Rudy Soliz did it for sex. Sergio Lopez Hernandez blamed depression and financial trouble. The crimes differ, but prosecutors say the actions they’re accused of weakened the U.S. borders and ports of entry they were tasked with protecting.
Demographics
Explore population trends, diversity, and data shaping Texas communities, politics, and policy.
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Criminal Justice
Texas Agency Votes to Expand Controversial Coal Mine Near Border
The state’s environmental regulatory agency on Wednesday rebuffed a coalition of border residents and environmental activists who hoped to halt a coal mine from expanding its operations near the Rio Grande.
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Bordering on Insecurity
Love and Money Join Agent, Drug Smuggler
Former U.S. Border Patrol Agent Raquel Esquivel still wears a government-issue green uniform, but now it’s a federal prison jumpsuit. She was convicted in 2009 of helping smugglers sneak loads of marijuana across the border.
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Criminal Justice
State Nearing Goal of 250 New Border Troopers
By the end of August, the Texas Department of Public Safety will be close to its goal of permanently placing 250 additional state troopers on the southern border.
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Criminal Justice
UT Poll: Most Texas Voters Support Banning Muslims, Building Border Wall
A majority of Texas’ registered voters believe Muslims who are not U.S. citizens should be banned from entering the country, according to results of a University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll released Tuesday.
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Demographics
After Supreme Court Deadlock, Undocumented Texans Plan to Fight for Change
Undocumented Texans and immigration reform advocates on Thursday denounced the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on President Obama’s immigration executive order.
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Demographics
High Court Rules on Affirmative Action, Immigration (Video)
In the Roundup: The U.S. Supreme Court issues rulings on two landmark Texas cases, plus members of the state’s congressional delegation take center stage in a protest on the U.S. House floor.
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Criminal Justice
U.S. Supreme Court Tie Deals Blow to Obama’s Immigration Order
Dealing a blow to President Obama’s executive immigration order, the U.S. Supreme Court has deadlocked on a lower court’s decision to block the plan, which would’ve provided relief from deportation and work permits to millions of people.
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Demographics
Young Texans Make Up Most Diverse Generation
The youngest Texans appear destined to make the state dramatically more diverse as the white share of population drops. More than two-thirds of Texans under age 19 are non-white, according to new census figures.
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Bordering on Insecurity
Boats off the Water Little Help in Border Security
Boats are one of the most effective ways to patrol the 300 miles of river and lakes under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Station. But the boats aren’t in the water around the clock.
