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.
Border & Immigration
Reporting and commentary on immigration and the Texas-Mexico borderlands
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.
Border & Immigration
February 5, 2019
Signs of Border Wall Construction Seen in South Texas as Debate Over Funding It Continues
Congress already funded some wall construction last fiscal year.
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 25, 2019
Where Is San Antonio in Relation to the Border? An Investigation That Is Apparently Necessary
Because after Trump crowed about the city’s wall, Fox News announced a “Battle for the Border” town hall—in a city 144 miles from Mexico.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Border & Immigration
January 23, 2019
Potential Flooding Dangers from the Border Wall Must Be Studied, San Antonio Lawmaker Says
A bill introduced by State Representative Roland Gutierrez also directs state agencies to determine how new wall construction would affect water quality and environmental contamination.
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 16, 2019
“We Just Listened to Him Talk”: Sister Norma Pimentel Describes the Disappointment of Trump’s Border Roundtable
The well-known humanitarian says community leaders weren't even represented in what turned out to be a scripted event touting Trump's plans.
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 11, 2019
Will Hurd Isn’t the Only Texas Official Who Opposes the Border Wall
The people who represent the region oppose Trump’s plan, regardless of party.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Border & Immigration
January 10, 2019
“They Don’t Realize What a Dynamic Place It Is”: Locals Raise Their Voices Amid Border Fight
After years of photo op visits from Democrats and Republicans alike, McAllen mayor Jim Darling and others hope to highlight the region's dynamism and interconnectedness with Mexico.
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 26, 2018
U.S. Practice of Deporting Migrants at Night Threatens Their Safety
The situation has become so dangerous that Mexican police escorts have been discontinued after sundown.
By Katy Vine![Katy Vine's Profile Photo]()
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 20, 2018
Trump Administration Will Require Asylum Seekers to Wait in Mexico
Asylum seekers entering the United States through Mexico will be sent back across the border as their asylum cases are decided.
Border & Immigration
December 18, 2018
Will There Be a Showdown Over Funding of the Border Wall?
Carlos Sanchez speaks with a Texas congressman on the appropriations committee ahead of the looming budgetary showdown in Washington.
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
Acting Attorney General Speaks Out on Immigration in Austin
Matthew Whitaker repeatedly hammered the idea that people who enter the country without authorization are ”illegal aliens.”
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.
Border & Immigration
November 18, 2018
The Power Issue: Sister Norma Pimentel Is Demonstrating the Power of Mercy and Charity
The McAllen nun fights fiercely for the dignity of immigrants.
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.
Border & Immigration
November 7, 2018
Trump’s Border Wall Could Cause Deadly Flooding in Texas. Federal Officials Are Planning to Build It Anyway
Engineers have long concluded that a wall in flood-prone Starr County could be catastrophic.
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
October 31, 2018
Birthright Citizenship Is Not a New Fight in Texas
The Texas Legislature refused to consider ending birthright citizenship in 2009. Now President Trump wants to do it by fiat.
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.
Arts & Entertainment
October 23, 2018
On ‘Parts Unknown,’ Anthony Bourdain Asks If West Texans Are the Platonic Ideal of Texans
Spoiler: The answer is yes.
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.
Books
October 20, 2018
Octavio Solis’s Memoir ‘Retablos’ Offers a Vision of El Paso’s Border Beyond the News
Told through vignettes, 'Retablos,' a memoir by playwright Octavio Solis, depicts the myths and realities of a childhood along the border.
Border & Immigration
October 19, 2018
Can an International Hotline Help Stop the Cartels?
The U.S. Border Patrol and the governor of Tamaulipas are looking for a few good anonymous tips—and hoping it doesn't all backfire.
Border & Immigration
October 17, 2018
For Long-Separated Immigrant Families, a Three-Minute Hug at the Border Offers a Bittersweet Reunion
Irving Castillo hadn't seen his family in fifteen years. At the 'Hugs Not Walls' event, they were able to reunite—for 180 seconds.
By Cat Cardenas![Cat Cardenas's Profile Photo]()
Health
September 21, 2018
Undocumented Immigrants Are Risking Their Lives To Receive Emergency Dialysis
Undocumented immigrants usually don’t qualify for treatment for kidney disease—until it becomes life-threatening and much more expensive.
Border & Immigration
September 19, 2018
A Brownsville Cop Was Charged With Smuggling Her Undocumented Boyfriend. She’s Been Acquitted. He’ll Likely Be Deported.
Brownsville police officer Valerie Rivas was charged with smuggling her undocumented boyfriend. She’s been acquitted. He’s likely to be deported.
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.
Border & Immigration
August 31, 2018
The Trump Administration Is Targeting Latino Texans Who Are U.S. Citizens
With the government questioning the authenticity of their birth certificates, some Texans worry that even providing additional documentation won't be enough.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Border & Immigration
August 27, 2018
Dozens of Immigrant Parents Remain Separated From Their Children
A month after a federal judge’s deadline more than 500 children remain in federal custody and away from their families.
Border & Immigration
August 24, 2018
‘Don’t You Understand That We Don’t Want You in This Country?’
A complaint filed with the Department of Homeland Security accuses immigration authorities of trying to coerce immigrants into leaving the country.
Border & Immigration
August 15, 2018
A Hit-and-Run Killed an Immigrant Father of Five in Austin
He worked 80-hour weeks to send money home to his family. The driver who ran him over had been in and out of trouble for years.
By Michael Hall![Michael Hall's Profile Photo]()
Border & Immigration
August 6, 2018
The Government Reunited Some Immigrant Families—Then Took the Children Away a Second Time
As the government contends with 500 children who remain in government facilities, nightmarish tales are emerging of aborted reunifications.
Border & Immigration
August 4, 2018
Trump Administration May Be Creating ‘Permanently Orphaned’ Immigrant Kids, Judge Says
The judge ordered the administration to begin finding missing parents and to reunite them with their children.
Books
August 2, 2018
The Road to ‘Presidio’
Randy Kennedy on the Texas locales that helped shape his debut novel.
By Jeff Salamon![Jeff Salamon's Profile Photo]()
Border & Immigration
July 27, 2018
Charles Foster on the Immigration Conundrum
The solutions to our current crisis on the border are relatively simple, says Houston immigration expert Charles Foster. But our politicians don’t have the nerve to make them happen.
By Katy Vine![Katy Vine's Profile Photo]()
Border & Immigration
July 27, 2018
A Four-Year-Old Reunites With His Mother in a Journey That Is Far From Over
The reunion came on deadline day for a court-ordered reunification of separated immigrant families.
Border & Immigration
July 26, 2018
Separated Parents Coerced Into Waiving Reunification With Their Children, Affidavits Say
Many Spanish-speaking parents said they did not understand the English documents they were signing.
Border & Immigration
July 25, 2018
Hundreds of Immigrant Families Will Remain Separated Even If Government Meets Thursday Deadline
A federal judge praised the government effort, but expressed concern that hundreds of immigrant parents may have been deported without their children.