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.’
Immigration
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Being Texan
December 26, 2019
What Growing Up in an Alief Tailor Shop Taught Me About Being Texan
A reflection on family and home, on the heels of my parents retiring from their longtime business.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Politics & Policy
August 30, 2019
‘Mistakes Were Made’: It Remains to Be Seen if Greg Abbott’s Passive-Voice Apology Represents a Change of Heart
The governor has apologized (sort of) for an ill-timed fund-raising letter calling on supporters to “defend” Texas from immigrants. But there’s much more he can do.
Books
August 20, 2019
A Filipino Family’s Journey to Texas
A New York Times reporter pushes back against xenophobia with an intimate portrait of a Galveston clan.
Politics & Policy
August 6, 2019
What the Shooter and Trump Don’t Understand About My Hometown of El Paso
What the rest of the country will see in the days to come is a city of resilience, compassion, and honesty.
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 22, 2019
Should Texas Sue the Federal Government Over Border Costs?
Two Texas Democrats are calling on Republican attorney general Ken Paxton to sue the feds for reimbursement of border security costs. But legal experts think it’s a bad idea.
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 & Politics
July 15, 2019
What the Hell Is Happening at the Border? (An Occasional Series, July 15 Edition)
A secret Facebook group full of racist memes includes the head of Border Patrol, Elizabeth Warren promises sweeping reform, and the acting head of Homeland Security contradicts the agency's own watchdog.
Border & Immigration
July 5, 2019
The Cruelty at the Border Is Increasingly Pointless
As the Trump administration ratchets up its dehumanization of migrants, we Americans stand to lose our moral center.
Border & Immigration
July 2, 2019
Border Patrol Leaves San Antonio to Sort Out Surge of African Migrants
The city of San Antonio is doing its best to help migrants from Africa figure out what comes after their harrowing journeys.
Border & Immigration
July 1, 2019
Beto O’Rourke and Julián Castro are Fighting Over Who Gets to Be “The Texan”
“The other Texan” went after the former Senate candidate, who responded by stepping on a long-scheduled Austin rally.
Politics & Policy
June 25, 2019
What the Hell Is Happening at the Border? (An Occasional Series, June 25 Edition)
The acting Border Patrol chief steps down as migrant children go without soap or toothpaste and bodies are found along the Rio Grande.
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.
Politics & Policy
April 30, 2019
If You’re Looking for Dan Patrick This Legislative Session, You Might Find Him on Fox News
Once upon a time, the Texas Senate was Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick’s whole world. His turbulent 2014 campaign for the post was a radical change in Texas politics, the tea party revolution taking the throne. In his inauguration speech he proclaimed that his arrival marked “a new day
Art
April 26, 2019
Behind Every Painting, a Desperate Kid: The “Uncaged Art” of Tornillo’s Detained Migrant Children
A new exhibit at UT-El Paso displays works by young people held last year at the immigration detention center.
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.
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.
Art
March 11, 2019
At SXSW, the Pop-Up Abolish ICEbox Exhibits the Painful Conditions Asylum Seekers Face
RAICES brings a challenging immersive experience to an event overrun by corporate brand ”activations.”
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.
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 6, 2019
Texan Wrongfully Flagged For Possible Illegal Voting Joins Lawsuit Against Texas Officials
A U.S. citizen for just 10 months, Julieta Garibay has emerged as the face of plaintiffs who say that tens of thousands of Texans have been falsely accused of voter fraud.
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 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.
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
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.