Senate Bill 4 blocked once again, but what does Houston-area law enforcement have to say about it?
Law enforcement officials might find themselves in a strange limbo due to the legal chess match regarding Senate Bill 4. Especially after a U.S. appeals court put the stateโs controversial immigration law, Senate Bill 4, back on hold.
Ken Paxton sues to revoke an El Paso nonprofitโs state registration after it didnโt immediately hand over client records
Annunciation House, a network of shelters that serves migrants, sought relief from the attorney generalโs demand to immediately release information about its clients. Paxton accused the religious group of smuggling humans across the southern border.
Immigration advocates criticize Abbott for busing migrants to Chicago following Illinois governorโs plea to halt
A local non-profit focused on immigrant civil rights is reacting to a letter published as a full-page ad in multiple Texas newspapers focused on the transporting of migrants from Texas to Chicago.
โAgree on saving livesโ: Illinois governor pleads for Gov. Abbott to stop busing migrants to Chicago amid winter storm
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has issued a letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pleading for him to stop sending migrant buses and planes to the Chicago area as temperatures are expected to reach below zero.
Abbottโs immigration rhetoric criticized again after interview response about shooting migrants
Asked how far Texas could legally go to secure the border, Gov. Greg Abbott said the state isnโt shooting people who illegally cross the border because the Biden administration would charge officials with murder.
Vouchers, border security, abortion: The issues you heard about in 2023 will continue to be hotly debated in 2024
After nearly a yearโs worth of legislative sessions, several issues are poised to dominate Texas politics this year. Hereโs a look at how things ended on several fronts last year โ and where theyโre headed next.
U.S. Department of Justice says itโll sue if Texas enforces new law punishing illegal border crossing
The state has until Jan. 3 to say it wonโt arrest people accused of unauthorized entry from Mexico. If not, the Biden administration will sue, saying immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility.
Feds sue Colony Ridge developer, accusing it of preying on Latino homebuyers
Federal authorities accused the Houston-area developer of targeting Latino home buyers with predatory loans and false promises. The housing development drew the attention of state lawmakers after right-wing publications claimed it is a magnet for undocumented immigrants.
Appeals court halts ruling that Border Patrol can legally cut Texasโ border concertina wire
Less than a week after a Del Rio-based federal judge ruled against Texas in the ongoing fight over the stateโs razor wire, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals paused that decision while it reviews the case.
Texas Legislature sends $1.54 billion bill for border barriers to Gov. Abbott
Senate Bill 3 would also appropriate $40 million for state troopers to patrol Colony Ridge, a housing development outside of Houston, and allow the state to send money to local jurisdictions to offset the cost of enforcing another immigration-related bill.
As Texas tries to end federal โparoleโ program for some immigrants, a Nicaraguan waits to see if he can stay
A Texas judge will decide the fate of a Biden administration program that allows people from four countries to live and work in the U.S. for up to two years. A man who sponsored his friend for the program has fought to save it.
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.
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.
Texas GOP lawmakersโ border and education wishlist would expand state budget by $2.7 billion โ and counting
If bills now being considered pass, lawmakers will be left with $3.3 billion to take care of unforeseen costs over the next two years. Some experts worry that Texas canโt sustain its massive spending on the border and public education.
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 thatโs become a target of far-right media.
Federal judge orders immigration agents to stop removing Texasโ concertina wire on the border
Border Patrol agents have cut through the stateโs 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 Tribuneโs managing editor of news and politics, to discuss the current state of Texasโ 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.
Immigrating legally means navigating a system both political parties say is broken. Hereโs why itโs so difficult.
After her brother was gunned down in 2012, Jessica Mejรญa and her mother wanted to legally migrate to the U.S. But like millions of migrants who want to move to the U.S., they discovered how difficult it is.
Recent DACA ruling creates uncertainty, state of limbo
A policy designed to shield hundreds of thousands of immigrants from deportation has again been declared illegal by a federal court judge. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, was created by Pres. Barack Obama in 2012 and has been under legal fire for years. A judge ruled the policy illegal because it circumvents immigration law set by Congress.
Mexican journalistโs 15-year quest to receive U.S. asylum ends with a yes
Emilio Gutiรฉrrez Soto fled with his son to the U.S. border in 2008 after his reporting on the Mexican military led to threats. He was working on a Michigan farm when he got the news that his asylum request was finally approved.
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 Securityโs Office of Inspector General calls for improvements in how the government obtains and validates addresses of migrants released into the United States.
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 lawmakersโ remarks came after an investigation published Tuesday by Military Times and The Texas Tribune revealed how Texas Guardsmen at the stateโs 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 Abbottโs border mission have been punished after whistleblowers reported the surveillance operation violated long-standing rules against state-run spy operations.