After emotional debate, Texas House tentatively passes "sanctuary" legislation
The 93-54 vote fell along party lines and came after one of the slowest moving but most emotional legislative days at the state Capitol. Full Story
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![Texas House members on April 26, 2017, voted on an amendment to Senate Bill 4, legislation that would outlaw "sanctuary" jurisdictions in Texas.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Trump administration doesn't view Austin as "sanctuary" city, mayor says
Austin Mayor Steve Adler said he was reassured by United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday that neither his city nor Travis County are considered “sanctuary” jurisdictions. Full Story
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![Austin Mayor Steve Adler on March 9, 2017.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: A word about where Texas legislators get their legal advice
The state of Texas has been on a losing streak when it comes to redistricting and voter ID laws, with federal judges repeatedly finding that the state intentionally discriminated against minorities. Whose legal advice were they following? Full Story
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![Voters line up before an early voting station opens in Houston early Monday morning, October 24, 2016. Poll workers said the lines are much longer than normal for early voting.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Border wall plans spur effort to help Texas landowners with eminent domain
As the Trump administration sets its sights on building a barrier on the country's southern border, a group of Texas attorneys aims to help border residents ensure they are properly compensated for whatever land the government seizes. Full Story
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![Ordered under the George W. Bush administration, a controversial and incomplete border wall along the Rio Grande River in South Texas has had environmental and cultural impacts.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Poll: Majority of Texans believe immigration helps country more than hurts
More than 90 percent of Texans believe that local police should be allowed to ask about immigration status if a person is arrested for a crime, according to the results of a poll released Tuesday. Full Story
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![A crowd gathered close to the Texas Governor's Mansion during a pro-immigration march in Austin.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
White House greenlights a new immigration-detention center in Texas
A private-prison company announced Thursday that it will build a $110 million detention complex in the city of Conroe near Houston as part of a 10-year, renewable contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Full Story
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House committee advances scaled-down "sanctuary cities" bill
The latest version of the Texas Legislature’s bill to outlaw "sanctuary cities" in Texas is a scaled-down version of what the state Senate passed out in February. Full Story
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![A coalition of immigrant rights groups protest SB 4 at the East steps of the Texas Capitol prior to a committee hearing on the sanctuary cities bill on March 15, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Hate crime law results in few convictions and lots of disappointment
In Texas, the tiny number of successful prosecutions leave both victims and lawmakers questioning state’s commitment to punishing hate. Full Story
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![Reverend Rodney Norsworthy, a minister at Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church, shows the grave of James Byrd, at a cemetery in Jasper, TX on June 15 2012.]()
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Sandra Bland's mother urges House committee to pass bill named after her daughter
The Sandra Bland Act would require law enforcement agencies to document the race and ethnicity of drivers they stop, divert some people to treatment instead of jail and require more training and reporting for county jails and law enforcement officials. Full Story
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![Sandra Bland, who was found dead at the Waller County Jail in 2015.]()
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Trump likely to eye treaties, E-Verify as part of immigration strategy
Former immigration and border officials say the Trump administration is floating ideas that range from nullifying treaties to expanding employment screenings. Full Story
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![To promote regular wildlife movement for animals like endangered ocelots, "cat holes" were built in the border fence at 8.5 x 11 inches. Ordered under the George W. Bush administration, an existing incomplete border wall along the Rio Grande River in South Texas has had environmental and cultural impacts.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Mexican journalist's case suggests changes to asylum process under Trump
A Mexican reporter who sought asylum in El Paso after receiving death threats has been detained by federal officials —despite having passed an initial test to determine whether he faces a "credible fear" back home, his attorney said. Full Story
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![Journalist Martin Mendez Pineda fled the Mexican state of Guerrero in February and sought asylum in El Paso.]()
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Thousands at Dallas rally push for unity, immigration reform
Demonstrators marched in downtown Dallas on Sunday and held a rally in support of immigrants' rights. Full Story
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![Thousands of demonstrators walked through downtown Dallas during an immigrants' rights march on April 9, 2017.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill for The Texas Tribune -
Beyond the wall: A Texas Tribune documentary
No issue stirred more passion in the 2016 elections than border security and immigration. In Beyond The Wall, a Texas Tribune documentary, we look past the heated rhetoric to explore why people and dope keep pouring across the border. Full Story
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Railroad Commission bill could revive debate on bathrooms, immigration
House Republicans will look to force a vote on the regulations in the Senate’s “bathroom bill.” And a Democratic lawmaker has an amendment aimed at forcing the business community to take sides in the sanctuary cities debate. Full Story
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![State Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, leads a coalition of Hispanic and African-American groups in a gathering on the South Steps March 21, 2017. Anchia was voicing opposition to school voucher bills winding their way through the legislature with committee hearings scheduled Tuesday.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Austin mayor to meet with DHS secretary amid "sanctuary" debate
Austin Mayor Steve Adler is set to meet Wednesday with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly as the debate over "sanctuary cities" continues to ripple across Texas. Full Story
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![Austin Mayor Steve Adler testifies during a House committee hearing over a bill that would pre-empt local regulations on ride-hailing companies on March 16, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Reps. Hurd, Castro rally for bipartisanship on the border
During a "bipartisan, bilingual, binational" rally, U.S. Reps. Will Hurd and Joaquin Castro spoke out against President Donald Trump's proposed border wall. Full Story
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![Local dignitaries, including (l.-r.) Héctor Arocha, mayor of Ciudad Acuña, Mexican Consul Carlos Gustavo Obrador Garrido Cuesta, Roberto Garza, mayor of Del Rio, Texas, country music singer Radney Foster and U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, form a human chain on the International Bridge between Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila and Del Rio, Texas during the Border Unity Rally on March 25, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Instead of a border wall, some Texans want parks, solar panels or levees
As the Trump Administration moves ahead with its plans for a barrier just north of the Rio Grande, Texans are weighing in on how the president should approach the project. And the ideas range from the comical to the practical. Full Story
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![A section of border fence near Brownsville.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Harris County loses residents to other areas; Texas suburbs growing
In Texas, suburban counties lead in population growth as they continue to receive residents from other areas while urban counties are more dependent on international migrants and expanding families, new census figures show. Full Story
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Texas poised to maintain most of its border funding for Trump's first years
Despite the Trump administration’s early moves to ramp up detentions and deportations and build a border wall, Texas budget writers don't appear likely to significantly dial back funding for state-based border security operations this year. Full Story
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![A DPS trooper spots a motorist along Highway 83 in Starr County.]()
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Report: Travis County released dozens of undocumented inmates wanted by feds
Travis County officials declined dozens of requests from federal immigration agents to hold inmates in the days leading up to the county's recent showdown with Gov. Greg Abbott over its new "sanctuary" policy. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott and Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera/Martin do Nascimento
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