Analysis: Conservatism, without George W. Bush’s modifier
The governor's decision to opt out of the federal refugee resettlement program marks a shift in the state's Republican establishment over the last two decades. Full Story
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![Crystal Brimm is experiencing homeless and is currently living under Ben White Boulevard and Lamar Avenue. She discusses with her partner the possibility of moving to a 5 acre homeless camp recently created by Gov. Greg Abbott. Nov. 7, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott, a Catholic, draws criticism over new refugee ban from Texas' Catholic bishops
It’s not the first time Abbott has disagreed with the religious groups over state policy. He was also criticized after he made 2017's Senate Bill 4, an omnibus, state-based immigration enforcement bill, a legislative priority. Full Story
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![Protestors in Austin gather in opposition to Gov. Greg Abbott's decision not to accept any refugees from Syria.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Abbott tells Trump administration Texas won't participate in refugee resettlement
The decision comes after more than 40 other governors said they would opt in to the federal program. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott briefs reporters during a press conference on a Domestic Terrorism Task Force roundtable held at the Capitol on Jan. 7, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Appeals court rules Trump can use nearly $4 billion in military funds for border wall
The White House called the initial decision to block on the use of military funds for the border wall "illegitimate" and hailed the appeals court decision as a victory. Full Story
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![A group of Central American migrants walks next to the U.S.-Mexico border fence after they crossed the borderline while a Border Patrol agent looks through the fence in El Paso, Texas, U.S May 15, 2019.]()
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott remains quiet on whether the state will opt out of refugee program
It's still unclear if Abbott will join nearly 40 other governors who have decided to stay in the program. Full Story
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![A group gathered at Wooldridge Park in Austin on Nov. 22, 2015, to protest Gov. Greg Abbott's decision not to accept refugees from Syria.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Analyzing 2019: Unrest on the Texas-Mexico border
The immigration and humanitarian crisis continues at the Texas-Mexico border, where things have persistently been made worse by harsh government policies. Full Story
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![A group of migrants are detained by CBP near the Paso del Norte International Bridge on March 31, 2019.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
The Best of The Texas Tribune's photojournalism of 2019
Here's a look back at our favorite photographs by freelancers, fellows and our new photography department. Full Story
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![Mourners at a service held for Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal of the Harris County Sheriff's Office. Dhaliwal was shot and killed while making a traffic stop on Sept. 27, 2019.]()
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The best of the Tribune's storytelling with data and graphics in 2019
The Tribune's data visuals team published more than 100 graphics about Texas politics and policy this year. Here's a look back at some of our favorites. Full Story
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The Trump administration knew migrant children would suffer from family separations. The government ramped up the practice anyway.
Internal emails and reports illustrate a chaotic attempt to track traumatized migrant children seized from parents. Full Story
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![Aerial view of the tent city at the Marcelino Serna Port of Entry in Tornillo on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018. The shelter opened in June and has grown approximately 10 times in size, compared to file photos. Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Watch: In a Guatemalan town where migrants cross, Trump's policies have hit hard
In La Técnica, the boats used to zip migrants across the river into Mexico, as well as hotels, restaurants and money changers had a brisk business. But now business has dried up. Full Story
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![A boat passes on the Usumacinta River on Nov. 17, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
1,000 migrants a day made this tiny Guatemala town a smuggler’s paradise. The business has dried up.
Two Trump administration initiatives have driven down traffic, locals say: the “remain in Mexico” program requiring people to wait out their asylum cases south of the border, and the threat to slap tariffs on Mexico unless it cracked down on migrants crossing through it. Full Story
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![The main street in La Tecnica, Guatemala on Nov. 17, 2019. The street leads to a boat ramp on the Usumacinta river, which forms an international border with Mexico.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: Big new names enter Texas congressional races
On this week’s TribCast, Emily talks to Ross, Alexa, Patrick and Abby about some recognizable names in Texas congressional races, racist texts from a GOP county official and a leaked Republican Party memo. Full Story
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![From left: Republican candidates for U.S. Congress Pierce Bush and Ronny Jackson.]()
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Mexican border cities: too dangerous for Americans but safe enough for migrants, U.S. government says
The State Department has issued warnings advising against travel to Mexican border states and the president has considered labeling cartels as terrorist organizations. But Trump officials continue to downplay the violence in cities where "remain in Mexico" is in place. Full Story
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![A group of migrants walk across International Bridge Two into Mexico from the United States. The group requested asylum in the United States, but were returned to Mexico to await their court proceedings. July 23, 2019.]()
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Federal judge blocks Trump plan to spend $3.6 billion in military funds on border wall
The administration had planned to use the Pentagon funds to build 175 miles of steel barriers. Full Story
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![A section of border fence in Hidalgo, which runs between a national wildlife refuge and a local nature center, ends abruptly when federal land stops. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife started buying land along the U.S.-Mexico border more than 70 years ago to preserve habitat for threatened species. Now, much of that same land is bisected by the border fence.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
ACLU files suit to stop immigration pilot programs
The programs deny asylum seekers access to adequate counsel before key interviews with immigration officers, the lawsuit alleges. Full Story
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![A Mexican Soldier patrols the makeshift migrants camp at the base of Paso del Norte International Bridge in Ciudad Juarez on Oct. 3, 2019. Migrants wait close to the port of entry so they won't lose their spot in line to legally cross into the U.S. and seek asylum.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Report: Crimes against migrants waiting in Mexico to seek U.S. asylum continue to climb
More than 630 violent crimes against asylum seekers affected by the Migrant Protection Protocols program have been reported in Mexico, according to a new report by Human Rights First. Full Story
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![A group of migrants walk across Internation Bridge Two into Mexico from the United States. The group requested asylum in the United States, but were returned to Mexico under the Migrant Protections Protocol to await their court proceedings. July 23, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Private group must stop building border wall in South Texas, judge says in temporary order
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
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![A portion of the border wall built by We Build The Wall, a private group that raised money through a GoFundMe account, on private land in El Pasoâs west side. May 28, 2019.]()
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Jared Kushner’s new assignment: Overseeing the construction of Trump’s border wall
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
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![The border fence sits atop a levee on the periphery of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Hidalgo County in February 2017.]()
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Trump administration to shuttle migrants from Tucson to El Paso under "Remain in Mexico" policy
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
![A Mexican Soldier patrols the makeshift migrants camp at the base of Paso del Norte International Bridge in Ciudad Juarez on Oct. 3, 2019. Migrants wait close to the port of entry so they won't lose their spot in line to legally cross into the U.S. and seek asylum.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
As government prepares to seize more land for a border wall, some Texas landowners prepare to fight
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
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![Ordered under the George W. Bush administration, a controversial incomplete border wall along the Rio Grande River in South Texas has had environmental and cultural impacts.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune