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Julián Aguilar reported for the Tribune from 2009 to 2021, most recently on politics and on the Texas-Mexico border. He focused on immigration reform and enforcement, voter ID, international trade, border security, and the drug trade. His political coverage has included local, legislative and congressional races in Texas, as well as local and national elections in Mexico. Before joining The Texas Tribune, he was a freelance writer for the Fort Worth Weekly, a government and crime reporter for the Laredo Morning Times, and a political writer for the Rio Grande Guardian. A native of El Paso, he has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Texas and a master's degree in journalism from the Frank W. Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism at the University of North Texas.
The first arguments were held Friday in a federal lawsuit challenging Texas policies that effectively deny birth certificates to some U.S.-citizen children of undocumented immigrants. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman questioned the state's reasoning. Full Story
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A pair of Texas congressmen who lambasted the Mexican government after the embarrassing July escape of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán lauded Mexico on Thursday for extraditing 13 alleged criminals to the United States. Full Story
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The director of the Texas Department of Public Safety on Thursday said it was absurd that some border residents claim state troopers are harassing residents during the ongoing border surge in the Rio Grande Valley. Full Story
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Carrizo cane sprouts along the banks of the Rio Grande, providing easy cover for smugglers and drug mules. A new state law says it should be eradicated, but lawmakers neglected to set aside any money for razing cane. Full Story
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State agencies are now required by law to screen potential hires through the federal E-Verify system to ensure they can legally work in the United States. But does an order by former Gov. Rick Perry still require the same for state contractors? Full Story
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Saying he was making good on a promise he made to the supporters who helped usher him into office, Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday launched a nine-city tour of Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. Full Story
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Outgunned and outmanned, the U.S. needs at least 5,000 more agents on the southern border, according to the chief of the Border Patrol union. But civil rights groups fear a hiring surge could lead to less oversight and more abuse by federal agents. Full Story
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U.S. Sen. John Cornyn on Monday dismissed the idea of a federal government shutdown, saying instead that elected officials had a duty to serve despite disagreements within Congress. Full Story
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If current trends hold, the port of Laredo is on pace to welcome about 60 percent more Cubans than it did last fiscal year. Why the exodus when the island-nation is on the verge of reestablishing ties with the U.S.? Full Story
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After a federal judge ruled that most women and children being held in Texas immigration detention centers should be released, attorneys say they are making some progress on their clients' cases. But they argue the government is making their work harder because it hasn't established a clear set of rules. Full Story
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