Afghan soldier Abdul Wasi Safi, once detained at Texas-Mexico border, wins asylum
The solider helped U.S. forces in Afghanistan. As a refugee, he hoped to save his life by joining his brother in Houston. Full Story
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![Sami-ullah Safi and Abdul Wasi Safi shop for items to celebrate Eid on Friday, April 21, 2023, in Houston, TX.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Slim majority of Texans support Gov. Greg Abbott’s border buoys, poll finds
The UT poll also touched on a range of other topics, including Texas voters’ opinions on the upcoming presidential election and the U.S. Senate race. Full Story
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![A string of buoys is deployed to prevent migrants from swimming across the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass on July 13, 2023.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas can keep buoys in the Rio Grande while legal challenge continues, federal appeals court rules
Nearly three months after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the deployment of the 1,000-foot line of buoys and mesh in the Rio Grande, an Austin federal judge ordered the state to remove the barrier and stop building further obstructions in the river. One day later a higher court sided with Texas. Full Story
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![Migrants walk along the Rio Grande passed the recently installed buoys in Eagle Pass, Texas on July 29, 2023. As there is concertina wire installed along the Urbina’s property, migrants are told to walk to the end of the property. Many make that walk which can be difficult to do through slippery rocks in the water, the current and the inclined river bank, while some find spots through the concertina wire and manage to get through.
Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune -
Lawmakers call for federal investigation into Texas Guard intel ring
The lawmakers’ remarks came after an investigation published Tuesday by Military Times and The Texas Tribune revealed how Texas Guardsmen at the state’s border with Mexico spied on migrants via WhatsApp and allegedly mishandled secret documents. Full Story
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![Texas DPS special agents take a group of five undocumented migrants from Honduras that were caught in private property as part of Operation Lone Star in Kinney County near Brackettville, Texas on Nov. 8, 2021. The owner of the property did not sign an affidavit for arrests of undocumented migrants to be taking place at their property so the group will be processed by Border Patrol instead.]()
Credit: Verónica G. Cárdenas for ProPublica/The Texas Tribune -
Texas National Guard disbanded intelligence wing after members used WhatsApp to spy on migrants
Four members of the unit working on Gov. Greg Abbott’s border mission have been punished after whistleblowers reported the surveillance operation violated long-standing rules against state-run spy operations. Full Story
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Credit: Aaron Provost for Military Times -
Mexico officials say National Guard member who shot at migrant “separated from his position”
The Texas Military Department confirmed Friday the National Guard member who is accused of shooting across the Rio Grande and wounding a man was placed on paid leave. Full Story
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![Texas National Guard members and DPS officers take positions along the Rio Grande to help patrol the border between the U.S. and Mexico on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022 in El Paso.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Justice Department argues for removal of Texas’ floating border barrier in federal court
In a court hearing over the barrier near Eagle Pass, the U.S. Justice Department argued it was installed without federal authorization, while lawyers for the state said it notified the proper authorities. Full Story
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![Migrants walk along the Rio Grande passed the recently installed buoys in Eagle Pass, Texas on July 29, 2023. As there is concertina wire installed along the Urbina’s property, migrants are told to walk to the end of the property. Many make that walk which can be difficult to do through slippery rocks in the water, the current and the inclined river bank, while some find spots through the concertina wire and manage to get through.
Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune -
As a tropical storm bore down on Southern California, Texas sent migrants on a bus to Los Angeles
The migrants, mostly from Venezuela, voluntarily took the bus ride from Brownsville to Los Angeles even as Tropical Storm Hilary crossed into Southern California. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks about the recent 88th Legislative Session to an audience at the Texas Public Policy Foundation offices in Austin, on June 2, 2023. Abbott recounted policy victories in regards to fentanyl and the border crisis, as well as limiting gender affirming care and banning DEI practices in higher education. Abbott ended the event by promising to call a special session for school choice, after the current special session for property tax resolves.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas imprisoned migrants after they should have been released, lawsuit claims
The lawsuit alleges that four migrants who were arrested under Operation Lone Star remained locked up as long as six weeks after their criminal trespassing cases were dismissed or they served their sentences. Full Story
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![Department of Public Safety agents oversee a group of three undocumented migrants as they continue the process of arresting them after they were caught in private property as part of Operation Lone Star in Kinney County near Brackettville, on Nov. 8, 2021.]()
Credit: Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for ProPublica/The Texas Tribune -
Child dies while en route to Chicago as part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s migrant busing program
After a 3-year-old began showing signs of distress, the bus of asylum-seekers traveling from Brownsville to Chicago pulled over and an ambulance was called. The child later died at a hospital in Illinois. Full Story
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![A group of migrants boards a CTA bus at Chicago's Union Station to be taken to a Salvation Army shelter after arriving from Texas on Aug. 31, 2022.]()
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Eagle Pass residents sour on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star
After initially supporting the governor’s efforts to stem illegal immigration, many residents say Operation Lone Star has gone too far. Full Story
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![Migrants walk along the Rio Grande past the recently installed buoys in Eagle Pass, Texas on July 28, 2023. As there is concertina wire installed along the Urbina’s property, migrants are told to walk to the end of the property, taking them approximately an hour from that point. Many make that walk which can be difficult to do through slippery rocks in the water, the current and the inclined river bank, while some find spots through the concertina wire and manage to get through.]()
Credit: Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune -
Body found stuck in buoys Texas installed in the Rio Grande
Texas authorities believe the person drowned upstream and floated into the buoys near Eagle Pass. Mexico criticized Texas’ placement of the buoys along the river. Full Story
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![A group of migrants walks around a string of buoys which was deployed to prevent migrants from swimming across the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass on July 14, 2023.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Border arrests surged in July, a blow to Biden migration plan
Apprehensions on the U.S.-Mexico border plunged in June after the administration’s new policies took effect, but rose more than 30% in July. Full Story
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![Asylum seekers who have just crossed the border enter a Customs and Border Protection van in Roma on Aug. 3, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: Texas’ tough border security tactics under scrutiny
In this week’s episode, we discuss the half-million people booted from Texas’ Medicaid rolls and the state’s deployment of razor wire and buoys along the border in Eagle Pass. Full Story
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![State law enforcement officers stand guard as workers construct a string of buoys which is being deployed to prevent migrants from swimming across the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass on July 14, 2023.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. House Republicans from Texas target federal funding unless Homeland Security chief is removed
Escalating their fight over Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ handling of immigration at the southern border, far-right representatives say they will oppose any appropriations for his agency. Full Story
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![U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during the opening of the U.S.-Mexico High-Level Security Dialogue at the State Department in Washington on Oct. 13, 2022.]()
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U.S. seeks court order requiring Texas to remove floating barrier in Rio Grande
The string of buoys is a safety hazard that violates treaties and harms relations with Mexico, Justice Department lawyers tell a federal judge. Full Story
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![A group of migrants walks around a string of buoys which was deployed to prevent migrants from swimming across the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass on July 14, 2023.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Federal judge tosses Biden administration asylum rule designed to reduce illegal border crossings
The judge gave the Biden administration 14 days to appeal his ruling on the policy, which federal officials credit for reducing migrant arrests at the border to the lowest number since Biden took office. Full Story
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![Members of the Texas National Guard and the Texas Department of Pubic Safety at the entrance to where hundreds of migrants wait to be processed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents inside a makeshift migrant camp about three hours after Title 42 ended at 9:59 p.m. local time, Friday, May 12, 2023, in El Paso.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. sues Texas after Gov. Greg Abbott declines to remove floating border barrier
The U.S. Department of Justice made good on its warning last week that it would sue Texas unless the state agreed to remove the barrier in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass. Full Story
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![Workers construct a string of buoys which is being deployed to prevent migrants from swimming across the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass on July 14, 2023.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Justice Department threatens Texas with legal action over floating barrier in Rio Grande
Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the 1,000-foot barrier to be deployed in the river near Eagle Pass earlier this month. The Justice Department gave Texas until Monday to commit to removing it. Full Story
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![Workers construct a string of buoys which is being deployed to prevent migrants from swimming across the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass on July 14, 2023.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
State investigating claim that DPS troopers were told to push migrants back into the Rio Grande and deny them water
The Office of the Inspector General is investigating the claims, which include pushing small children and women with nursing babies back into the river and turning away a 4-year-old girl who later passed out on the riverbank from the heat. Full Story
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![State law enforcement officers stand guard as workers construct a string of buoys which is being deployed to prevent migrants from swimming across the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass on July 14, 2023.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune