Company helping immigrants in detention ordered to pay $811M+ in lawsuit alleging deceptive tactics
A company that provides services for immigrants in federal detention has been ordered to pay more than $811 million in restitution and penalties in a lawsuit alleging it used deceptive and abusive tactics.
High-poverty schools struggle to earn Texasโ highest rating. Some in the Rio Grande Valley break that trend.
The Texas Education Agency has dismissed the notion that the accountability ratings are a poverty rating. As evidence, they point to districts like those in the Rio Grande Valley, which have achieved high marks while serving a high number of economically disadvantaged students.
Texas needs to do more to help Hispanic students graduate from college, university leaders say
In a Texas Tribune event Tuesday, university leaders discussed why Hispanic students finish higher education programs at a lower rate than the state average but have better performance in the Rio Grande Valley and El Paso.
To stay in Congress, Mayra Flores bets Democratic South Texas is ready for an outspoken conservative
A Mexican immigrant who worked in cotton fields to pay for school supplies, Flores is a source of hope for Republicans looking to gain ground in the Rio Grande Valley. But her staying power will be put to the test this November.
Former UT-Brownsville President Juliet Garcรญa to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom
Garcรญa served as the president of the University of Texas at Brownsville until it merged with the University of Texas-Pan American to become the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She is the first Mexican American woman to lead a college or university in the United States.
As they target South Texas, Republicans say one Democratic county isnโt maintaining campaign finance records
Starr County, one of the four counties that make up the Rio Grande Valley, has not been able to produce campaign finance reports that it is required to maintain, according to a GOP group targeting the area.
Under Texasโ strict abortion law, McAllen clinic sees patients seeking medication across the border
The law went into effect in September, a week before Mexicoโs Supreme Court dissolved a Coahuila state law that made abortion a crime. Now some Texans further along in their pregnancies are going there for abortion-inducing drugs.
International trade halted at Texas border crossings as truckers protest Greg Abbottโs new inspections
Commercial traffic at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge stopped Monday and a similar protest affected traffic into and out of El Paso. The blockades could impact the flow of produce to restaurants and grocery stores.
U.S. Rep. Filemon Velaโs resignation announcement sparks a sudden special-election scramble in hotly contested South Texas
A special election will determine who finishes Velaโs term, and while the winner will only serve for a short period, Republicans are already eyeing the contest to show momentum in South Texas.
Republicans more than doubled turnout in the Rio Grande Valley compared with the last midterm primary
Democrats in the region still had higher turnout, but Republicans celebrated the narrowing of the gap. Despite the improvement, nearly 87% of registered voters in the Rio Grande Valley did not vote in the primary, similar to the rate in 2018.
Feds seek to protect rare Texas plant in the path of border wall construction
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a rule earlier this week to list the prostrate milkweed, which lives along the Texas-Mexico border, as an endangered species. The rare plant is threatened in part by border security activities, scientists say.
Former ACLU lawyer Rochelle Garza decides to run for attorney general after redistricting upends congressional campaign
Garza, a former lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, had been running to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville. U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, is now running for Vela's seat after redistricting made Gonzalez's seat more competitive for Republicans.
U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez will run for a different House seat in 2022 after redistricting made his more competitive
Texas lawmakers made Gonzalezโs current 15th Congressional District more competitive for Republicans. The representative now plans to run in the 34th District, which is safer for Democrats.
South Texas was already a political battleground. New maps could alter game plans.
With proposed maps out, U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, says he might switch to a neighboring district where U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, is retiring. The initial maps are also sure to impact decisions in regional legislative races.
Asylum-seeking families and children made up nearly half of July border crossings: โThis is young mamas and daddies trying to save their familiesโ
Migrant crossings on the U.S.-Mexico border reached a 21-year high in July. This video takes you to the epicenter: Texasโ Rio Grande Valley, where more crossings are happening than in any other region in the country.
Texas border communities grapple with dueling crises, COVID-19 pandemic and migrant surge
Several border leaders continue to call on President Joe Biden to pause the release of asylum-seeking migrants into the United States. These calls for help come as many border communities are struggling under the weight of the COVID-19 pandemic.
U.S. attorney general blasts Texas Gov. Greg Abbottโs latest border directive and threatens a legal battle
One day after Abbott told state troopers to pull over vehicles with migrants suspected of having COVID-19, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the governor's order violated federal law.
