Fighting between legislative leaders imperils Texas border security bills
The governor, lieutenant governor and House speaker generally agree on building more border barriers and making illegal border crossings a state crime. But disagreements over strategy and personal animosity mean those measures face long odds this special legislative session.
State Senate approves bill to spend $1.5 billion for border walls, more policing of Liberty County development
Along with the money to build more border barriers, Senate Bill 6 would devote $49 million to beef up law enforcement of the Colony Ridge development that’s become a target of far-right media.
Federal judge orders immigration agents to stop removing Texas’ concertina wire on the border
Border Patrol agents have cut through the state’s wire to free migrants or take them into custody. Judge Alia Moses will hear arguments from Texas and the Biden administration next week to determine whether her temporary order will continue past Nov. 13.
How Texas lawmakers are trying to deter illegal immigration and secure the border
Two Texas House members and an immigration lawyer sat down with Matthew Watkins, the Tribune’s managing editor of news and politics, to discuss the current state of Texas’ border and immigration bills that lawmakers are weighing during the special session.
Biden administration settles lawsuit over Trump-era migrant family separation policy
If the settlement is approved, the federal government would be prohibited from adopting a similar policy for the next eight years. Affected immigrants would be allowed to be in the country legally and receive work permits and other benefits.
New York City public hospitals overwhelmed by increase of migrants
Officials say there were over 200,000 illegal crossings at the southern border last month and a record three million migrants that crossed over the last year. The increase is putting a strain on cities and health care systems. NBC News’ Julia Ainsley visited a hospital where migrants make up a quarter of the patients.
Immigration court backlog now over 2.5 million cases
Recently released data from Customs and Border protection shows a jump a 36-percent jump in the number of apprehensions along the southern border from July to August. The increase comes after President Joe Biden administration put policies in place to try to stem the flow of illegal border crossings following the end of Title 42.
Federal audit shows DHS needs to improve system of obtaining valid addresses for migrants released from custody
A recently released audit from the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General calls for improvements in how the government obtains and validates addresses of migrants released into the United States.
The legal back-and-forth over buoys in the Rio Grande
An appellate court added another twist in the ongoing legal battle over buoys placed in the Rio Grande river as a deterrent to illegal immigration. Earlier this week a federal court judge ordered Texas to move the buoys to the riverbank, but the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed that order roughly 24 hours after it was issued.
Texas can keep buoys in the Rio Grande while legal challenge continues, federal appeals court rules
Nearly three months after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the deployment of the 1,000-foot line of buoys and mesh in the Rio Grande, an Austin federal judge ordered the state to remove the barrier and stop building further obstructions in the river. One day later a higher court sided with Texas.
Lawmakers call for federal investigation into Texas Guard intel ring
The lawmakers’ remarks came after an investigation published Tuesday by Military Times and The Texas Tribune revealed how Texas Guardsmen at the state’s border with Mexico spied on migrants via WhatsApp and allegedly mishandled secret documents.
Texas National Guard disbanded intelligence wing after members used WhatsApp to spy on migrants
Four members of the unit working on Gov. Greg Abbott’s border mission have been punished after whistleblowers reported the surveillance operation violated long-standing rules against state-run spy operations.
Hearing set in lawsuit over Texas’ deployment of buoys on the Rio Grande
Governor Greg Abbott gave several GOP Governors a tour of the Texas border Monday afternoon. The tour comes on the eve of a federal court hearing involving a lawsuit challenging Texas’ authority to deploy nearly a thousand feet of buoys near the Camino Real bridge in Eagle Pass.