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.
Immigration
In-depth reporting on border issues, policies, communities, and the impact of immigration across the state, from The Texas Tribune.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Texas isn’t providing major support for the 2020 Census. Local officials and nonprofits say they will instead.
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.
Federal judge issues partial block of Trump administration’s third-country asylum rule
A U.S. district judge ruled the administration’s third-country rule doesn’t apply to people who sought asylum before July 16.



