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James Barragán is a politics reporter for The Texas Tribune with a focus on accountability reporting. Prior to joining the Tribune, James worked as a statehouse reporter for The Dallas Morning News and had previous stints at the Austin American-Statesman and the Los Angeles Times. In 2021, he was a finalist for the Toner Prize for Excellence in Local Reporting for his coverage of Texas politics during the COVID-19 pandemic. James was selected as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard in 2023-24. A Southern California native, James received his bachelor’s degree in history from UCLA. He is based in Austin and is a native Spanish speaker.
Texas has transported about 13,000 migrants to New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C. But in the absence of communication between the state and those cities, nonprofits are having to pick up the pieces for this mass movement of migrants. Full Story
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He also served much of his life in the military, including the U.S. Army, the Texas Army National Guard and the Texas State Guard. Full Story
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The representative called for McCraw’s resignation after the Department of Public Safety director said in a meeting that the agency had not failed the city of Uvalde. Full Story
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On this week’s podcast, James, Zach and Patrick discuss the governor’s fundraising and a surprisingly competitive race for Hidalgo, the Harris County judge. Full Story
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That Paxton is so close to securing his reelection this November as the state’s chief legal officer is raising alarms from election experts about the impact he could have on future contested elections, particularly if Donald Trump runs for president again in 2024. Full Story
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The move clears a pathway for those people to get a special visa to stay in the country that they otherwise would not have received. Full Story
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On Thursday, officials with the Texas Military Department acknowledged that the payroll system they used for the mission has withheld too little in federal taxes from service members’ paychecks. Full Story
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The soldier is the 10th known Texas Guard member linked to the mission to die since its rapid expansion began in September 2021. Full Story
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Abbott’s team rejected the assertion, saying that O’Rourke agreed to the audience-free debate months ago. Full Story
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In a news conference ahead of the only gubernatorial debate, 35 family members of Uvalde school shooting victims said they would support O’Rourke because of Gov. Greg Abbott’s inaction on gun control measures. Full Story
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