern border, a planned binational border governors conference will be scaled back to only a dinner with the elected officials. Full Story
In Texas, very few jails allow electronic cigarettes, but some say that could change as sheriffs begin to warm up to the smokeless technology as a way to supplement revenue and help inmates suffering from withdrawal. Full Story
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A handful of Texas communities have passed resolutions barring immigrants from being housed there on an emergency basis. Full Story
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As attention centers on the thousands of unaccompanied minors crossing the Texas-Mexico border, activists in the Rio Grande Valley are working hard to ensure that their ongoing campaigns continue to gain traction after the current crisis subsides. Full Story
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UPDATED: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz filed a bill Thursday that he says would immediately halt the flow of unaccompanied Central American children who are now crossing into the United States. Full Story
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Ask Texas Attorney General and gubernatorial hopeful Greg Abbott about his record on government transparency and he will tell you it is one worth bragging about. Open government advocates say his record is more varied. Full Story
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A district court judge ruled against death row inmate Hank Skinner on Tuesday in the wake of new DNA testing, saying it was “reasonably probable” he would still have been convicted had the evidence been available at trial. Full Story
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Proposed legislation to address the surge of unaccompanied Central American children crossing into the U.S. is dividing Texas’ border lawmakers. Full Story
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While thousands of women across the country are engaged in lawsuits against manufacturers of pelvic mesh implants, a Texas group is trying to get the state to take action against a company that makes the medical devices. Full Story
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Immigrant rights groups began a three-day vigil in McAllen on Thursday in support of the thousands of unaccompanied and undocumented Central American children in Texas detention centers. Full Story
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Humanitarian relief efforts in McAllen will cost local governments more than $1.1 million by the end of the year, officials said on Thursday. Law enforcement officials also praised the state security surge that began last month. Full Story
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Texas border Democrats are pushing back against Republicans who have said that current White House policies are responsible for the swell of Central American migrants breaching the U.S.-Mexico border. Full Story
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More than 20 years after the Texas Legislature passed a law establishing a 24-hour work safety hotline, real people are answering the telephone calls around the clock. Full Story
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UPDATED: Gov. Rick Perry will meet with President Obama on Wednesday to discuss the continuing crisis on the border, an aide to the governor confirmed Tuesday. Full Story
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Texas used a three-drug lethal injection cocktail for nearly three decades. But since 2011, a dwindling drug supply has forced Texas and other states to find other drugs to administer the death penalty. Full Story
UPDATED: A woman who sued a border-area hospital and agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection after being subjected to what she argued was an unwarranted body cavity search for drugs has settled part of the lawsuit for $1.1 million. Full Story
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