Latest Contributions

• Texas sues to block Biden administration from lifting Title 42, a pandemic-era health rule used to expel migrants

  By Uriel J. García April 22, 2022

  Texas has led the legal fight against the Biden administration’s immigration policies, filing numerous lawsuits that have led to judges overturning or altering those policies. Full Story 

• What did Greg Abbott’s border inspections turn up? Oil leaks, flat tires and zero drugs

  By Uriel J. García April 21, 2022

  The governor ordered troopers to thoroughly inspect every commercial truck coming from Mexico in what he described as an effort to stop illegal drugs and migrants from being smuggled into Texas. His order for increased state inspections led to snarling delays in trade between the two countries. Full Story 

• Abbott ends inspections that clogged commercial traffic at U.S.-Mexico border for more than a week

  By James Barragán, Mitchell Ferman and Uriel J. García April 15, 2022

  The deals Abbott made with three of the four Mexican border governors don’t include any new security measures south of the border. Abbott threatened to restart the inspections if Mexican states don’t slow migration to Texas. Full Story 

• Gov. Greg Abbott announces deals with two more Mexican governors to halt Texas’ vehicle inspections at the border

  By Uriel J. García Updated: April 14, 2022

  The announcements come a day after Abbott reached a similar deal with Nuevo León’s governor, who agreed to add security at a major border bridge in exchange for an end to increased vehicle inspections by Texas troopers. Full Story 

• Gov. Greg Abbott eases state inspections at one commercial bridge, as trade remains snarled across the border

  By Uriel J. García and Mitchell Ferman Updated: April 13, 2022

  The move provides little relief as trade between Texas and Mexico is hampered along the border because of Abbott’s order. The Colombia bridge is just one of 13 commercial crossings between the two countries and the only one connected to Nuevo León. Full Story 

• Delays, closures and chaos mount at Texas-Mexico border crossings from new state inspections

  By Mitchell Ferman, Uriel J. García and Ivan Pierre Aguirre April 13, 2022

  U.S. Customs and Border Protection called the state inspections ordered by Gov. Greg Abbott “unnecessary” and said commercial traffic at the Texas-Mexico border has dropped 60% since they began. Full Story 

• International trade halted at Texas border crossings as truckers protest Greg Abbott’s new inspections

  By Mitchell Ferman, James Barragán and Uriel J. García Updated: April 11, 2022

  Commercial traffic at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge stopped Monday and a similar protest affected traffic into and out of El Paso. The blockades could impact the flow of produce to restaurants and grocery stores. Full Story 

• A Guatemalan mother facing death threats fled to El Paso with her son. A pandemic-era rule denied them refuge.

  By Uriel J. García April 5, 2022

  For two years, immigration officials have turned away migrants at the border 1.7 million times under an emergency public health order called Title 42, which will end late next month. Full Story 

• Trump appointees are helping Texas derail Biden’s immigration agenda

  By Uriel J. García March 15, 2022

  Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office has sued the Biden administration 20 times in Texas federal courts over everything from mask mandates to immigration policies. Trump-appointed judges have ruled in seven of them, all in favor of Texas. Full Story 

• Many voting locations throughout Texas did not open because of staff shortages

  By Reese Oxner and Uriel J. García March 1, 2022

  In some voting locations where a party’s appointed polling judge didn’t show up, election officials allowed the other party’s judge to operate both parties’ voting machines in an effort to keep the polling place running. Full Story