Here are a dozen of my columns from 2021: highlights on the winter storm, redistricting, the state’s finances and on issues that could figure into this next round of elections.
Immigration
In-depth reporting on border issues, policies, communities, and the impact of immigration across the state, from The Texas Tribune.
Posted in
Demographics
Unhappy holidays: Texas endures another COVID Christmas
After nearly two years of navigating life during a pandemic, many Texans are now scrambling for COVID tests, delaying plans and worrying about relatives who have been exposed to the virus.
Posted in
State Government
Gov. Greg Abbott has touted the state’s efforts to build a border wall, but many details remain a mystery
Abbott unveiled the first 900 feet of border barrier Saturday. But the state has been mum on where it plans to build additional barriers and how many miles it can afford.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
In his bid for attorney general, George P. Bush pitches himself as the toughest candidate on the border
Political observers say the move is a gamble. All three other major Republican candidates for attorney general, including incumbent Ken Paxton, have strong stances on border security.
Posted in
State Government
Gov. Greg Abbott inaugurates first stretch of state-funded border barrier in Starr County
Abbott launched the construction of a wall along the Texas-Mexico border using state money and crowdfunded private donations. The state has at least $1.05 billion for the border barriers.
Posted in
Operation Lone Star
More than 100 civil rights groups ask feds to slash Texas funding over migrant trespassing arrests
In a 50-page complaint to the U.S. Department of Justice, immigrant and civil rights groups argued Gov. Greg Abbott’s initiative to arrest migrants on trespassing charges is discriminatory.
Posted in
Immigration
“I thought he was going to kill me”: Migrants say return of Trump-era border policy will put asylum seekers in danger
A Cuban woman sent to Ciudad Juárez after seeking asylum in El Paso was raped as she waited for her U.S. court date. She worries more migrants could be victims of violence as the Biden administration revives the “remain in Mexico” program.
Posted in
Politics
Analysis: The Texas-Mexico frontier still tops the news — and state politics
For Texas voters, fear of an insecure border consistently overshadows other issues — electric grid failures, handgun regulation, abortion access — even when those things top the news.
Posted in
Immigration
U.S. and Mexico reach deal to restart Trump-era “remain in Mexico” program along border
When the Biden administration canceled the program earlier this year, Texas and Missouri sued, leading a federal judge to order the government to resurrect it.
Posted in
Immigration
The number of undocumented immigrants in detention centers has increased by more than 50% since Biden took office
A Texas construction worker who’s been locked up for 11 months is one of an increasing number of undocumented immigrants detained since Biden took office — despite the president’s instructions to prioritize more dangerous immigrants.