BORDER

Texas Legislature sends $1.54 billion bill for border barriers to Gov. Abbott

Judge denies Texas’ request to stop feds from cutting border razor wire

New study: Texas’ undocumented immigrant population remained relatively stable in 2021

Texas executes David Renteria for 2001 murder of El Paso girl

Renteria’s attorneys unsuccessfully argued that the El Paso District Attorney’s Office violated his constitutional rights by not releasing all documents in his case. He was the eight person executed in Texas in 2023.

Mexico “rejects” Texas’ proposal to allow state police to deport undocumented immigrants

Mexico said Texas’ Senate Bill 4 will violate the human rights of Mexican immigrants living in Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott said he plans to sign the proposal into law.

Texas legislators approve bill allowing police to arrest people who cross the border illegally

The Texas House also voted to spend $1.5 billion on new state border walls, though that measure must be reconciled with the Senate version before it’s sent to Gov. Greg Abbott for consideration.

Senate fast-tracks passage of vouchers and border security legislation

The Senate revved to life Thursday, holding committee hearings with little advance notice and advancing four bills that satisfy Abbott’s agenda.

Texas Legislature tries again with bills making illegal border crossings a state crime

Immigration experts say the most recent proposals would raise constitutional challenges in the U.S. and Mexico, as federal courts have repeatedly ruled that immigration law enforcement falls under federal jurisdiction.

With time running out, Texas Senate punts on taking action on border bill

The Senate on Sunday afternoon failed to take action on a border security bill, leaving virtually no time to pass the bill before the special session ends on Tuesday.

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.

Leader of anti-immigration group Texans for Strong Borders also runs anonymous, hate-filled social media accounts

Chris Russo has anonymously aligned himself with Nick Fuentes’ white supremacist movement on various social media platforms under the username “Optics Respecter.”

Texas sues to stop Border Patrol agents from cutting state’s razor wire at the border

Attorney General Ken Paxton’s latest lawsuit against the federal government claims Border Patrol agents cut through concertina wire purchased and deployed at the border by the state.

Dog alerts family to Spring teen’s stroke, makes ‘massive’ difference

It was about 5 a.m. on a Saturday morning when Amanda Tanner and her husband were suddenly jolted out of sleep by their dog.

Biden admin reaches deal for migrants separated from families

Texas strings concertina wire along New Mexico border to deter migrants

Gov. Greg Abbott said the barrier — two rows of wire strung between metal posts near Interstate 10 — was necessary because migrants are crossing the border at New Mexico and walking into El Paso.

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.

Video shows growing humanitarian crisis at U.S.-Mexico border

A recent viral video from WSLS-TV showed what troops and migrant face each day

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.

Biden administration presses forward with border wall plans in Texas, angering allies

Even as the president says the barriers don’t work, his administration says it will waive environmental laws to build them quickly.

Education savings accounts and illegal immigration will be part of third special legislative session’s focus

Gov. Greg Abbott announced the items lawmakers can consider when they return Monday. His agenda also includes COVID vaccine mandates and the Colony Ridge development outside Houston.

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.

How would a government shutdown impact border, immigration courts?

A government shutdown would not impact operations along our borders, but would mean tens of thousands of Border Patrol Agents and Officers with the Office of Field Operations would have to work without pay.

An inside look at the crisis at the southern border

Now to the crisis at the southern border, and the news that the number of migrants entering the country illegally is back at record levels. The mayor of one major city saying they're at a breaking point. NBC's Julia Ainsley is in Texas

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.

Mexico agrees to deport migrants after El Paso reaches “breaking point”

Mexican immigration officials said they will negotiate with five countries’ governments to ensure they will take back their citizens. The agreement was announced after shelters in El Paso said they are over capacity.

Gov. Abbott deploys more buses to border amid migrant surge

Gov. Greg Abbott announced that he has directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to deploy additional buses to Eagle Pass and El Paso to assist in what he called a “border crisis.”

Texas border cities scramble to shelter thousands of newly-arrived migrants

Thousands of migrants have crossed the border into Eagle Pass and El Paso in recent days, the highest number since the emergency health order known as Title 42 expired in May.

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.

Slim majority of Texans support Gov. Greg Abbott’s border buoys, poll finds

The UT poll also touched on a range of other topics, including Texas voters’ opinions on the upcoming presidential election and the U.S. Senate race.

Judge orders Texas must move river buoys by Sept. 15

A federal judge ruled against the state of Texas in an on-going lawsuit over the use of buoys in the Rio Grande River.

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.

Suspect accused of killing Houston dad on Father’s Day arrested at border bridge

A suspect believed to have killed a Houston man earlier this year has been arrested after a monthslong search.

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.

Mexico officials say National Guard member who shot at migrant “separated from his position”

The Texas Military Department confirmed Friday the National Guard member who is accused of shooting across the Rio Grande and wounding a man was placed on paid leave.

Rice University Professor's take on the first GOP Presidential Debate

Professor Robert Stein breaks down key points of GOP candidate responses related to Border Security.

U.S. Justice Department argues for removal of Texas’ floating border barrier in federal court

In a court hearing over the barrier near Eagle Pass, the U.S. Justice Department argued it was installed without federal authorization, while lawyers for the state said it notified the proper authorities.

As a tropical storm bore down on Southern California, Texas sent migrants on a bus to Los Angeles

The migrants, mostly from Venezuela, voluntarily took the bus ride from Brownsville to Los Angeles even as Tropical Storm Hilary crossed into Southern California.

Legal argument over border buoys

A judge will consider if the state can keep its floating barrier to block migrants crossing from Mexico

After 2 years, Galveston County has no plans to stop sending resources to the border

Kinney County is in the Del Rio sector and for the past two years, Galveston County law enforcement has been sending resources to help the Sheriff’s Office handle a rise in smuggling cases and high-speed chases.

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.

Texas imprisoned migrants after they should have been released, lawsuit claims

The lawsuit alleges that four migrants who were arrested under Operation Lone Star remained locked up as long as six weeks after their criminal trespassing cases were dismissed or they served their sentences.

Child dies while en route to Chicago as part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s migrant busing program

After a 3-year-old began showing signs of distress, the bus of asylum-seekers traveling from Brownsville to Chicago pulled over and an ambulance was called. The child later died at a hospital in Illinois.

Eagle Pass residents sour on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star

After initially supporting the governor’s efforts to stem illegal immigration, many residents say Operation Lone Star has gone too far.