Thwarting Democratic efforts, House Republicans revive border policing unit in early-morning vote
The proposed unit would let those who are not law officers arrest or detain suspected undocumented immigrants in border-region counties. Full Story
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![A member of the Texas Army National Guard holds a flashlight as migrants crawl over rocks after wading across the Rio Grande into the United States from Mexico, in Roma, on March 4, 2022.]()
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Driver of SUV in Brownsville crash that killed 8 migrants had drugs in his system, police say
George Alvarez, the man charged in the deaths of eight people after his vehicle rammed a crowd in front of a Brownsville migrant shelter, had cocaine, benzodiazepines and marijuana in his system at the time, police said Tuesday. Full Story
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![Flora Zavala prays for the eight people dead at the site where a car ran into pedestrians waiting at a bus stop outside a shelter for migrants in Brownsville, on May 7, 2023.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Migrants waiting to cross the border say government’s app for asylum-seekers is a mess
Hundreds of migrants have waited on the U.S. bank of the Rio Grande for days to be apprehended. Others say they want to follow the rules to enter legally — if they could just get the government phone app to work. Full Story
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![Migrant Joseline Decaires Jiménez of Venezuela tears up as she sits on a bus headed to Denver, Monday, May 8, 2023, in El Paso, Texas. Jiménez husband and two daughters are still in Juarez waiting to be allowed to enter the U.S. via the CBP One app. Photo by Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Driver charged with manslaughter after running red light and killing eight pedestrians in Brownsville
Police said it’s still not known if the driver intentionally struck the crowd of immigrants waiting at a bus stop. Full Story
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![A law enforcement officer photographs the scene after a deadly incident where a car ran into pedestrians near Ozanam Center, a shelter for migrants and homeless, in Brownsville on May 7, 2023.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott focuses on border security in first address since Allen and Brownsville tragedies
Abbott announced the deployment of new “Texas Tactical Border Force” units to El Paso and the Rio Grande Valley on Monday and Tuesday. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott greets Texas Army National Guard troops deploying from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Monday May 8, 2023, to secure the Texas-Mexico border in anticipation of the end of Title 42 later this week.]()
Credit: Jay Janner/American-Statesman/USA TODAY NETWORK via REUTERS -
For a Texan who wants to build bridges in Congress, U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales has burned quite a few
The two-term Republican, criticized by his own party for breaking with the GOP on key votes, is not inclined to change his ways. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Republican representing the Texas’ 23rd district, talks during an interview in his office at Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. on April 28, 2023. Gonzales is a member of the House Appropriations Committees.]()
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune -
Eight killed outside Brownsville migrant shelter after car crashes into pedestrians
The driver has been detained, but authorities say it is unclear what caused the fatal crash at a Brownsville bus stop. Full Story
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![A police officer is consoled after a deadly incident where a car ran into pedestrians near Ozanam Center, a shelter for migrants and homeless, in Brownsville on May 7, 2023.]()
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As U.S. prepares to end rapid expulsions of migrants, a Venezuelan family decides to risk crossing the border
A Venezuelan couple with two children waited in Mexico for weeks for a chance to claim asylum. They decided to cross the border after a relative died in a detention center fire and other family members successfully made it across. Full Story
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![Migrant Abel Oviedo, right, of Venezuela hugs his two sons, David, 4, and Matias, 2, at the home he is staying at in the outskirts of town, Thursday, April 20, 2023, in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. Oviedo lost his half-brother, Orlando Maldonado, after a migrant detention center caught fire, killing 40 men and injuring more than 25, on March 27th in the center of town. Photo by Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Watch: How language advocates brought Houston voices to the Capitol
In the months leading up to their committee hearing, Woori Juntos community members trained on how to share their personal stories with legislators — in their own language. Full Story
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![Stephen Wu waits in the back of the room while the Human Services committee comes to order in the early morning at the state Capitol in Austin on April 25. 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Biden orders 1,500 more troops to Mexico border as U.S. prepares to end Title 42
The troops won’t perform law enforcement duties, federal officials said. Full Story
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![A group of migrants from Venezuela walk between the southern border wall and the Rio Grande river towards a temporary border patrol processing facility on October 6, 2022 in El Paso. Record numbers of migrants, mostly from Venezuela, began arriving at the US/Mexico border this month.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
As Title 42 comes to an end, El Paso declares state of emergency
El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser said asylum-seekers are camping out on the sidewalks and staying at shelters in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, under the false notion that they will be allowed to enter the U.S. once Title 42 expires. Full Story
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![Migrants stand in line to enter the makeshift shelter inside the gym of Sacred Heart Church in El Paso on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Watch: Texas immigrants “shocked” by bill that would have prevented them from buying homes
Initially, Senate Bill 147 would have prevented legal Texas residents from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from buying land. Pushback from immigrant groups persuaded senators to soften the proposal. Full Story
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![Protesters gathered in Houston on Feb. 10, 2023 against SB 147, which at the time would have prevented citizens from China and other countries from purchasing land in Texas.]()
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New Biden plan will let people in Latin American countries apply to legally enter U.S., Canada or Spain
As it prepares for the end of Title 42, which lets U.S. officials rapidly expel migrants, the Biden administration said it will open centers in Guatemala and Colombia where people can apply to legally enter the three participating nations. Full Story
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![A migrant family embraces each other moments after crossing the Rio Grande and ino El Paso from Ciudad Juárez on Monday, Dec. 19, 2022.]()
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For migrant children who cross the border alone, a new set of challenges getting health care awaits
A report from the Migration Policy Institute and the American Academy of Pediatrics details the barriers undocumented children face in the United States. Full Story
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![Migrant children in the courtyard of the Our Lady-Guadalupe Catholic Church School in Mission on July 27, 2021.]()
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Months after being freed, Afghan soldier arrested at border is now on a path toward asylum and healing
Wasi and his brother pray for their family’s safety as the holy month of Ramadan ends and the Taliban continues to rule Afghanistan. Full Story
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![Abdul Wasi Safi talks with his father in Afghanistan on Friday, April 21, 2023, in Houston, TX.]()
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T-Squared: Tribune wins Texas Managing Editors awards for investigative, freedom of information and feature reporting
Texas Tribune journalists were also finalists or honorable mentions in numerous other categories. Full Story
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![Impact, Recognition and Awards]()
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Immigrant rights advocates waited over 9 hours to testify against a proposed Border Protection Unit to “deter and repel” migrants
House Bill 20 introduced by Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, would create a unit whose officers can “arrest, apprehend, or detain persons crossing the Texas-Mexico border unlawfully,” and deter those attempting to cross the border. Full Story
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![Migrants help carry a raft towards the Rio Grande river before being smuggled into Roma, Texas from Ciudad Miguel Aleman, Mexico, on Aug. 26, 2022.]()
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Family of dead National Guardsman urges Legislature to make bill named for him retroactive
While the state guarantees law enforcement officers, like Department of Public Safety troopers, a $500,000 death benefit for their families if they die on duty, National Guard troops who stand shoulder to shoulder with those DPS officers on Operation Lone Star don’t have the same benefit. Full Story
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![Jo Ann Johnson sits for a portrait with a photo of her grandson, Bishop Evans, in her home in Arlington, TX on Dec. 7, 2022. 22-year-old Bishop Evans, who was serving on the Texas Army National Guard and assigned to work on Operation Lone Star, died after jumping into the Rio Grande to save two migrants. “When they told me why, I understood, because he saw someone who needed help. That was who he was — he helped people.”]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Homeland security chief calls Ted Cruz’s comments “revolting” in heated border hearing
“You’re willing to let children be raped to follow political orders,” Cruz told Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas at the hearing. “This is a crisis. It’s a disgrace.” Full Story
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![Sen. Ted Cruz speaks to Peter McCormack about bitcoin and freedom at the Texas Blockchain Summit in Austin, Texas, on Nov. 18, 2022.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo for The Texas Tribune -
Fire at migrant center in Mexico near El Paso kills at least 39
Mexico’s president said the fire started in the Ciudad Juárez center when migrants learned they would be deported and set fire to mattresses in protest. Twenty-nine injured migrants were sent to local hospitals. Full Story
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![Medics give aid to a migrant who survived a fire that broke out at a Mexican immigration detention center in Ciudad Juárez on Monday, March 27, 2023. 37 people died in the fire.]()
Credit: Omar Ornelas-USA TODAY NETWORK via REUTERS