Stiles’ and Torres’ three-parter on the changing Texas political map, Ramsey on questions about Brian Birdwell’s voting history and residency, Aguilar on the Obama administration’s immigration crackdown, Reed on hospitals that won’t induce early labor, Stiles on what Troy Fraser left off his financial disclosure form, the latest installment of Hu’s Face-Off video debate series, Grissom on the problem-plagued Driver Responsibility Program, Galbraith on the controversy over fracking and M. Smith’s interview with former Texas Supreme Court Justice Harriet O’Neill: The best of our best from July 26 to 30, 2010.
Immigration
In-depth reporting on border issues, policies, communities, and the impact of immigration across the state, from The Texas Tribune.
TribBlog: Last-Minute Border Plea
Border groups are urging Congress to rethink options for securing the border just days before National Guard troops arrive in the area.
Barack the Enforcer
Despite grousing from congressmen and state officials in Arizona and Texas โ notably Gov. Rick Perry โ that the Obama administration has abdicated its role in the protecting the nation’s borders from illegal immigration, the Department of Homeland Securityโs largest investigative units this year each recorded their highest monthly number of cases referred for prosecution since the Bush administration, according to a report from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University.
The Brief: July 29, 2010
Does a Texas version of Arizona’s immigration law still stand a chance?
TribBlog: Texas Leaders Sound Off on Arizona Ruling
Texas lawmakers and legal experts react to today’s decision to strike down critical elements of Arizona’s immigration law.
TT Interview: El Paso County Sheriff Richard Wiles
Interview with El Paso County Sheriff Richard Wiles
Richard Wiles: The TT Interview
The sheriff of El Paso County on how his job has changed in the wake of rampant violence in Juรกrez, whether National Guard troops are needed on the border and the practical effect of an immigration law like Arizona’s.
TribBlog: Border Sheriff Standoff
Two county sheriffs are helping Bill White and Gov. Rick Perry launch a fresh new wave of attacks, even if they don’t know it.
TribBlog: Deported With Disabilities
U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents with mental disabilities have been mistakenly deported because they were unable to effectively defend themselves, according to a study released by the American Civil Liberties Union and the non-profit Human Rights Watch.
The Map: The Giant Still Sleeps
Nearly 37 percent of the state’s population of nearly 25 million is Latino, but only about 1.2 million Latinos who were registered to vote in 2008 cast ballots. Pinpointing when the emerging majority group in Texas will begin wielding its power at election time is no small feat. Scores of campaigns, party activists and interest groups spend millions of dollars each year trying to determine what will happen when that day comes.