Over 4,000 migrants, many kids, crowded into Texas facility
Migrants are processed at the intake area of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility, the main detention center for unaccompanied children in the Rio Grande Valley, in Donna, Texas, Tuesday, March 30, 2021. Oscar Escamilla, acting executive officer of the U.S. Border Patrol in the Rio Grande Valley, said 250 to 300 kids enter daily and far fewer leave. Border Patrol agents asked them if they had a contact in the U.S. and allowed the child to call that person. The Border Patrol generally is not supposed to detain children for more than three days, but Health and Human Services lacks space. More than 2,000 kids have been at the Donna facility for more than 72 hours, including 39 for more than 15 days.
Small Texas border town is route to US for migrant children
ROMA, Texas โ As darkness sets on the Rio Grande, U.S. Border Patrol agents hear pumps inflating rafts across the river in Mexico. More than 16,000 unaccompanied children were in government custody as of Thursday, including about 5,000 in substandard Customs and Border Protection facilities. Unaccompanied children are supposed to be held by CBP no more than 72 hours, but they are often held longer because U.S. Health and Human Services lacks space. A group of Republican senators on Friday visited the Rio Grande Valley, which is the busiest corridor for illegal crossings, and toured a holding facility. CBP reported that it took 681 unaccompanied children into custody Wednesday, a total that excludes Mexicans, who are typically returned immediately.
Small Texas border town is route to US for migrant children
As soon as the sun sets, at least 100 migrants crossed through the Rio Grande river by smugglers into the United States. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)ROMA, Texas โ As darkness sets on the Rio Grande, U.S. Border Patrol agents hear pumps inflating rafts across the river in Mexico. Roma, a town of 10,000 people with historic buildings and boarded-up storefronts in Texas' Rio Grande Valley, is the latest epicenter of illegal crossings, where growing numbers of families and children are entering the United States to seek asylum. More than 16,000 unaccompanied children were in government custody as of Thursday, including about 5,000 in substandard Customs and Border Protection facilities. A group of Republican senators on Friday visited the Rio Grande Valley, which is the busiest corridor for illegal crossings, and toured a holding facility.
As senators head to border, debates continues on how to deal with surge of illegal crossings
Every border patrol sector from Texas to California is reporting increases in apprehensions. โThis many people coming into our country illegally does put a burden on our system,โ said border patrol agent Jesse Moreno. Moreno said Texasโ Rio Grande Valley has been hit particularly hard by large groups of immigrants crossing at once. Pimentel has long helped immigrants released from border patrol custody by providing a respite center with food, medical care, and assistance in understanding immigration court documents. Catholic Charities of the RGV has also started testing immigrants released in McAllen for COVID-19.
Hundreds of new migrants still being expelled to Mexico as Joe Biden keeps one of Donald Trump's controversial policies
Migrants apprehended crossing the Rio Grande in Brownsville were flown to El Paso for processing and then deported to Ciudad Juรกrez. CIUDAD JUรREZ โ As he stood on the international bridge that connects this border city with El Paso Tuesday afternoon, Javier Leyva had to be told where he was. Migrants that were flown from Brownsville and deported to Ciudad Juรกrez in Mexico waited at the Juรกrez Migrant Assistance Center on Wednesday. The former presidentโs policies forced tens of thousands of migrants back into Mexico, which filled shelters in border cities like Ciudad Juรกrez and stressed social service agencies who help migrants. She had tried to cross into the U.S. through Ciudad Juรกrez before, but was sent back.
Millions of Texans still donโt have broadband access. Some lawmakers are trying to change that.
A lack of broadband internet access isn't just a rural problem in Texas. Greg Abbott has designated broadband access as one of his priority items for this legislative session and lawmakers have filed several bills to promote broadband access in Texas. Much of the debate has focused on the lack of infrastructure to connect rural areas with broadband internet. A February report from the Texas Comptrollerโs Office found that almost 90% of non-Hispanic whites in Texas have broadband access, compared to 80% of Black Texans and 78% of Hispanic Texans. AdโFederal resources have been allocated to rural areas and rural areas in the United States are mostly white.
