Democratic state Rep. Gene Wu criticized the department for treating an August 2024 federal report as “nothing.”
Criminal Justice
Get the latest Texas Tribune coverage on criminal justice, including crime, courts, law enforcement, and reforms shaping the state’s justice system.
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Criminal Justice
A shortage of criminal defense attorneys threatens indigent right to counsel in rural Texas
Texas’ indigent defense commission wants lawmakers to spend $35 million on public defender offices in rural areas, but some say that isn’t nearly enough to ensure compliance with the U.S. Constitution.
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Criminal Justice
More than 100 arrested in Colony Ridge immigration raids, ICE says
The development outside of Houston has long drawn the ire of Texas Republicans who claim it’s a haven for undocumented people.
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Criminal Justice
U.S. Supreme Court hears Texas death row inmate’s appeal for DNA test of evidence
Ruben Gutierrez wants to be able to sue prosecutors to compel them to test evidence that he says will prove he did not kill a Brownsville woman in 1998.
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Criminal Justice
Feds target “criminals and illegal immigrants” in Houston-area development, Abbott says
The Colony Ridge development has long been under scrutiny from conservative lawmakers, think tanks and influencers who cast it as a hotbed for undocumented immigrants and cartel crime.
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Criminal Justice
South Texas bakery owners housed undocumented workers next to business before ICE raid, feds allege in hearing
Before federal agents arrested them, the couple who runs the bakery in Los Fresnos said they “knew this would happen one day,” a federal agent testified at court hearing.
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Criminal Justice
ICE arrests South Texas bakery owners accused of hiring undocumented workers
Federal immigration agents raided the Los Fresnos bakery and detained eight workers before filing charges against the two owners.
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Texas Legislature 2025
Texas Senate votes in favor of proposals to deny bail to certain accused violent criminals
The package was fast-tracked after Gov. Greg Abbott declared “bail reform” an emergency item. The bills now head to the House for consideration.
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Criminal Justice
Robert Roberson files first new appeal since his execution was delayed
The appeal includes new testimony from experts who say Roberson’s daughter died of natural causes, and cites the court’s exoneration of a man in another shaken baby syndrome case out of Dallas County.
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Guides
Immigration crackdown in Texas: What you need to know about your rights
Recent enforcement operations across Texas have raised concerns among undocumented immigrants. Here’s what immigration attorneys want you to know about your rights and resources.