Texas nonprofits that resettle refugees say volunteer turnout has increased — in some cases dramatically — since the state’s elected officials started trying to bar Syrians fleeing violence at home.
Demographics
Explore population trends, diversity, and data shaping Texas communities, politics, and policy.
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Criminal Justice
Texas Lawmakers Criticize Border Surge For Moving Crime but Not Stopping It
Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw told state lawmakers that the $800 million border surge has made two counties safer. But he conceded that the rest of the border is more vulnerable.
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Criminal Justice
Did the Pope’s Visit Help the Border? Depends Who You Ask.
Seven months after Pope Francis celebrated mass on the Texas-Mexico border, measuring the lasting effects of his visit is difficult. A recent uptick in violence has fueled concerns about whether another crime wave is on the way.
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Demographics
Texas Threatens to Withdraw from Refugee Resettlement Program
As part of its fight to keep Syrian refugees out of the state, Texas is threatening to withdraw from the nation’s refugee resettlement program if federal officials don’t “unconditionally approve” a state plan requiring additional vetting.
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Demographics
Some Can’t Find New Homes as Demolition of Public Housing Nears
With demolition set for late this year to make way for a new bridge, tenants of the D.N. Leathers housing project in Corpus Christi have until Oct. 31 to find new homes. Many are having trouble, and say they aren’t getting enough help.
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Demographics
Trump, in Houston, Blasts Clinton on Illegal Immigration
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump used a Saturday trip to Houston to address families of victims of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants — and blast Democratic rival Hillary Clinton as unsympathetic to their concerns.
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Bordering on Insecurity
Illegal Central American Immigration Surges Again at U.S. Border
For the second time in three years, the U.S. Border Patrol is apprehending more non-Mexicans than Mexicans along the southwest border, most of them in Texas.
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Demographics
Rising Wages Lift Texas Poor, But Almost 1 in 4 Kids Still in Poverty
Rising incomes helped lift more Texans above the federal poverty level in 2015, new census figures show, but poverty is still particularly prevalent among families with children and on the border.
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Demographics
Texas Agriculture Chief Boycotts NFL Over Players Kneeling for Anthem
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s protest of racial injustice by kneeling during the national anthem is starting to spread. Here’s what Texans are saying about it.
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Demographics
UT-Austin Honors First Black Undergraduates of 60 Years Ago
On Friday, 60 years after more than 70 black undergraduate students were first allowed to enroll at UT, the university paid tribute with a celebration of the milestone.
