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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.
Texas Secretary of State Carlos Cascos hopes his tenure represents a shifting tide in the office — away from partisan gridlock over voting, and toward bolstering Texas' relations with Mexico and improving life along the state's southern border. Full Story
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A major piece of border security legislation cleared another hurdle in the Texas Legislature on Tuesday, prompting lawmakers to predict that a compromise between the House and Senate will be hashed out before the session ends June 1. Full Story
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After idling in the Senate, two controversial immigration bills — ending in-state tuition for some undocumented immigrants and barring sanctuary cities — are apparently back in play. But it remains unclear whether sponsors have the votes to bring the measures up for debate. Full Story
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With less than two weeks left in the legislative session, the Texas House is all that is keeping a stalled measure requiring public universities and colleges to allow concealed handguns on their campuses from reaching the governor's desk. Full Story
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The House and Senate are close to coming together on another thorny subject that Gov. Greg Abbott declared a priority this session. But this issue doesn't involve tax cuts. Full Story
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A controversial immigration-enforcement bill similar to an executive order issued by former Gov. Rick Perry in December is moving forward in the Texas Legislature. Full Story
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The state's public safety director says if lawmakers let him, he'll provide Rep. César Blanco with data on security operations on the border. The move follows weeks of tense exchanges over how border security dollars are being spent. Full Story
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State Rep. Dennis Bonnen has become a go-to mouthpiece for House leadership, and the votes for his legislation are indicative of how closely in step with him his colleagues are. If he were out of line, someone would yank his leash. Nobody has. Full Story
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Bill author Van Taylor said SB 19 was one for the history books. Others, including John Whitmire, disagreed. Full Story
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A controversial bill that would make it harder for homeowners and companies to recover certain damages from their insurance companies — cheered by the insurance industry and criticized by liberal groups and some businesses — cleared the Texas Senate on Thursday. Full Story
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