Border & Immigration
February 2, 2023
The Case for Busing Migrants
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
Reporting and commentary on immigration and the Texas-Mexico borderlands
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
The U.S.-Mexico Border Is Not Just a Line on a Map
As a child, I experienced the boundary between Texas and Mexico as its own distinct place. Now I know why.
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.
Border & Immigration
December 14, 2022
In Rural Far West Texas, Justices of the Peace Confront a Death-Investigation System That’s Failing Unknown Migrants
As the migrant death toll rises, county officials, forensic laboratories, and locals work with little governmental assistance to process, identify, and repatriate the bodies.
The Stand Up Desk
October 13, 2022
A Writer’s Close Call While Reporting on the Ciudad Juárez Femicides
A man approached Cecilia Ballí and asked, “Are you looking for work?” It shook her—and helped her grasp the danger in early-aughts Juárez.
By
Michael Hall
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Border & Immigration
August 11, 2022
Why Are Border Smugglers Trafficking Bologna?
The tons of contraband lunch meat seized at the U.S.-Mexico border tell us something about the market value of nostalgia.
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.
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.
By
Cat Cardenas
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Border & Immigration
January 24, 2022
Presidio Officials Worried About a New Trade Route for Truckers. Locals Saw an Opportunity.
With an obscure change in Mexican trade policy, the cash-strapped border town started seeing more visitors.
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
Border & Immigration
October 21, 2021
Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz on the Crisis in Texas and Why Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star Concerns Him
The Del Rio–raised law enforcement official chatted with ‘Texas Monthly’ about the situation in his hometown and immigration enforcement across the state.
Border & Immigration
September 18, 2021
The Biden Administration Says It’s Repairing Levees. Some South Texans Say It’s Building a Border Wall.
Barriers reminiscent of the Trump era are sprouting up in Hidalgo County.
State of Mind
July 28, 2021
State of Mind, Episode 7: Finding Home in El Paso
Katie Nodjimbadem on how she was shaped by her family's unlikely choice to make a home in the Chihuahuan Desert.
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.
Health
April 28, 2021
Undocumented Texans Are Eligible for the Vaccine. That Doesn’t Mean They’re Accessing It.
Fear of deportation at vaccination clinics and a lack of access to up-to-date information about eligibility have kept many migrant farm workers in Hidalgo County from getting immunized.
Film & TV
February 2, 2021
In El Paso, Joining Border Patrol Offers a Rare Path to Financial Security. But for Some Immigrant Kids, It’s Complicated.
The new documentary ‘At the Ready’ follows the members of Horizon High School’s criminal justice club as they train for Border Patrol careers—and grapple with what that means.
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.
By
Cat Cardenas
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Border & Immigration
December 7, 2020
These Texas Landowners Hoped Trump’s Loss Would Halt the Border Wall. Instead, They Say, Things Are Worse.
With Trump ramping up efforts to construct the border wall, South Texans say the effort has been stripped to its essence: “It’s basically just big government taking Texas land.”
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.
By
Cat Cardenas
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Border & Immigration
November 6, 2020
El Paso’s COVID-19 Spike Is a Binational Problem
Leaders on both sides of the Rio Grande claim border crossings, an aspect of daily life in the region, have contributed to the recent surge in infections.
Border & Immigration
September 28, 2020
A Refugee’s First Day in Texas
An exclusive excerpt from Jessica Goudeau’s ‘After the Last Border: Two Families and the Story of Refuge in America.'
Border & Immigration
June 25, 2020
We Didn’t Think We Would Live in El Paso Permanently. It Became Home.
The border city treated my family with care and invited us to find community there.
Border & Immigration
June 23, 2020
I Finally Became a U.S. Citizen Amid the Pandemic
After a lifetime of wanting to taking the oath, the moment finally came in a quick, socially distanced ceremony in San Antonio.
Politics & Policy
May 22, 2020
Recently Released Asylum Seekers Talk About Detention During the COVID-19 Pandemic
As the coronavirus first spread throughout the Texas's ICE facilities, migrants grew increasingly desperate for release.
By
Cat Cardenas
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Border & Immigration
April 21, 2020
Children Grappling With Remote Asylum Hearings? With COVID-19, That’s Now the Norm.
Many immigration attorneys have called for hearings to be delayed, but cases are nonetheless proceeding by phone and video.
By
Cat Cardenas
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Border & Immigration
April 9, 2020
A Minister on the Border Tries to Keep Despair at Bay
There are about 2,000 migrants in the camp now. It changes every day—20 new families arrive, then 40 leave. Two months ago, the government made everyone move from the plaza—a park near the bridge—to the river bank. They were
Border & Immigration
March 21, 2020
“There’s Been Absolutely No Change in Procedure”: ICE Detention Facilities Are Not Prepared for the Coronavirus
In Texas’s ICE facilities, immigrants remain in close quarters and sanitizer is running short. Advocates worry a COVID-19 outbreak could be severe.
