Politics & Policy
June 14, 2022
After Years of Victory Laps, the GOP Has Actually Won a Big South Texas Race
Mayra Flores won a special election to serve as the first Republican in the U.S. House from the Rio Grande Valley since 1871.
Filemon Vela
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.
Politics & Policy
August 30, 2019
Is the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge Still in the Crosshairs of Trump’s Border Wall?
Activists are concerned that the Trump administration will circumvent congressional prohibitions against building a barrier through the South Texas preserve.
Border & Immigration
April 3, 2018
Federal Border Wall Funding Spares Wildlife Refuge, But Not Much Else
The omnibus bill allocates money toward border wall construction along 33 miles in the Rio Grande Valley.
Politics & Policy
October 19, 2016
Up Against the Wall
Congressman Filemon Vela had always kept a low profile—until he told Donald Trump to stick his border fence you-know-where.