Almost seven years ago, former University of Texas student Raul Zamora’s broken taillight landed him in the South Texas Detention Facility in Pearsall on the brink of deportation.
Demographics
Explore population trends, diversity, and data shaping Texas communities, politics, and policy.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Found Dead in West Texas
U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, 79, was found dead of apparent natural causes Saturday morning at the Cibolo Creek Ranch resort near Marfa, a Presidio County official confirmed.
Posted in
Bordering on Insecurity
After Deportation, Killer Returned Easily to U.S.
Deported to his native Mexico for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl, Juan Leonardo Quintero returned to Houston and easily resumed his life. When he killed a police officer in 2006, Quintero became a poster child for loose border enforcement.
Posted in
Bordering on Insecurity
“Criminal Aliens” Flashpoint of Border Security Debate
How to deal with, or talk about, foreigners who commit crimes in the United States — the government’s term for them is the politically incorrect “criminal aliens” — has prompted heated calls for vastly different solutions.
Posted in
Demographics
Judge Again Rejects Texas Bid to Block Syrian Refugees
A federal judge has once again denied Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to keep the federal government from resettling Syrian refugees in the state.
Posted in
Bordering on Insecurity
ICE Chief a Bipartisan Punching Bag in Immigration Debates
When she was a federal prosecutor in Texas, Sarah Saldaña was seen as hard-nosed and nonpartisan. Since President Obama appointed her to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, she’s learned to take hits from the left and right.
Posted in
Demographics
U.S. House Race a Test Case of Identity Politics
The upcoming primary face-off between incumbent Gene Green and Adrian Garcia in Houston’s 29th congressional district will test case the influence of identity politics in Texas Democratic races.
Posted in
Bordering on Insecurity
Houston Sheriff Still Shielding Killer’s Record
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office has decided to keep secret its investigative files on a Mexican national whose 2015 shooting spree in Houston left two people dead and three injured.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Bongs and Fruitcakes Infuse Central Texas Republican House Race
Fourteen years after first being elected to the Texas House, state Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, faces what some consider his toughest re-election battle to date.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
As Supreme Court Prepares to Hear Historic Immigration Case, Texas Explains its Strategy
As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear a case challenging President Barack Obama’s executive order on illegal immigration, the two top lawyers for Texas spoke to the Tribune about what the state is fighting for.
