Politics & Policy
April 5, 2024
Totality Begins in Eagle Pass
The border town won’t let the immigration debate eclipse its eclipse plans.
Immigration
Politics & Policy
March 19, 2024
SCOTUS Has Ruled That Texas Police Can Arrest Migrants They Suspect of Illegal Crossings
The ruling allows Texas to start enforcing Senate Bill 4 while a lawsuit over its constitutionality remains pending before a federal appeals court.
Border & Immigration
March 11, 2024
More Migrants Are Drowning in the Rio Grande Than Ever. No Agency Is Keeping Track of How Many.
U.S. policy is designed to force those entering Texas to cross at dangerous choke points. Those who don't make it are often never identified.
Border & Immigration
February 23, 2024
What Does Religious Freedom Mean in Ken Paxton’s Texas?
Texas’s attorney general is suing to revoke the license of a Catholic migrant aid center in El Paso. Leaders of such aid groups say they’re simply practicing their faith.
Ken Paxton Watch
February 21, 2024
Paxton Watch: Ken Attacks a Catholic Migrant-Aid Group
The beleaguered attorney general has announced a lawsuit targeting El Paso’s Annunciation House, claiming—without evidence—that it and other NGOs “facilitate astonishing horrors.”
Border & Immigration
February 15, 2024
When the Law Clashes With Common Language
Hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants could be affected by a forthcoming U.S. Supreme Court decision—and it could all come down to how justices interpret a single word.
Religion
February 5, 2024
Who’s in God’s Army?
At “Take Our Border Back” rallies across Texas, the convoy’s Christian nationalist rhetoric was on wide display. But not all soldiers are equally devout.
Border & Immigration
February 1, 2024
Border Patrol and Texas Troopers Were Once the Best of Friends. What Happened?
For almost three years, Texas DPS agents worked hand in hand with the feds, but their partnership has unraveled into a bitter standoff in Eagle Pass.
Politics & Policy
November 20, 2023
Greg Abbott Had Great Ambitions. Donald Trump Had Other Plans.
Long thought of as a presidential contender, the Texas governor has endorsed the former president—and supplicated for his favor.
Politics & Policy
October 31, 2023
Greg Abbott’s New Mexico Border Barrier Isn’t Doing Much—Besides Amusing Locals
Residents of El Paso and Sunland Park, New Mexico, agree illegal immigration is a problem, but the Texas governor’s newest effort is little more than a PR stunt.
Border & Immigration
October 27, 2023
The Immigration Debate at the Texas Legislature Has Devolved
In the latest showdown over immigration restrictions, Texas representatives got into a heated confrontation on the floor.
Politics & Policy
October 16, 2023
What’s Behind the Fact-Challenged Freak-out Over Colony Ridge?
The Houston exurb offers cheap land to hardworking families. But some in the GOP see the benefit in demonizing the migrants who’ve moved there.
Border & Immigration
September 12, 2023
Who Wore It Best? We Rate Politicians on Their Border Photo Ops
Rick Perry rides a gunboat. Ted Cruz goes militiaman. Ron DeSantis and George P. Bush try their best.
Politics & Policy
August 24, 2023
The Value of the Mexican Peso Is Soaring. What Does That Mean for Texans?
Will tequila and trucks get more expensive? Will exports of chemicals and plastics to Mexico boom? What will happen to immigration?
Politics & Policy
July 27, 2023
Greg Abbott’s Border Policy Is at Once Cruel and Ineffective. Many State Leaders Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way.
The Texas GOP, which once advocated for a more humane immigration policy, is wedded to Operation Lone Star despite its exorbitant costs and failures.
Politics & Policy
June 12, 2023
Asylum Seekers Anticipated the End of COVID-Related Restrictions on Entry to the U.S. But Strict New Rules Leave Many With a Difficult Choice.
Weeks after the Biden Administration ended the Trump-Imposed Title 42 regulations, the border near El Paso remains unexpectedly quiet.
Border & Immigration
May 10, 2023
If All the Officers Assigned to the Texas-Mexico Border Stood Side By Side, How Far Apart Would They Be?
