Greg Abbott’s call for more vehicle inspections at the border is causing delays and supply chain issues, locals say
Trucks delivering products from Mexico are facing hourslong waits at ports of entry. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/146cf5733f10735a8d76441218115ab7/El%20Paso%20Commercial%20IPA%20TT%20304.jpg)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/profiles/0112James_Barragan_2x3.jpeg)
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.
Latest Contributions
-
![Commercial vehicles go through the CBP inspection before entering El Paso from Juarez, Mexico at the Bridge of the Americas on April 8, 2022, in El Paso.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Texas border officials worry that Greg Abbott’s order to increase vehicle inspections will hurt local economies
The governor is pushing for more border security measures, some of which he acknowledges will slow traffic across the Texas-Mexico border. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/a2df3f7f5c15f83b4195fc95b2575a56/Laredo%20Trucking%20JV%20TT%2026.jpg)
![A line of trucks wait to cross the World Trade Bridge over the Rio Grande from Mexico into the United States in Laredo, on Sept. 16, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to bus migrants to Washington, D.C., will be voluntary
Abbott said he’s responding to the Biden administration announcement that it will lift a pandemic-era emergency health order that allowed immigration authorities to turn away migrants at the border, even those seeking asylum. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/8649a066828f8db771ddaa9e8feaaed5/McAllen%20Migrants%20SP%20TT%20315.jpg)
![Asylum seekers disembark a bus in front of the Catholic Charities Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen on Aug. 1, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
“Unwinnable race”: State Sen. Beverly Powell of Burleson ends reelection bid, citing redrawn political map
Powell, a Democrat, had won Senate District 10 by winning over a coalition of diverse voters in Tarrant County. The GOP redrew the district to branch out to counties to the south and west that made it more rural and more white. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/bf4d5738fe3018c4ad7dee8f1d734706/Senate%20Floor%20SP%20TT%2008.jpg)
![State Sen. Beverly Powell, D-Burleson, waits for the Senate to gavel in on Aug. 10, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Guard’s border mission needs an additional $531 million to continue past this month, top general says
Texas Military Department leaders say they’ve addressed many of the issues that arose late last year when the mission ramped up to 10,000 service members — but more money is needed to run the mission at its current pace. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/46f74dc6cad15de4f2bf9fb535b68271/Operation%20Lone%20Star%20VGC%2002.jpg)
![National Guard oversee an area where the border wall ends in Del Rio, on Nov. 7, 2021.]()
Credit: Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for ProPublica/The Texas Tribune -
“Absolutely disgusting”: Family of Botham Jean demands congressional candidate Jasmine Crockett stop using his name
The family of Botham Jean, who was fatally shot by a Dallas police officer in his apartment, sent state Rep. Jasmine Crockett a cease-and-desist letter. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/91a98c6ca349b886b2a409a248f9b171/Allison%20Jean%20REUTERS%20TT.jpg)
![Botham Jean's mother Allison Jean, left, and his father Bertram Jean listen as family attorneys, Benjamin Crump, Lee Merrit & Daryl Washington address the press after the conviction charge of murder was delivered after deliberations for the trial of former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger, in Dallas, Oct. 1, 2019.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Jeremy Lock -
TribCast: Operation Lone Star and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week
Gov. Greg Abbott’s controversial border mission was subject to a slew of bad news this week, including a major shakeup at the Texas Military Department, whose top leader Abbott replaced. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f62eaec8749f5af5e930564d15cf9ccf/TribCast%20March%2018.jpg)
![A National Guard vehicle is stationed near the U.S. and Mexico border in Del Rio on July 22, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Shakeup of Texas border mission leadership continues as pair of two-star generals departs
The departure of three top officials in a week signals that officials may be looking to make changes to the heavily criticized mission. A soldier leading a unionization effort welcomed the moves. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/97d707618e7c448a98014ebf07c8a20b/Camp%20Mabry%20File%20TT%20LW%2007.jpg)
![A sign with the Texas Military Department Seal outside Camp Mabry in Austin on Jan. 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
National Guard troops were dispatched to famous Texas ranches with private security as part of border mission
The dispatching of troops to the sprawling private ranches, far from the border, raises questions about the use of National Guard troops, who have widely decried the mission as aimless, political and oversized, as the cost of the effort has already ballooned to $2 billion a year. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/23fcf4243170b9e75da2ef6b1ca95324/Redo%20Texas%20National%20Guard%20Kenedy%20Co%20EG%2004.jpg)
![Texas National Guard stationed outside a King Ranch Norias Division entrance on Jan. 13, 2022.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott replaces Texas military leader who has overseen heavily criticized border mission
Maj. Gen. Thomas M. Suelzer will take over as the military department’s new leader. He replaces Maj. Gen. Tracy Norris, who was criticized for her handling of Operation Lone Star, as adjutant general of the Texas Military Department. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f61d83fd61c979f92ffb43d8f5729582/01%20Border%20Military%20MG%20TT.jpg)
![From left: Gov. Greg Abbott, House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and Brig. Gen. Tracy Norris, the adjutant general of the Texas National Guard, discuss sending an additional 1,000 troops to assist at the border at a press conference in Austin on June 21, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune