An exclusive excerpt from Jessica Goudeau’s ‘After the Last Border: Two Families and the Story of Refuge in America.'
Refugees
One of the Bayou City’s biggest immigrant gateways, southwest Houston, is a dangerous and daunting place for pedestrians.
The governor’s decision makes no sense from a practical perspective, and ultimately, it can’t be explained as a policy choice at all.
They have fled war-torn countries, given up livelihoods, and left behind possessions and family for the safety of a foreign world of cowboy hats and Walmarts. But the refugees who land in Amarillo’s Astoria Park have an ally who understands their confusion and loss: a 64-year-old former teacher named Miss Evelyn.
More specifically, Houston might be not be a world-class medical center, Austin might not be the Live Music Capital of the World, and the Aggies might not have that recent Heisman Trophy-winning alum.
According to the governor, local mayors aren’t allowed to ban firearms in their city halls, and religious charities can only help people he approves of.