Hint: if one of them were Baker Mayfield, he could pass a football to the folks on either side of him.
Politics & Policy
May 8, 2023
Whenever Texans Die in Mass Shootings, Greg Abbott Likes to Talk About Immigration
After the latest bloodbaths in Allen and Cleveland, the governor turned to a familiar playbook of deflection.
News & Politics
May 8, 2023
A Driver Crashed Into Pedestrians Outside a Brownsville Migrant Shelter. Eight People Were Killed.
Police have detained the driver but are still investigating whether the crash was intentional or accidental.
Texas History
April 14, 2023
The Glowing Letter That Brought Thousands of German Immigrants to Texas Was a Lie
Friedrich Ernst’s missive portrayed Texas as a paradise. His wife and daughter begged to differ.
Politics & Policy
March 30, 2023
Biden’s Buggy Asylum App Doesn’t Work for Refugees—but It Serves His Political Interests
The administration’s new border policy has slowed the flow of asylum seekers, while frustrating those who are trying to follow the rules.
Border & Immigration
March 28, 2023
A Fire in Juárez Killed Dozens of Migrants, Some Fleeing Danger en Route to Texas
It’s not yet clear what caused the fire at a migrant center near El Paso that claimed 39 lives and injured 29 men.
Politics & Policy
March 23, 2023
The New Streets of Laredo
As state politicians focus on danger and cartel violence, the border town's downtown is undergoing a renaissance.
Politics & Policy
March 2, 2023
Fleeing for Your Life? There’s An App for That.
The Biden administration has replaced key elements of our 50-year-old asylum system with “CBP One,” a smartphone application. It looks like the future—but potentially a dystopian one.
Border & Immigration
February 2, 2023
Greg Abbott’s Migrant Busing Scheme is a PR Stunt. It’s Also a Good Idea.
Governor Greg Abbott’s scheme to transport asylum seekers to Democrat-run cities has been called a cynical PR stunt. It is—but if tweaked, it could be a good idea.
Border & Immigration
January 9, 2023
In El Paso, Joe Biden Embraces Trump’s Border Policies
The president’s brief trip to the Texas border city Sunday inflamed critics of his immigration policies on both the left and right.
Politics & Policy
October 14, 2022
Some Texas Lawyers Think Greg Abbott’s Border Initiative Is Unconstitutional—But They’re Afraid to Challenge It
As the federal judiciary has shifted to the right, many who represent migrants are wary of bringing Operation Lone Star before the nation’s highest courts.
Politics & Policy
September 20, 2022
Biden’s New Border Patrol Leader in the RGV Promoted Trump’s Family Separation Policy
Twenty months after the former president left office, those who carried out his administration’s cruelest policy are still in place.
Politics & Policy
September 19, 2022
What’s Driving Greg Abbott’s Escalating Migrant Busing Scheme?
The Texas governor’s plan has been adopted by Ron DeSantis in Florida, and it has grown crueler as it spreads.
Politics & Policy
May 3, 2022
When Reality Meets Wedge-Issue Politics at the Border, Politics Wins
Kevin McCarthy’s trip to Eagle Pass laid bare the bipartisan bankruptcy of U.S. policy.
Politics & Policy
April 20, 2022
Greg Abbott Tried to Act Presidentially. He Might Have Run Afoul of the Law.
A legal expert says the governor’s effective blockading of the border could have violated the U.S. Constitution.
Politics & Policy
April 15, 2022
Greg Abbott’s Unintentionally Warm Welcome of Asylum-Seekers
The governor’s move to bus migrants to D.C. may be an attempt to stick it to Joe Biden, but it’s playing out in ways he didn’t anticipate.
Politics & Policy
April 14, 2022
“Migrant Lockdowns” Are the New Active-Shooter Drills in the Rio Grande Valley
When undocumented immigrants venture near campuses, many schools institute security protocols. But criminal acts by migrants aren't common.
Politics & Policy
April 7, 2022
Greg Abbott’s Latest Border Theater
The governor's plans to bus migrants to D.C. and ramp up vehicle inspections at ports of entry have little to do with federal immigration policy.
