Refugees Archives

Afghan Toddler Lina Sardar Khil Missing in San Antonio

Politics & Policy |

June 28, 2022

An Afghan Family Came to San Antonio Seeking a Safer Future. Then Their Child Went Missing.

Six months ago, three year-old Lina Sardar Khil disappeared. The search for her has been hampered by Islamophobia.

By Bekah McNeel

Food & Drink |

January 13, 2022

How a Houston Restaurant Became the Source for Afghan Refugees’ First Meals in America

A law requires sponsors to serve refugees “culturally appropriate” meals. For Afghans landing in Houston, those come from Omer Yousafzai’s restaurant.

By Claudia Kolker

Mary Ngun Tha Sui at KD’s Bar-B-Q in Midland on November 20, 2021.

Politics & Policy |

November 29, 2021

How Refugees From Myanmar Have Embraced Midland—and Its Conservative Politics

Members of the Chin ethnic group have found good jobs in the oil fields, and many are voting Republican.

By Carrie McKean

austin airport and thailand refugee camp

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.'

By Jessica Goudeau

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.

By Peter Holley

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.

Music |

October 25, 2019

When Tekle Met Maggie: An Eritrean Refugee and a Rising Pop Star Share ACL Live’s Stage

Mezghebe fled East Africa, landed at Texas’s Casa Marianella, and performed with Maggie Rogers in Austin.

Border & Immigration |

February 2, 2017

Welcoming the Stranger: Faces of the Refugee Crisis

Six stories of refugees resettled in Houston.

By Kimberly Meyer

The Culture |

November 23, 2016

Roar of the Crowd

Readers respond to the November 2016 issue.

By Texas Monthly

Politics & Policy |

November 23, 2016

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

Politics & Policy |

October 19, 2016

Right Aid

Despite the governor’s rhetoric, welcoming refugees is the Texas thing to do.

By Dave Mann

The Daily Post |

November 30, 2015

Texas Without Syrian and Lebanese Refugees Would Not Be Texas

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.

By John Nova Lomax

Border & Immigration |

November 24, 2015

Greg Abbott Loves Small Government—Until He Doesn’t Like What People Do With It

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.