By
Cat Cardenas
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Politics & Policy
March 16, 2020
Non-Immigration Lawyers Are Helping Asylum Seekers Stuck in Mexico
For the 25,000 migrants awaiting hearings and subject to Trump’s Migrant Protection Protocols, representation can be hard to come by.
Border & Immigration
February 10, 2020
This Family Survived an African Refugee Camp. Their New Challenge: Surviving Houston Without a Car.
One of the Bayou City’s biggest immigrant gateways, southwest Houston, is a dangerous and daunting place for pedestrians.
News & Politics
January 27, 2020
A Year After 7-Year-Old Jakelin Caal Died in U.S. Custody, Everything (And Nothing) Has Changed for Her Family
Few of the promises made to her family and community were kept. And Jakelin’s father has given up on the American Dream.
Politics & Policy
January 27, 2020
So Far From Heaven, So Close to Texas: Duncan Wood on Trump, Mexico, and Texas
One of America’s premier Mexico experts discusses how Mexico’s populist president is changing relations between Texas and our neighbor to the south.
Border & Immigration
January 13, 2020
Greg Abbott’s Rejection of Refugees is Baffling—and Boneheaded
The governor’s decision makes no sense from a practical perspective, and ultimately, it can’t be explained as a policy choice at all.
Border & Immigration
January 10, 2020
Tommy Fisher Is Gambling He Can Flip His $42 Million Border Wall to Trump
No matter that the federal government formally objects to his project and plans to build its own just two miles away.
Border & Immigration
December 23, 2019
‘It’s Not Who We Are’: Jill Biden Visits the Refugee Camp in Matamoros
Immigrants in limbo under the “Remain in Mexico” program are prepared for the long haul.
Criminal Justice
December 19, 2019
He’s One of the Best Young Prosecutors in Texas. He Also Could Get Kicked Out of the Country.
Pedro Villalobos handles felony cases in Travis County, but his own legal status could be in jeopardy.
By
Michael Hall
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Border & Immigration
December 18, 2019
The Best Things in Texas: The New Freedom Riders
Volunteers from across Texas, the U.S., and abroad have been making the trek to the border to help immigrants trapped in legal limbo.
Border & Immigration
December 5, 2019
At Trump Administration’s Request, Federal Judge Stops a Private Border Wall in South Texas
For the second time in a week, the pro-Trump group has been told to stand down.
Politics & Policy
November 26, 2019
In a First, the New Homeland Security Chief Met With South Texans About Cross-Border Trade
Chad Wolf was in the Rio Grande Valley last week for a border wall photo-op, but over a meal of cordon bleu he heard from businesspeople about economic woes.
Border & Immigration
November 15, 2019
‘We Build the Wall’ Ordered to Stop Construction of Private Border Wall in South Texas
Environmentalists worry the wall could worsen flooding and violate an international treaty.
Art
November 13, 2019
How a Public Art Project in El Paso and Ciudad Juárez is Spurring Cross-Border Conversations
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s interactive ‘Border Tuner’ is visible this month from both cities along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Border & Immigration
November 1, 2019
It Looks Like the Border Wall Is Going Up in South Texas. But Looks May Be Deceiving.
Crews have built a small section of steel fencing in Hidalgo County. Is it all for show?
Border & Immigration
October 24, 2019
What the Hell Is Happening at the Border? (An Occasional Series, October 24 Edition)
A government agency finds human rights abuses, and a five-year high for abuses by Border Patrol agents.
By
Dan Solomon
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Border & Immigration
October 11, 2019
Crews Begin Clear-Cutting South Texas Land to Make Way For Trump’s Border Wall
Critics say it’s a political gimmick. It’s unclear when, or if, the administration can erect the steel barrier through the Rio Grande Valley.
Border & Immigration
October 8, 2019
‘This Policy Is a Disaster’: Julián Castro Visits Increasingly Desperate Migrants in Matamoros
Asylum seekers subject to Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy wait in fear and boredom at a gritty tent encampment.
Border & Immigration
September 26, 2019
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.
Border & Immigration
September 19, 2019
The Angry Tías y Abuelas Are Feeding and Fighting for Asylum Seekers at the Border
Situated on the frontlines of the immigration crisis, the Angry Tias y Abuelas group acts as the eyes and ears of the border.
By
Cat Cardenas
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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
September 17, 2019
Migrants Stuck in Squalid Mexican Tent Camps Begin Asylum Process
At hearings in tent courtrooms this week, migrant families were confused and fearful about their prospects.
Border & Immigration
September 12, 2019
The Trump Administration Is Blocking the Public From Attending Asylum Hearings in Brownsville
On the first day of “return to Mexico” hearings, attorneys and journalists were turned away from the tent courtrooms where the hearings are taking place.
Border & Immigration
September 6, 2019
Migrants Testify to Sleeping Near Feces and Urine in South Texas Border Patrol Holding Facilities
In a rare court hearing, detainees describe severe overcrowding, no access to legal assistance, and inadequate medical care in the hieleras.