Number of arrests along southern border steadily rising
Texasโs border with Mexico is again seeing a rise in the number of people caught illegally crossing into the United States. According to data from Customs and Border Protection, the number of apprehensions began rising in April of 2020. โWe are starting to see large groups come across at one time,โ said Border Patrol agent Jesse Moreno. COVID-19 restrictions currently prevent media from riding with Border Patrol agents. Border Patrol released a statement:CBP has seen a steady increase in border encounters since April 2020, which, aggravated by COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing guidelines, has caused some facilities to reach maximum safe holding capacity.
โPlease support usโ: Texasโ citrus and dairy farmers urge patience as they rebuild after the winter storm
Dale Murden, president of Texas Citrus Mutual, slices into a fruit damaged by last weekโs winter storm. Murdenโs orchard, located near Harlingen in the Rio Grande Valley, suffered significant freeze damage. After a few days of clearer skies and warmer weather let him assess the damage to his grapefruit orchard in Harlingen more closely, the South Texas citrus grower confirmed his fears. โAs time goes on, itโll start to look worse,โ said Murden, who is also the president of Hidalgo County-based Texas Citrus Mutual. The 20-year annual average for grapefruit produced in the Rio Grande Valley is about 460 million pounds, Murden said.
President Trump visiting Texasโ Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday as his administration rushes to award more border wall contracts
(TEXAS TRIBUNE) โ President Trump is preparing to visit the Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday, in the midst of planned impeachment proceedings following a violent week at the U.S. Capitol. The Rio Grande Valley is the site of furious legal and construction activity related to the border wall as U.S. Customs and Border Protection races to build new miles of fencing ahead of Inauguration Day. Earlier this week, CBP Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan said the agency aims to award new contracts for 300 miles of new fencing before Jan. 19. He previously visited McAllen in 2019 in the midst of a partial government shutdown related to his push for border wall funding. But even as fencing has gone up at an accelerated pace in other parts of the border, construction in South Texas has bedeviled the Trump administration.
South Texas restrictions were meant to protect people from COVID-19. Then the handcuffs and ticket books came out.
Among these cases, nearly 3 in 10 people were charged only for the emergency order violation, the district attorney said. In the initial month of the virusโ spread in Texas, orders were coming out every few weeks or even days. Fines pile up, and cases are dismissedOutcomes for violating COVID-19 orders varied from community to community in the Valley. Daisy Alvarado was one of more than 340 people cited by Cameron County sheriffโs deputies for violating COVID-19 orders. The virusโ toll hasnโt changed Alvarezโs opinion that rules like the emergency orders need to be applied cautiously.
As COVID-19 vaccine arrives in Texasโ hard-hit border areas, experts warn vaccinated people could still spread virus
Some 15,600 doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine arrived at hospitals on Tuesday in El Paso and Edinburg, and more will land in Laredo, McAllen, Brownsville and El Paso later this week. El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego said heโs concerned about community spread continuing as the vaccine begins to be administered. The pandemic has disproportionately affected El Paso and Hidalgo counties compared to areas of similar or larger sizes in Texas. As of Wednesday, there had been more than 91,000 cases recorded in El Paso County, the fourth-highest total in the state. This is an exciting time,โ said Mielke, the University Medical Center of El Paso spokesperson.
Joe Bidenโs struggles along the Texas border raise questions about Democratsโ outreach there
In 28 counties in South Texas or near the border, Biden won by a combined 17 percentage points, according to election night returns. โWhile border counties in Texas are very Latino they are also very rural - and Trump improved his performance in rural communities by 400k votes across Texas,โ Espinoza wrote. And Tuesday nightโs results nationwide showed how Hispanic voters canโt be viewed as a monolith. Biden underperformed among Cuban Americans in the Miami area while building a strong coalition among Hispanic voters in Nevada. But in Texas, Villalba said, the Hispanic voters are much more inclined to be courted by Republicans.
Race for Texas intensifies amid surging turnout, COVID cases
Texas' early votes exceeded the 8.9-plus million overall votes four the election years ago by Friday morning, according to an Associated Press tally. This yearโs numbers were aided by Democratic activists challenging in court for, and winning, the right to extend early voting by one week amid the coronavirus pandemic. Texas voters donโt register by party affiliation. Early voting turnout in Hidalgo County, which includes McAllen, was just over 44%. Joining Harris was former Texas Democratic congressman and presidential candidate Beto OโRourke, who knocked on doors trying to increase turnout.
Kamala Harris visits Houston during Texas campaign swing
Kamala Harrisโ trip to Texas on Friday will include three stops across the state, including in the Rio Grande Valley, according to Democratic presidential nominee Joe Bidenโs campaign. Fort Worthโs Tarrant County was the stateโs most populous county that Republican President Donald Trump won in 2016. Harris will be the highest-profile Biden surrogate to come to Texas in the general election yet, following visits in recent weeks by Bidenโs wife, Jill Biden, and Harrisโ husband, Doug Emhoff. Harrisโ visit is not the only notable activity by the Biden campaign this week in Texas. Sign up for The Brief, the Texas Tribuneโs daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
Trump officials tout progress on border wall before election
Border Patrol agent Justin Castrejon speaks in front of newly replaced border wall sections Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020, near Tecate, Calif. Top Trump administration officials will visit South Texas five days before Election Day to announce they have completed 400 miles of U.S.-Mexico border wall, attempting to show progress on perhaps the president's best-known campaign promise four years ago. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)HOUSTON โ Top Trump administration officials visited Texas five days before Election Day to announce they have nearly completed 400 miles of U.S.-Mexico border wall, trying to show progress on perhaps the president's best-known campaign promise four years ago. DHS officials have held several events announcing immigration operations this month in states considered competitive in the election. As of last week, 381 miles (613 kilometers) of wall have been completed during the Trump administration. Of the more than 150 miles (241 kilometers) funded by Congress in the last two years, just 5 miles (8 kilometers) have been built.
Balancing higher health risks with spotty internet, reopening college in the Rio Grande Valley is a challenge
Ruben Homar Martinez, outside of his home in the Rio Grande Valley. In fact, Rio Grande Valley cities consistently rank near the top of nationwide surveys of households without internet. Students cross a bridge at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley campus in Brownsville before the campus was shut down because of the pandemic. Credit: David Pike/UTRGVThe situation is similar throughout the Rio Grande Valley, which also includes Harlingen and McAllen, among other cities. Disclosure: University of Texas Rio Grande Valley has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.
State reports almost 9,200 new coronavirus cases, 245 deaths
AUSTIN, Texas Texas health officials reported almost 9,200 confirmed new coronavius cases Tuesday as a convention center in the hard-hit Rio Grande Valley opened as a makeshift hospital for COVID-19 patients. The Department of State Health Services on Tuesday reported 245 confirmed new deaths from the virus that has taken a particularly grim toll along the Texas border. The total number of cases reported since the outbreak began in March has topped 451,000, with the death toll approaching 7,300, state officials said. Almost 138,000 cases remain active, with almost 8,700 cases requiring hospitalization, down from just over 8,800 on Monday. The true number of cases in Texas is likely higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick.
Corpus Christi, already a coronavirus hot spot, braces for Tropical Storm Hanna
Employees with the City of Corpus Christi load sandbags into people's cars as Tropical Storm Hannah approaches on July 24, 2020. Courtney Sacco/Caller-Times via Imagn Content Services, LLCCorpus Christi, already beset by a spike in COVID cases, now faces the dangers of Tropical Storm Hanna. The National Hurricane Service issued a hurricane warning for a section of the Texas coast from Baffin Bay to Sargent an area that includes Corpus Christi Bay, Copany Bay, Aransas Bay, San Antonio Bay and Matagorda Bay. The National Weather Service issued a warning of life-threatening storm surge for the areas that include Corpus Christi, Rockport and Port Lavaca. The city already closed a drive-through coronavirus testing site in Corpus Christi until at least Tuesday, officials said.
Hidalgo County judge tries slowing coronavirus, but Gov. Greg Abbott has limited his options
McAllen sits in Hidalgo County, whose top official issued an emergency order Monday in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas TribuneAs the Rio Grande Valley grapples with an onslaught of coronavirus infections and hospitalizations, Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez is pushing hard for residents to stay at home. In the new Hidalgo County order, only a second violation to the statewide mask order can be punished by a $250, in accordance with the existing state rules. In Hidalgo County on Monday, 524 people tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of infections there to 12,787, according to data released by the county. U.S. Navy teams were deployed Sunday to the Rio Grande Valley, a region that includes Hidalgo County.