Politics & Policy
April 5, 2022
A Texas County Welcomed a Border Militia Last Fall. Now Some Officials Have Grown Weary of It.
The Patriots for America answered Kinney County's call for help cracking down on immigration. The group's methods concern civil liberties groups.
Books
April 1, 2022
A Reformed “Model Immigrant” Shares What It Costs to Become American
In ‘You Sound Like a White Girl,’ Julissa Arce combines memoir and history to reclaim the Latino identity she pushed away as an undocumented immigrant.
News & Politics
January 18, 2022
How to Stop the Migrant Caravans That Are Headed to Texas
When I opened my morning paper a few days ago, the front page featured an article about yet another caravan of Hondurans heading to Texas. Many are fleeing the violence in that country, which suffers from one of the highest murder rates in the world. But why do they come
Politics & Policy
December 22, 2021
A Southwest Texas Paper Folded. A Conspiracy-Spewing Facebook Streamer Took Its Place.
After the ‘Del Rio News-Herald’ shuttered last year, Frank Lopez Jr., who broadcasts as “US Border Patriot,” found a national audience.
News & Politics
November 15, 2021
The Newest Texans Are Not Who You Think They Are
The record influx of recent arrivals from all over might be exactly what the state needs. That includes Californians. (And no, they’re not turning Texas blue.)
Politics & Policy
October 29, 2021
Kinney County Has Embraced Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star Like Nowhere Else. It’s Fueling the Hysteria of Some Locals.
No county in Texas has arrested more migrants under the governor’s plan to crack down on the border, and it’s created a judicial crisis.
Politics & Policy
October 7, 2021
A Migrant Appears to Have Been Lynched in South Texas
The incident serves as a reminder that, over the past two centuries, hundreds of migrants and Texans of Mexican descent have been murdered.
Sports
August 25, 2021
Azur Kamara’s Feel-good Path From West Africa to the Dallas Cowboys
The linebacker arrived in the United States at ten, knowing nothing about football. Now he's stealing the show on HBO's ‘Hard Knocks.’
News & Politics
June 24, 2021
“When Do They Leave?”: Border Residents Bear the Latest Surge of DPS Troopers
Governor Greg Abbott has sent a thousand state cops into Texas border communities to combat smuggling. But many locals complain that they are more of a nuisance than an effective crime-fighting force.
Politics & Policy
June 17, 2021
Meet the Two Latinas From the Rio Grande Valley Guiding Biden’s Political Strategy
Texas Democrats felt slighted by the president’s campaign in 2020, but Emmy Ruiz and Natalie Montelongo have given them a voice in the White House.
News & Politics
June 12, 2021
What Webb County’s Medical Examiner Has Learned From the Dead
Along the border, forensic experts such as Corinne Stern have dealt with a surge in migrant deaths during the Biden administration.
Border & Immigration
May 1, 2021
Ed Gonzalez Has Spent Years Fighting ICE. President Biden Just Nominated Him to Run the Agency.
The Harris County sheriff has been overshadowed by more-vocal Houston officials, but he’s earned a reputation as an effective reformer.
Politics & Policy
December 14, 2020
Asylum Seekers in Matamoros Celebrated Joe Biden’s Victory. But the Final Weeks of the Trump Administration Are Bringing Fresh Anxiety.
Following the election, many migrants were hopeful the incoming president would quickly ease the U.S. immigration process, but he has to unravel new restrictions imposed by his predecessor.
Film & TV
November 6, 2020
Every Year, Hundreds of Migrants Die or Go Missing in Brooks County. A New Documentary Tells Two Families’ Stories.
The film follows Texans who are waiting, hoping, and fighting for news of their missing sons.
Music
October 8, 2020
I Wasn’t a Big Willie Nelson Fan. These Ten Songs Turned Me Into One.
Learning to love Texas’s most iconic country musician, one song at a time.
Health
July 2, 2020
When COVID-19 Hit the Smith County Jail, One Tyler Activist Became a Citizen Watchdog
Dalila Reynoso, who started a friendship with Sheriff Larry Smith at Whataburger, now monitors local jails to keep him accountable.