Lawmakers are reeling from the bruising political battle over health care reform and are loath to take on another divisive issue and additional risky votes. So the prospects remain dim for legislation that would improve border security, provide a pathway to citizenship for millions and crack down on unscrupulous employers — but that doesn’t mean everyone’s forgotten about it, as the hundreds of thousands of advocates who marched on Washington, D.C., last weekend can attest.
Immigration
In-depth reporting on border issues, policies, communities, and the impact of immigration across the state, from The Texas Tribune.
Posted in
Demographics
TribBlog: Houston No Sanctuary, Annise Parker Says
Bill White’s successor as Houston’s nonpartisan mayor, Annise Parker, is staying out of the governor’s race. She does, though, have a clear opinion on the Rick Perry campaign’s “sanctuary city” charge.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Down for the Count
As of Friday, three-quarters of Texans hadn’t returned their census forms. Only five states have a worse rate of participation so far.
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Criminal Justice
On the Records: The Census Gets Interactive
The U.S. Census Bureau recently launched an interactive map that makes it easy to track participation in the decennial count of households. The map application, which relies on the Google Maps API, visualizes the participation rates by color — orange for higher rates, and blue for lower rates.
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Demographics
TribBlog: Border Chief Gets Recess Appointment
The president’s nominee for commissioner of Customs and Border Protection gets the job without Senate confirmation.
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Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Grissom on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to stay Hank Skinner’s execution, Thevenot on the myth of Texas textbook influence, Rapoport on the wild card who was just elected to the State Board of Education, Ramshaw on the price of health care reform, Philpott on the just-enacted prohibition on dropping kids from the state’s health insurance rolls, M. Smith on the best little pole tax in Texas, Ramsey on the first corporate political ad and the reality of 2011 redistricting, Stiles on the fastest-growing Texas counties, Aguilar on the vacany at top of Customs and Border Protection at the worst possible time, Galbraith on the state’s lack of renewable energy sources other than wind and its investment in efficiency, and Hu and Hamilton on the runoffs to come in House districts 52 and 127. The best of our best from March 22 to 26, 2010.
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Criminal Justice
2010: White Attacks Perry’s Border Crime Claims
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White today called on GOP Gov. Rick Perry to remove claims on his public and campaign Web sites that crime on the Texas border has dropped 65 percent. Perry campaign spokesman Mark Miner defended the claims. He said Perry’s claim refers to temporary crime drops in discreet areas during so-called “border surge” operations.
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Demographics
TribBlog: Farmers Branch Loses, Again
A federal judge declared on Wednesday that a Farmers Branch ordinance that banned apartment rentals to undocumented immigrants was unconstitutional.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: Mexico-U.S. Launch New Programs
Senior leaders from the United States and Mexico agreed the two countries will begin swapping intelligence on suspected terrorists and Mexican felons following discussions in Mexico City on Tuesday.
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Demographics
TribBlog: Cornyn Urges Border Talk
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn wants to join the Mexico discussion and is urging fellow U.S. senators to lend him an ear.