Immigration

Lower federal courts side against Trump on border fence funding, ‘public charge’ rule

by Nick Miroff, The Washington Post

El Paso County, one of the plaintiffs in the border fence lawsuit, is the first local jurisdiction to successfully sue the president to stop construction of a border barrier. Full Story 

Texas sheriff at White House briefing: If criminal immigrants are released, “drunks” will “run over your children.”

by Stacy Fernández

The remarks by Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn came during a White House press briefing about border security. Full Story 

Border Patrol apprehensions dipped last month, but 2019 saw a dramatic increase from 2018

by Julián Aguilar

Despite the months-long trend downward, the 2019 fiscal year’s total represents nearly a 90 percent increase from 2018. Full Story 

Trump’s order will deny visas to immigrants who lack health-care coverage

by Maria Sacchetti, The Washington Post

President Trump said the new rule, issued late on Friday, is intended to “protect the availability of health care benefits for Americans." Full Story 

A Mexican citizen had court papers allowing him to be in the U.S. But a Border Patrol agent detained him anyway.

by Julián Aguilar, The Texas Tribune and Mallory Falk, KERA News

The man, whose immigration case received "administrative closure" from a U.S. judge, was detained by Border Patrol agents at a highway checkpoint. Lawyers say the agents went too far, but federal officials say otherwise. Full Story 

Federal government awards three contracts for 65 new miles of border fencing in South Texas

by Acacia Coronado

The cost of the new fencing will range between $385 million and $800 million. Construction is set to begin in early 2020. Full Story 

Federal judge blocks Trump administration from detaining migrant children for indefinite periods

by Maria Sacchetti, The Washington Post

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from activating new regulations that would have dramatically expanded its ability to detain migrant children with their parents. Full Story 

U.S. announces asylum deal with Honduras, could send migrants to one of world’s most violent nations

by Nick Miroff, The Washington Post

The Trump administration's deal with the violence-plagued nation comes shortly after U.S. prosecutors named Honduras' president as a co-conspirator in a major drug case. Full Story 

Hundreds of CBP officers returned to port duty after assisting U.S. Border Patrol

by Julián Aguilar

In late March, more than 700 officers from ports of entry in El Paso; Laredo; Tucson, Arizona; and San Diego were reassigned amid the growing number of migrants arriving at the country’s southern border. Full Story 

Fearing deportation, immigrants are dropping Medicaid over misinformation about Trump's new policy

by Acacia Coronado

Changes to the federal "public charge" rule are set to take effect in October, but fear and confusion are already causing immigrants to drop benefits. Full Story 

ICE to resume detaining migrant families at South Texas facility

by Maria Sacchetti, The Washington Post

The Trump administration had stopped holding families at the Karnes County Residential Center in the spring, saying it coudn't transport migrants there because of a record influx of families at the border. Full Story 

Watch a 2019 Texas Tribune Festival conversation about 2020 and the border

by Texas Tribune Staff

In this discussion, panelists focused on how border and immigration policy and politics are shaping the 2020 landscape. Full Story 

Trump administration reaches deal to send asylum seekers to El Salvador

by Nick Miroff, The Washington Post

In an effort to deter migrants from seeking asylum in the United States, the administration wants to send them to the Central American nation. Full Story 

This migrant mother and her child couldn't wait for their asylum court date anymore. They drowned trying to enter the U.S.

by Stacy Fernández

The Honduran mother and son were found dead in the Rio Grande in Texas last week. They were sent to wait in Mexico while their asylum case played out in U.S. immigration court. Full Story 

Visa denial rates for highly skilled workers are on the rise. Small Texas businesses are taking a hit.

by Alana Rocha, Justin Dehn and Todd Wiseman

The Texas economy relies heavily on temporary work visas, like H-1Bs, to hire highly trained, highly skilled employees from abroad. But H-1Bs have been subject to tougher scrutiny, with denial rates on the uptick. Full Story 

Along Texas border, Trump administration sets up tent courts for virtual asylum hearings

by Nick Miroff, The Washington Post

After passing a policy requiring asylum seekers to wait in Mexico until their cases can be heard, the administration has erected the tent complexes so immigration judges in San Antonio can hold hearings remotely. Full Story 

Another budget fight looms this month in Congress centering on border wall funding

by J. Edward Moreno

As lawmakers in Washington prepare a budget for the next fiscal year, funding for the border wall is taking center stage — again. Full Story 

Julián Castro hit Joe Biden over Barack Obama’s immigration legacy. But in 2013, Castro supported Obama’s policies.

by Alex Samuels and Jay Root

Castro hasn’t always been a liberal darling on border issues: In 2013, he gave a full-throated endorsement of the border and immigration policies advocated by Obama and touted the completion of enforcement measures that included fencing along the U.S-Mexico border. Full Story 

Supreme Court lets Trump's rule for asylum seekers on southern border stand

by Julián Aguilar

The ruling made Wednesday allows the policy — which requires many migrants to seek asylum in countries other than the United States — to continue in the states on the nation's southern border. Full Story 

How migrants at Texas border and Trump's immigration policies intersect

by Mandi Cai and Connie Hanzhang Jin

Since Donald Trump took office in 2017, his administration has tried to curb migration at the Southwest border. Most migrants cross into Texas — here's how the flow of people intersects with Trump’s policies. Full Story