Lawsuits, Big Dollars on the Border Top 2015 Immigration Headlines
If non-Texans were still unsure how much the state's Republican lawmakers oppose President Obama's immigration and border security policies, 2015 likely cleared that up. Full Story
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Rep. Filemon Vela Lends Aide to Gene Green's Re-election Campaign
A top operative for U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela is headed for U.S. Rep. Gene Green's already heated re-election campaign against challenger — and failed Houston mayoral candidate — Adrian Garcia. Full Story
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![U.S. Reps. Gene Green, left, and Filemon Vela.]()
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Cuellar Says Budget Deal Includes Crucial Foreign Aid To Stem Illegal Immigration
The next federal budget will include nearly $1 billion in funding for Mexico and Central America to help stop the flow of undocumented migrants to the United States, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar announced Wednesday. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, at a Texas Tribune Event on UT San Antonio Campus, Sept. 24, 2014.]()
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Ted Cruz Jettisons Compromise on Immigration
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz sounds a lot like billionaire businessman Donald Trump these days when it comes to illegal immigration. But his deport-now-ask-questions-later approach represents a stark change from what he advocated in 2013. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is shown speaking at the CNN presidential debate in Las Vegas on Dec. 15, 2015.]()
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State Explores Flexing Muscles on Immigration
Crafted carefully, state laws can be written that would allow Texas to crack down on undocumented immigrants and illegal border crossers without running afoul of the U.S. Constitution, a state attorney told lawmakers recently. Full Story
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DPS Chief: Refugee Concerns Extend Beyond Syrians in Texas
Despite Texas Republicans’ laser focus on keeping Syrian refugees from being resettled here, the head of the state's Department of Public Safety says he’d prefer a wider lens that focuses on all countries connected to “Islamic extremist terrorism.” Full Story
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![A child walks in a United Nations refugee camp in Turkey where thousands of Syrian refugees reside.]()
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Abbott Orders National Guard to Stay in Place on Border
Because of a recent spike in minors crossing the border illegally in the Rio Grande Valley, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that he is ordering the Texas National Guard to stay in the area through December. Full Story
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![Texas National Guardsmen from C Co, 3-124th CAV go through jump drills.]()
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If UT-Austin Loses Case, It Could Face Another Top 10 Percent "Crisis"
Lost in the debate over the Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin case is this: For UT-Austin, more than racial preferences in admissions are at stake. If the university loses, the entire way it selects its incoming freshman class could be at risk. Full Story
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Roundup: Refugees, Visa Waivers, Supreme Court
In this special edition of the Political Roundup: Texas lawmakers introduce and advance legislation in Washington to create new curbs on Syrian refugees entering the country. And the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in two Texas cases. Full Story
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Jail Practices, Fingerprints Focus of House Immigration Hearing
The Dallas County Sheriff fired back at what she called inaccurate rumors on her immigration policies during an interim House committee hearing Thursday. Lawmakers also heard about an ill-conceived law that is hindering the state's identification of criminals. Full Story
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![Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez]()
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For Abbott, A Balancing Act Between Catholic Faith and Politics
A practicing Roman Catholic, Gov. Greg Abbott often cites the spiritual underpinnings of his political positions. His stance on barring Syrian refugees from Texas is his latest break with many leaders of his faith. Full Story
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![Jason Taylor from the Barnone Cowboy Church prays after Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 2065, the Pastor Protection Bill on June 11, 2015]()
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Judge Rejects Paxton Bid to Block Syrian Refugees
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s second attempt to immediately block the arrival of additional Syrian refugees was even shorter-lived than the first. A federal judge on Wednesday quickly rejected his request. Full Story
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![A group gathered at Wooldridge Park in Austin on Nov. 22, 2015, to protest Gov. Greg Abbott's decision not to accept refugees from Syria.]()
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Emotional Testimony Targets Plan to License Detention Centers
As state officials consider licensing two private detention facilities as approved residential centers for undocumented children, they heard several hours of testimony in opposition to the move Wednesday. Full Story
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![Advocates and community members attended a Texas Department of Family and Protective Services hearing on Dec. 9, 2015, to speak out against Texas licensing immigrant detention centers as child-care facilities.]()
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Supreme Court Justices Question UT-Austin's Affirmative Action Policy
U.S. Supreme Court justices dissected UT-Austin's unusual admissions procedures on Wednesday, questioning whether Texas' flagship campus should keep using race as a factor when evaluating some of its applicants. Full Story
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![Abigail Fisher, right, plaintiff in Fisher v. University of Texas, leaves the U.S. Supreme Court with Edward Blum of the Project on Fair Representation after oral arguments in the case, in Washington, D.C., Dec. 9, 2015.]()
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Affirmative Action at UT and Beyond at Stake in Supreme Court Case
The eyes of higher education will be upon the University of Texas at Austin v. Fisher on Wednesday, as the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments about the future of affirmative action. Full Story
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Syrians Small Fraction of Refugees Reaching Texas
Federal resettlement numbers show a refugee population in Texas that is mostly from Myanmar — which the U.S. State Department still classifies as Burma — and Iraq, with most living in the state’s major metropolitan areas. Full Story
![A group gathered at Wooldridge Park in Austin on Nov. 22, 2015, to protest Gov. Greg Abbott's decision not to accept refugees from Syria.]()
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Judge: No Hearing This Week in Refugee Case
A federal judge in Dallas said Monday it will be several weeks before he takes up a case in which Texas is suing the federal government and a refugee nonprofit over Syrian refugees, according to a lawyer connected to the suit. Full Story
![A child walks in a United Nations refugee camp in Turkey where thousands of Syrian refugees reside.]()
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Cuellar: Time to Change Cuban Immigration Policy
A special U.S. immigration policy provision allows Cubans to apply for legal residency status after living in the country for a year. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar says that the provision needs another look. Full Story
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![A civil war of sorts has spilled into Laredo as rival groups of Cubans hang out in the border city's downtown awaiting new arrivals from the island nation.]()
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21 Syrian Refugees to Arrive in Texas Next Week
Twenty-one Syrian refugees — including a dozen children — are set to be resettled next week in Dallas and Houston, according to the federal government. Texas had filed a lawsuit seeking to block the arrival of refugees from that country. Full Story
![A group gathered at Wooldridge Park in Austin on Nov. 22, 2015, to protest Gov. Greg Abbott's decision not to accept refugees from Syria.]()
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Abbott Holding the Line on Syrian Refugees
After unsuccessfully demanding that private resettlement groups stop helping Syrian refugees move to Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott's administration is now insisting that the federal government turn over background information on them. Full Story
![A group gathered at Wooldridge Park in Austin on Nov. 22, 2015, to protest Gov. Greg Abbott's decision not to accept refugees from Syria.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune
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