Texas House, Senate Make Progress on Border Security Legislation
The House and Senate are close to coming together on another thorny subject that Gov. Greg Abbott declared a priority this session. But this issue doesn't involve tax cuts. Full Story
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![Sen. Brian Birdwell R-Granbury listens during debate of his campus carry bill SB #11 on March 18th, 2015]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Texas Lawmakers Consider E-Verify Mandate for Agencies
A controversial immigration-enforcement bill similar to an executive order issued by former Gov. Rick Perry in December is moving forward in the Texas Legislature. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Latin American, Asian Figures Diverge in Texas Immigration Report
Though people born in Latin American countries continue to make up the largest group of immigrants to Texas, their state numbers are decreasing while the rate of migration by Asian immigrants into Texas is rising sharply. Full Story
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![Terry Garcia plays with his son, Eli, 1, at the Festival Viva Mexico 2013 on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2013, in advance of Mexican Independence Day at a former greyhound racetrack in Corpus Christi.]()
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Lawmaker "Encouraged" After Meeting With DPS Director
The state's public safety director says if lawmakers let him, he'll provide Rep. César Blanco with data on security operations on the border. The move follows weeks of tense exchanges over how border security dollars are being spent. Full Story
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![DPS chief Steve McCraw outlines plans for the National Guard role securing the Texas border as Gov. Rick Perry, l, and Guard Adjutant General John Nichols listen on July 21, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Protesters Want Family Immigration Detention Center Shut Down
On the side of a dusty highway about 70 miles southwest of San Antonio on Saturday, more than 500 protesters gathered in front of the largest immigration detention center in the U.S. and chanted "shut it down." Full Story
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![Protestors left their signs on the fence surrounding the South Texas Family Residential Center near Dilley, Texas on May 2, 2015.]()
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Video: Castro on Baltimore
At our 5/1 conversation, Julián Castro, the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, talked about the lessons of Baltimore — and how to prevent the next Baltimore. Full Story
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Video: Turner on Baltimore
At our 4/30 conversation, state Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and a candidate for Houston mayor, talked about the events this week in Baltimore — and the takeaways for other big cities. Full Story
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Chambers Not Too Far Apart on Border Security
Despite appearances, the House and Senate aren't too far apart on border security funding, says the lone border lawmaker on the budget conference committee. One sticking point is funding for state trooper pay. Full Story
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![State Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston and State Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-McAllen.]()
Credit: Illustration by Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Judge: Why Didn't State Lawmakers Address Voter ID Concerns?
A Republican-appointed federal appellate judge on Tuesday questioned why the Texas Legislature had not addressed concerns that its four-year-old voter ID law discriminated against minority voters. Full Story
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![Travis County residents line up to vote at Austin's Highland Mall on Nov. 4, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
A Look at How House, Senate Budgets Compare
This week, the House and the Senate named the members of a conference committee that will resolve the differences between the two chambers' budget plans. Here’s a look at how the two proposals compare, with details on some areas where the plans diverge. Full Story
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Bonnen: Patrick "Playing Games" With Border Security
A key member of the Texas House’s Republican leadership blasted Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick as a Washington-style politician a day after the Texas Senate passed its version of a sweeping border security bill. Full Story
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![Ways and Means chair State Rep.Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, while debating State Rep. Sylvester Turner on HB11 border security bill March 18, 2015.]()
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Senate Sends Border Security Measure to House
The Texas Senate on Monday passed its own sweeping border security bill, choosing to send its own version to the House rather than taking up the House’s measure, which the lower chamber passed last month. Full Story
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![Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, listens during a debate over Senate Bill 11 on March 18, 2015.]()
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Integrity Unit Won't Resume Inquiry Into DPS Contracts
Responding to a request by the Texas Department of Public Safety to renew an investigation into the department’s border security contracts, the head of the state’s anti-corruption unit said Monday that it was not equipped to continue the investigation. Full Story
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Video: Seliger and Zerwas on In-State Tuition
At our 4/16 conversation, state Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, and state Rep. John Zerwas, R-Richmond — the chairmen, respectively, of the Senate and House Higher Education committees — talked about the controversial law allowing undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates at public universities. Full Story
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Interactive: Where Undocumented Students Pay In-State Tuition
Just 2 percent of students enrolled in an institution of higher education in Texas are undocumented and pay in-state tuition — and most of them attend community college. Check out these students' enrollment by campus. Full Story
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Castro Asks Feds for Border Surge Details
A Democratic congressman has asked the federal government to do what the Texas Department of Public Safety has said it can’t: Provide information on what role federal agents have played during the state’s multimillion-dollar border surge. Full Story
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![Former Texas House member and current Congressman Joaquin Castro at TTEvents with Evan Smith on Feb. 19, 2015.]()
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House Passes Bill That Beefs Up Resources for Border Prosecutors
The Texas House on Thursday passed legislation that would codify the current policies and duties of the state’s Border Prosecution Unit. Full Story
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Many Seek Safety From Juárez Valley Cartel War
Despite improvements in pockets of northern Mexico after years of bloodshed, instability still reigns in areas of Chihuahua state that continues driving people north to seek safe haven. What determines whether a person lives or dies near this part of the Rio Grande could be as simple as geography. Full Story
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![The mass for brothers Elmer García Archuleta and Edgar Ivan García on March 27, 2015, in Fabens, Texas. The two brothers were kidnapped and killed in December of 2014 in the Valley of Juárez, Mexico.]()
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Sanctuary Cities Bill Heads to Full Senate
Along party lines, a Senate committee Wednesday advanced a controversial "sanctuary cities" bill from Lubbock Sen. Charles Perry that would cut state funds to cities that don't let their peace officers enforce immigration laws. Full Story
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![Sen. Charles Perry during a March 16th, 2015 Senate Subcommittee on border security]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Bill Repealing In-State Tuition for Undocumented Heads to Senate
A Senate committee has passed state Sen. Donna Campbell's bill to repeal in-state college tuition for undocumented students on to the full chamber with a party-line vote. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman
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