Immigration

Private group must stop building border wall in South Texas, judge says in temporary order

by Teo Armus, The Washington Post

The group, We Build The Wall, said it has cleared a mile and a half of land next to the Rio Grande and plans to begin installing the wall within 48 hours, with a goal of completing it by Jan. 15. Full Story 

Jared Kushner’s new assignment: Overseeing the construction of Trump’s border wall

by Josh Dawsey and Nick Miroff, The Washington Post

President Donald Trump has set an aggressive goal: building more than 400 miles of new barrier by the end of 2020. That will require quickly seizing lots of private land in Texas. Full Story 

Trump administration to shuttle migrants from Tucson to El Paso under "Remain in Mexico" policy

by Arelis R. Hernández, Nick Miroff and Maria Sacchetti, The Washington Post

The policy hasn't started in Arizona, so the government plans to bus migrants to El Paso, then send many of them to Ciudad Juárez while their asylum claims are pending, administration sources say. Full Story 

As government prepares to seize more land for a border wall, some Texas landowners prepare to fight

by Julián Aguilar

In Laredo, border landowners are receiving letters from the federal government, requesting permission to enter their land for surveying. "Hell no, we're not signing anything," one recipient said. Full Story 

Texas isn't providing major support for the 2020 Census. Local officials and nonprofits say they will instead.

by Chase Karacostas

Several nonprofits, local governments and philanthropy organizations have formed Texas Counts, a coalition aimed at ensuring an accurate census count in 2020, which could affect representation in Congress and billions in federal funding. Full Story 

Federal judge issues partial block of Trump administration's third-country asylum rule

by Julián Aguilar

A U.S. district judge ruled the administration’s third-country rule doesn’t apply to people who sought asylum before July 16. Full Story 

Apprehensions of undocumented immigrants on the Southwest border continue to fall

by Julián Aguilar

The figure is the lowest since July 2018 and marks the fifth consecutive month that the number has dropped. Full Story 

A Trump administration strategy led to the child migrant backup crisis at the border

by Neena Satija, Karoun Demirjian, Abigail Hauslohner and Josh Dawsey, The Washington Post

Interviews, emails and memos detailing the strategy show that officials knew that without enough beds in government shelters, children would languish in Border Patrol stations not equipped to care for them. Full Story 

Trump administration tells Supreme Court it owns termination of DACA program

by Robert Barnes, The Washington Post

The U.S. Supreme Court heard opening oral arguments Tuesday on the legality of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Full Story 

On immigration issues, a wall between Texas partisans, UT/TT poll finds

by Ross Ramsey

Texas voters from the two major parties are split on a range of immigration issues, including immigration policy, deportations and bilingual education, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story 

Voters are worried about leadership, border issues, health care and guns, UT/TT Poll finds

by Ross Ramsey

National leadership and border issues top the list of voter concerns about the country; at home, it's the border and gun control, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story 

ICE transfers detainees out of West Texas facility after water shortage in Sierra Blanca

by Julián Aguilar

The shortage has forced the West Texas Detention Facility, operated by Louisiana-based LaSalle Corrections, to turn off its water nightly. Full Story 

Trump's controversial "remain in Mexico" immigration policy expands along Texas' southern border

by Julián Aguilar

The Migrant Protection Protocols, a program requiring migrants to wait in Mexico as their asylum requests are pending, is in effect in Eagle Pass, El Paso, Laredo and Brownsville. Full Story 

West Texas detention facility enacting water conservation measures after depletion of local water tanks

by Julián Aguilar

The Sierra Blanca facility, which houses ICE detainees, shuts down its water supply at 11 p.m. daily to allow its on-site water tanks to replenish overnight. Full Story 

Conditions deteriorating at makeshift camp on the Rio Grande where thousands await U.S. asylum

by Acacia Coronado

The camp began forming last summer in Matamoros, Mexico, and now an estimated 2,000 people, many of them children, live in squalid conditions as they wait weeks or months to request U.S. asylum. Full Story 

Trump administration testing rapid asylum review, deportation process in Texas

by Robert Moore, The Washington Post

The accelerated reviews seek to accomplish two of the president's goals: deterring migrants from attempting to cross the U.S. border and pushing asylum seekers out of the United States. Full Story 

Immigration agency decides against six-figure fines for undocumented immigrants living in sanctuaries

by Julián Aguilar

Last summer, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents told some undocumented immigrants it was considering giving them six-figure fines. Last week, the agency backed down. Full Story 

Donald Trump fans in Dallas say the president just “gets” them

by Alex Samuels

Their support for the president is steeped in two main beliefs: He’s done exactly “what he said he’d do,” and his remarks toward Democrats and people of color matched what they said and believed. Full Story 

She fled a violent Honduran gang to seek asylum in Texas. Now she might be deported because she didn't file paperwork in Mexico.

by Julián Aguilar and Acacia Coronado

The Trump administration's policy to deny asylum to migrants who didn't seek protections elsewhere is now being enforced. Immigration attorneys warn the new rule could forever diminish U.S. asylum policy. Full Story 

No refugees allowed? Trump’s plan to give states and cities a veto prompts an outcry.

by Griff Witte, The Washington Post

Gov. Greg Abbott in 2016 threatened to pull Texas from a refugee resettlement program. But Austin Mayor Steve Adler thinks refugees benefit his city. A new White House plan could mean a state could ban refugees even when a city is prepared to welcome them. Full Story