Biden's movable wall is criticized by environmentalists and those who want more border security
The Biden administration’s plan to build new barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border in South Texas calls for a “movable” design that frustrates both environmentalists and advocates of stronger border enforcement.
South Texas, Abbott vs. O’Rourke, and Harris County: Here are the biggest things to watch for on election night
While the GOP focuses on the border and economy under President Joe Biden, Democrats are hoping to prove polls and political forecasters wrong by tapping into anger over the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the Uvalde school shooting.
51 migrants die after trailer abandoned in San Antonio heat
Desperate families of migrants from Mexico and Central America are seeking word of their loved ones as authorities begin identifying 51 people who died after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer without air conditioning in the sweltering Texas heat.
Death toll now at 51 in suspected migrant smuggling operation near San Antonio, Mexican president says
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the death toll had risen to 50 Tuesday morning after several people were found dead and 16 others were taken to hospitals following the discovery of a tractor-trailer rig used in a suspected migrant smuggling operation Monday.
Two critical Democratic runoffs in South Texas remain too close to call. Here’s what comes next.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, is leading his challenger, Jessica Cisneros, by 177 votes, while the margin is even smaller in the 15th Congressional District, where Michelle Vallejo is ahead of Ruben Ramirez for the open seat.
Greene, McBath win US House races; Cuellar in tight runoff
One of the last anti-abortion Democrats in Congress was facing his toughest primary challenge yet in Tuesday's runoff, while a staunch gun safety advocate ousted her House colleague in a fierce member-on-member congressional primary in suburban Atlanta.
Texas Democrats hope threat to Roe v. Wade will energize their voters ahead of the midterm election
Democrats are hopeful that the looming threat of such a stunning political sea change could provide the strongest opportunity yet to energize their voters heading into an election year in which Republicans have been expected to dominate in Texas and beyond.
Campaigning for Henry Cuellar, a Democratic U.S. House leader says party shouldn’t shun abortion opponents
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn visited Texas to stump for Cuellar this week ahead of his runoff race. The trip fell two days after Politico published a leaked draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court that favors overturning Roe v. Wade.
Democrats are in danger of losing three congressional strongholds in South Texas
The seats in question are held by U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar of Laredo and Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen. A third vacant seat recently belonged to Filemon Vela of Brownsville, who stepped down to take a private sector lobbying job.
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.
Greg Casar, Jessica Cisneros and Jasmine Crockett, young progressive candidates for Congress, want to push Texas leftward
Redistricting has empowered activists of both parties to push platforms further right or left. Progressives view three key Democrats’ advancements in the Texas primary election as a potential turning point for their movement.
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Feds sue Texas over Gov. Abbott order restricting travel of certain migrants
The US Department of Justice filed suit against the State of Texas and is asking for either a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction to prevent the enforcement of Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order restricting the travel of certain migrants.
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On border tour, Harris laments ‘infighting’ over immigration
Vice President Kamala Harris has used her first trip to the U.S.-Mexico border since taking office to call for an end to political “rhetoric” and “infighting” over immigration, an issue that Republicans have been eager to weaponize against her.
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Pork may return to the menu in Congress. Will Texas partake?
Advocates call them “community project funding.”Whatever the appellation, the debate over whether Congress can ethically bring back earmarks — a maligned spending practice banished a decade ago — is fueling debate among Texans in Congress. For some members, earmarks bring to mind an ugly past that landed one of their own in prison. For no Texas Republican is the question more consequential than U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, a Fort Worth Republican. While she has declined to comment, Politico previously reported that she voiced her support for a return of earmarks. And for some legislators, the return of earmarks is about the principle of zealously guarding the leverage of Congress, the power of the purse.
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EXPLAINER: Why is media access at the border an issue?
WHY HAS MEDIA ACCESS BEEN BLOCKED? The Associated Press, for example, has asked Homeland Security officials for access to Border Patrol facilities at least seven times, without a response. Some of them aren't coming from the professional media but from people with special access. The customs locations are considered much more crowded, and journalists have still not been allowed access to them. He says: “It is more important than ever that journalists be allowed the necessary access to report accurately and independently on the border patrol's response.”___David Bauder is the media writer for The Associated Press, based in New York.