Weighing Just 107 Pounds and at Risk of Death, an Asylum Seeker on Hunger Strike Finally Gets His Freedom
After 76 days on hunger strike and almost a year in detention, Ajay Kumar has been released from ICE custody in El Paso.
Politics & Policy
September 19, 2019
Veronica vs. the Swamp
Veronica Escobar, the first Latina to represent El Paso in Congress, isn’t afraid of playing the Washington game—as long as it means the Texas borderlands get the respect they deserve.
Border & Immigration
August 16, 2019
ICE Doctor Defends Force-Feeding Detainees on Hunger Strike as ‘Uncomfortable’ But Necessary
At a hearing on Friday, the El Paso doctor said force-feeding was considered medically unethical, but that ICE's rules required her to do it.
Politics & Policy
July 24, 2019
Autopsy Offers Jarring New Details About the Death of a 16-Year-Old Guatemalan Boy
Days after he was supposed to be in a children’s shelter, Carlos Gregorio Hernandez Vasquez died of the flu near the toilet in his Border Patrol holding cell.
Border & Immigration
July 18, 2019
More Asylum Seekers Stage Hunger Strikes at El Paso Detention Center
Four Indian men have refused to eat since July 8 in hopes of being released on bonds while awaiting deportation hearings.
News
June 11, 2019
In El Paso, Border Patrol Is Detaining Migrants in ‘a Human Dog Pound’
Immigration officials have resumed the much-criticized practice of keeping people outdoors for weeks to relieve dangerous overcrowding.
Border & Immigration
May 29, 2019
‘He Started Calling Me Papa Again’: A Separated Migrant Father and Son Reunite After 378 Days Apart
Juan is believed to be the first parent separated from a child under Trump’s zero-tolerance policy to win permanent protection against deportation.
Style & Design
May 29, 2019
A Transformative UTEP President’s Story, Told in Ten T-Shirts
Diana Natalicio has collected a few hundred UTEP tops over the decades—and has something to say about each of them.
Politics & Policy
April 25, 2019
‘I’m in Danger’: Migrant Parents Face Violence in Mexico Under New Trump Policy
At hearings in El Paso, asylum seekers forced to stay in Juarez told of violence and fear.
Border & Immigration
April 11, 2019
Two of the Asylum-Seekers Who Were Force-Fed at an El Paso Detention Center Are Now Free
In their first interview with the press, the two Indian nationals say the force-feeding process was dehumanizing and painful.
Border & Immigration
March 31, 2019
“They Treated Us Like We Are Animals”: Holding Pen for Migrant Families in El Paso Shut Down
The overnight move comes as ACLU files complaints alleging human rights violations.
News & Politics
March 29, 2019
Federal Judges Side With Texas in Fight Over Native American Gambling
The Tigua and Alabama-Coushatta tribes may soon be forced to shutter their gaming operations after courts again rule them illegal.
Border & Immigration
March 27, 2019
Customs and Border Protection Head Says “Breaking Point Has Arrived” at Texas Border
Commissioner describes a humanitarian and national security crisis while in El Paso.
Border & Immigration
March 23, 2019
Border Patrol Inland Checkpoints Shut Down So Agents Can Help Process Asylum Seekers
“It’s really out of control. It’s bad,” said one official of the surge in families streaming across the border.
Border & Immigration
March 20, 2019
Controversial Trump Administration Protocol for Asylum Seekers Will Begin in El Paso
The ”Migrant Protection Protocols” will send asylum seekers to Mexico to wait while their cases are processed.
Politics & Policy
March 14, 2019
Beto O’Rourke Is Running for President: “Our Democracy Has Never Been Under Attack Like It Is Now”
In an interview with Texas Monthly, O’Rourke says he’ll offer “bold leadership”—but offered few specifics.
News & Politics
March 11, 2019
Selection of Heather Wilson as Finalist for UT El Paso President Spurs Campus Protests
The protesters' key issue with Wilson was her congressional voting record on LGBT issues.
Border & Immigration
March 5, 2019
Border Patrol Apprehensions Are at an 11-Year High. Most Are Families and Children.
"The Border Patrol has no reason to expect that this trend will decrease; in fact we believe it will increase," said Border Patrol chief of operations.
Border & Immigration
March 1, 2019
Controversial “Remain in Mexico” Policy for Asylum Applicants Headed to El Paso
Trump administration officials on Friday said they will continue to push forward with a controversial policy to require at least some Central American asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their claims are heard, but acknowledged they are moving slowly with the process. Officials said El Paso is likely to
Border & Immigration
February 21, 2019
Vatican Sending Representative to El Paso to Discuss Immigration With Bishops
The meeting comes as unprecedented numbers of Central American families are seeking asylum.
Politics & Policy
February 15, 2019
El Paso Native American Tribe Suffers Major Defeat In Quarter-Century Battle With Texas
A federal judge is the latest to rule the tribe's popular casino violates state gaming laws.
Border & Immigration
February 13, 2019
Immigration Officials Have Stopped Force-Feeding All Asylum Seekers on Hunger Strike in El Paso
In an extraordinary hearing that involved public and private testimony, a federal judge expressed legal support for the practice of force-feeding.
Border & Immigration
February 12, 2019
Donald Trump Vows to “Finish the Wall” in El Paso Political Rally
The president also seemed focused on a nearby counter-protest featuring Beto O’Rourke.
Politics & Policy
February 8, 2019
El Paso Has Been a Reminder of President Trump’s Failures On the Border. Now He’s Campaigning There.
In a political rally scheduled for Monday, Trump is expected to once again push for a border wall.
Border & Immigration
February 7, 2019
“If the Police Aren’t Safe Here, What About Us?” Asylum Seekers Fear “Remain in Mexico” Policy
Immigration advocates worry that the policy, which is in effect in California, sends migrants fleeing danger towards more violence.
Politics & Policy
February 5, 2019
These El Pasoans Are Rejecting Trump’s False Claims About the City’s Border Fence and Crime Rate
The city's congresswoman says that Trump lied about the west Texas city during his state of the union speech.
Border & Immigration
February 1, 2019
Citing Inhumane Conditions, Detained Asylum Seekers in El Paso Go On Hunger Strike
Eleven asylum seekers detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement El Paso field office have gone on hunger strikes to protest their lengthy detention and what they view as inhumane treatment. Several who have been on a hunger strike for more than a month are being force-fed by ICE. The
Border & Immigration
January 17, 2019
Government Report Says Thousands More Migrant Family Separations Happened Than Previously Disclosed
An inspector general’s report concludes border agents continue family separations without adequate justification.
Border & Immigration
January 16, 2019
Here’s What You Should Know About the Agency in Charge of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children
The inspector general is expected to release a report as soon as Thursday on how well the Office of Refugee Resettlement is doing its job.
Border & Immigration
January 11, 2019
Tornillo’s Tent City No Longer Houses Children, But Facilities Like It Aren’t Going Away
Even as the Tornillo tent city shuts down, the Trump administration’s policies will call for more centers like it.
Border & Immigration
January 9, 2019
The Rise and Fall of the Tornillo Tent City for Migrant Children
A detention camp that became the symbol of perhaps the largest mass incarceration of children not charged with a crime since the WWII internment of Japanese Americans will soon become history.
Border & Immigration
December 24, 2018
Hundreds of Asylum Seekers Being Released on El Paso Streets Over Christmas
Immigration authorities dropped busloads of immigrants at a Greyhound bus station without giving warning to local officials, despite having promised to do so.
Politics & Policy
December 20, 2018
Beto O’Rourke Reflects On the Border as His Tenure in Congress Ends
As the congressman from El Paso and former U.S. Senate candidate departs the House, he expresses regret and pride about his effort at teaching America about the border.
Border & Immigration
December 18, 2018
Thousands of Migrant Children Could Be Released With Trump’s Major Policy Reversal
Federal officials have reversed course and announced they will no longer require fingerprints of potential sponsors for detained children.
Border & Immigration
December 15, 2018
Tent City Operator’s Request for Policy Shift Could Reduce the Mass Detention of Migrant Children
Beto O'Rourke said contractor is asking the Trump Administration to stop sharing information of potential sponsors with immigration agents.
Politics & Policy
December 11, 2018
Texans in Congress Preparing for Showdown Over Second Round of Border Wall Funding
Texas members of Congress are expressing concern about President Trump's stated willingness to partially shut down government to get funding for his wall.
Border & Immigration
December 7, 2018
More Money for a Tent City Housing Migrant Children? ‘Over My Dead Body,’ Congresswoman Says
Key Congressional Democrats vow to fight $190 million Trump administration request to run Tornillo.
Border & Immigration
December 5, 2018
Key Democrats in Congress Demand Trump Close Texas Tent City for Migrant Children
Both members promise increases oversight of facilities for migrant children when Democrats take control of the House in January.
Border & Immigration
November 30, 2018
Operators of Tent City for Migrant Kids Say They Want Out But ‘Can’t Abandon the Children’
The private company that has been contracted by the Trump administration is nearing the end of a contract to run the facility.
Politics & Policy
November 26, 2018
Beto O’Rourke Sidesteps Presidential Question, Harshly Criticizes Trump Border Policies
In his first town hall since narrowly losing his election, O'Rourke shows he may not be ready to leave public arena.
Politics & Policy
November 26, 2018
Straight Ticket Voting Says Farewell to Texas in a Big Way
Governor Greg Abbott signed a law that gets rid of straight-ticket balloting and this was its last election.
Border & Immigration
November 8, 2018
Border Officials Preparing to Evict Immigrant Encampments Near Texas Ports of Entry, ACLU Says
The plans come on the same day that the Trump administration claims power to deny asylum to those entering U.S. illegally.
Politics & Policy
November 7, 2018
ACLU: U.S. Border Patrol’s Planned ‘Crowd Control’ Exercise Violated Federal Voting Rights Act
The civil rights group filed a complaint one day after the Border Patrol postponed an Election Day "crowd control" exercise.
Politics & Policy
November 7, 2018
Photos From the Beto O’Rourke Election Night Watch Party
While O'Rourke lost the race, there was a lot of love in the El Paso stadium.
Politics & Policy
November 5, 2018
Border Patrol Postpones Plans To Conduct ‘Crowd Control’ Exercise on Election Day
The decision to postpone the exercise in El Paso, the home of U.S. Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke, comes amid widespread criticism by members of Congress and civil rights groups.
Border & Immigration
October 25, 2018
A New Focus on Border Security Comes Days Before Midterm Elections
In addition to deployment of Army troops, border nonprofits are seeing the beginnings of mass family releases.
Border & Immigration
October 22, 2018
El Paso Nonprofit Scrambles To House Migrants As Number Of Family Border Crossings Soars
Border agents are seeking more help from nonprofits as growing numbers of families are being arrested.
Politics & Policy
October 3, 2018
The Return of Planned Parenthood to El Paso
This city in West Texas was the largest in the country without a presence from the controversial health clinic.
Film & TV
September 14, 2018
Documentary ‘Run Like the Devil’ Casts a New Light on the Cruz-O’Rourke Race
Austin filmmaker Steve Mims shows why (in some decidedly non-political ways) Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke aren't so different after all.
Border & Immigration
September 11, 2018
Tornillo Tent City Will Expand To Hold Even More Migrant Kids
The facility near El Paso will more than double its capacity for unaccompanied minors, expanding to 3,800 beds.