TribLive: Patterson on Immigration Reform
At Thursday's TribLive conversation, Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson discussed the GOP's challenge in attracting Latino voters and his support for a guest worker program. Full Story
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The latest immigration news from The Texas Tribune.
At Thursday's TribLive conversation, Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson discussed the GOP's challenge in attracting Latino voters and his support for a guest worker program. Full Story
Two years after legislation to ban "sanctuary cities" was made a top priority, immigration legislation is barely discussed at the state Capitol. It’s put some lawmakers in a weird spot — especially when some of their own recently came out in support of what’s a no-no in politics — amnesty. Full Story
Anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist said Wednesday that Republicans are not the anti-immigrant party, and that a few loud “bullfrogs” have created “a completely bizarre view of where the modern conservative movement is” on immigration reform. Full Story
Democratic Texas House members on Wednesday filed an immigration resolution that could serve as a litmus test for Republican support for reforms being suggested at the national level. Full Story
The Texas agriculture commissioner on his book and campaign to highlight what he sees as a crisis on the border, his opinions on which immigration policies work and which don't, and why Americans shouldn't believe it when they are told the border is secure. Full Story
If Ted Cruz seems to be marching out of step with GOP leaders attempting to lower the volume on the party’s immigration rhetoric, results from the last UT/Texas Tribune poll suggest the drumbeat he's listening to is the one being played by his voters. Full Story
El Paso again ranks as the safest city of its size, according to a report released the same day that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano visited the border city. Full Story
State Rep. Lance Gooden says he will carry legislation to make it illegal to use a drone to capture video or photographs of private property without the consent of the property’s owner or occupant. Full Story
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized about 1.7 million pounds of narcotics in Texas in fiscal 2012, about 270,000 pounds more than their counterparts in Arizona, New Mexico and California combined. Full Story
At a meeting of state business leaders Thursday, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro said that current immigration laws create "ugly realities" and that Gov. Rick Perry "will never say the border is secure." Full Story
President Obama on Tuesday offered his own plan for immigration reform, and his proposal earned both praise and criticism in Texas. Full Story
A proposed federal immigration reform poses a test for Texas Republicans: Their leaders, compared to politicians from other states, tend to be more moderate. But those leaders stand at the front of a GOP that is hostile to some of the proposal's key points. Full Story
A study on conditions in the construction industry says that more than 40 percent of construction workers in Texas — about 300,000 — are either misclassified or paid under the table. Full Story
A major new federal immigration proposal has corralled bipartisan support, but Texas Republicans aren't biting. Full Story
Eight U.S. senators unveiled a plan Monday for an overhaul of the country’s immigration system. Reaction in Texas ranged from praise to concerns over the plan’s border-security component. Full Story
Republicans and Democrats say the appointment of Eduardo Medina Mora as Mexico's ambassador to the U.S. opens an opportunity for the nations to forge a new relationship. Full Story
A veteran lawmaker has filed legislation that would penalize businesses that misclassify workers as independent contractors. Leaders of construction firms have said their industry is rife with companies that purposely misclassify employees. Full Story
Reigniting the flames of a years-long battle over plaques at the Texas Supreme Court building, the Sons of Confederate Veterans has filed a motion to remove a marker that the historical group says inadequately honors the Confederacy. Full Story
Batheja on growing calls for infrastructure spending, Dehn and Rocha report on voters’ legislative wishes, Murphy counts noses in the new Legislature, KUT’s Philpott sniffs out a push for tax relief, M. Smith tracks House Speaker Joe Straus after his re-election, Kalifa’s lovely time-lapse look at the Legislature’s first day, Aaronson on the Medicaid expansion, Aguilar on hopes for immigration reform, Grissom on the tribulations of Kerry Max Cook, Hamilton looks into a college curriculum battle, and E. Smith’s TribLive interview with Michael Williams: The best of our best for the week of Jan. 7, 2013. Full Story
Contrary to popular belief, many illegal immigrants in the U.S. pay federal taxes — through what's called an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, or ITIN. But new tax rules effective this month mean some changes for taxpayers using those numbers. Full Story