How federal pandemic aid helped Texas pay for Greg Abbott’s border mission
State officials freed up cash for Operation Lone Star with the help of federal funds meant to respond to the coronavirus crisis. Full Story
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![State Troopers arrest an undocumented Mexican migrant for trespassing as part of Operation Lone Star after he was caught with others in private property in Kinney County, Texas on Nov. 9, 2021.]()
Credit: Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune/ProPublica -
Texas Democrats hope threat to Roe v. Wade will energize their voters ahead of the midterm election
Democrats are hopeful that the looming threat of such a stunning political sea change could provide the strongest opportunity yet to energize their voters heading into an election year in which Republicans have been expected to dominate in Texas and beyond. Full Story
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![People rallying for abortion rights march down Congress Avenue in Austin on May 3, 2022.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott says federal government should cover cost of educating undocumented students in Texas public schools
Abbott expanded on comments he made about how he wants to “resurrect” the 1982 U.S. Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe, which guaranteed that public schools would educate all students regardless of citizenship status. Full Story
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![Students learn about Martin Luther King Jr. in Rosa Ramirez's second grade class at Linder Elementary School in Austin on Jan. 14, 2022.]()
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Texas National Guard guidance discouraging soldiers from saving drowning migrants draws scrutiny
Critics have said that a lack of guidance and equipment to perform life-saving rescues leaves soldiers dangerously unprepared to deal with a common scenario on the border while dehumanizing the migrants attempting to cross the river. Full Story
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![A Customs and Border Protection agent collects biographical information from a group of Venezuelan migrants before taking them into custody near the southern border town of Eagle Pass on April 25, 2022.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott redirects $500 million from other agencies to fund border security mission through end of fiscal year
Abbott said the money would be taken from the budgets of other Texas agencies, including nearly $210 million from the state’s Health and Human Services Commission over two years and about $160 million from the Texas Department of Public Safety. Full Story
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![Department of Public Safety agents arrest an undocumented migrant for trespassing private property as part of Operation Lone Star in Kinney County near Brackettville, Texas on Nov. 9, 2021.
Verónica G. Cárdenas for ProPublica/The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune/ProPublica -
New federal lawsuit seeks to halt Texas’ border trespassing arrests, give more than $5 million to illegally detained migrants
Thousands of men have been arrested on trespassing charges under Gov. Greg Abbott’s border crackdown. A new lawsuit claims the attempt to skirt federal immigration authority is unconstitutional. Full Story
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![The migrant processing facility adjacent to the Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office in Del Rio on Oct. 26, 2021.]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott asks for private donations to bus migrants to D.C. after criticism for using taxpayer money
The decision to crowdfund the free bus trips for migrants is a new development since his initial announcement on April 6 that the rides would be paid for by Texas taxpayers. Full Story
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![Two buses transporting migrants from Texas arrive at Union Station on April 21, 2022. Gov. Greg Abbott’s new plan in response to the end of Title 42, a pandemic-era emergency health order which allowed immigration authorities at the border to deny entry.]()
Credit: Shuran Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Texas soldier who drowned trying to help migrants wasn’t equipped with flotation device
Spc. Bishop Evans died after jumping into the Rio Grande to save migrants. He and other members of Operation Lone Star were not provided safety equipment. Texas Military Department said an order for buoys and ropes was made but has not been fulfilled. Full Story
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![A Border Patrol boat on the Rio Grande between Piedras Negras, Mexico, and Eagle Pass on Nov. 8, 2021.]()
Credit: Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for ProPublica/The Texas Tribune -
Fact-checking Texas leaders’ claims about Operation Lone Star
As reporters investigated Gov. Greg Abbott’s border initiative, they repeatedly found situations in which Abbott and Department of Public Safety officials cited accomplishments that lacked crucial context or did not match reality. Here are a few examples. Full Story
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Credit: Photo Illustration by John Whitlock for ProPublica/Texas Tribune/The Marshall Project. Source images: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune; Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune, Jordan Vondehaar for The Texas Tribune -
Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick urge Texas Supreme Court to take up Ken Paxton’s appeal to whistleblower lawsuit
The two Republican state officials filed friend of the court briefs asking that the high court take up the case because it is relevant to statewide governance and to the powers of an executive office under the Texas Constitution. Full Story
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Federal judge plans to temporarily force Biden administration to keep rule that turns migrants away at the U.S.-Mexico border
A Louisiana judge will grant a restraining order that will keep in place Title 42, a pandemic-era health rule that the federal government had planned to drop next month. Full Story
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![Academia de Belleza Jefferson, a local beauty academy, gives free haircuts to migrants in the tent city set up in Plaza de la República in Reynosa, Tamaulipas on May 29, 2021.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
Melissa Lucio’s execution halted by Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Acknowledging substantive questions about Lucio’s guilt and the fairness of her conviction, the appeals court blocked her Wednesday execution so the case can be further investigated. Full Story
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![Melissa Lucio.]()
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Some Texas Republicans push for Gov. Greg Abbott to use state personnel to deport migrants
Declaring an “invasion” under the U.S. Constitution is an incendiary idea that would spark immediate court challenges given that immigration law enforcement is a federal responsibility. Full Story
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![National Guard soldiers stand guard near the U.S. and Mexico border in Del Rio on July 24, 2021.]()
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Video: Texas produce industry will feel long-term impacts of Gov. Greg Abbott’s vehicle inspection program
In this video, see the impact of Abbott’s increased border inspections on produce importers, fruit stand vendors and truck drivers on both sides of the Texas-Mexico border. Full Story
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![Employees at the McAllen Produce Terminal Market. McAllen, TX. April 14, 2022.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
As Texas home values skyrocket, state officials wrestle with how to slow property tax increases
Texas school districts, cities and counties rely heavily on property taxes to pay for roads, libraries, police, firefighters and public schools. But lowering tax bills has long been a difficult endeavor. Full Story
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![An Aerial image of a suburban neighborhood in San Marcos on October 18, 2021.]()
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What did Greg Abbott’s border inspections turn up? Oil leaks, flat tires and zero drugs
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
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![Mechanics fix trucks at the inspection station near the Pharr International Bridge. Pharr, TX. April 14, 2022.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
Pushing for “school choice,” U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz splits with Gov. Greg Abbott in his endorsements for Texas House runoffs
Typically political allies, two of the state’s top Republicans have endorsed different candidates in six GOP primary runoff races. Full Story
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![Governor Greg Abbott shook hands with then-U.S. Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz as Cruz's wife Heidi Cruz looked on at a campaign rally in Dallas on Feb. 29, 2016.]()
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Texas has spent billions of dollars on border security. But what taxpayers got in return is a mystery.
Since 2005, Texas Govs. Rick Perry and Greg Abbott have launched a multitude of widely publicized and costly border initiatives, which usually kicked off during their reelection campaigns or while they were considering bids for higher office. Full Story
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Beto O’Rourke carefully threads needle on border policy as Democrats grapple with the issue
For Democrats, especially in Texas, tackling border issues is difficult on the campaign trail as the party is not in agreement about various policies. O’Rourke has had to distance himself from President Joe Biden’s border policies, while going after Gov. Greg Abbott’s. Full Story
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![Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke holds a press conference after holding a COVID-19 roundtable in Mission on Nov. 17, 2021.]()
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In McAllen, Gov. Greg Abbott’s border inspections meant late deliveries, rotten produce and lost business
The delays caused by the state’s inspections are the latest blow to farmers and produce businesses in the Rio Grande Valley recovering from the pandemic and losses from last year’s winter storm. Full Story
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![Eladio Corder sorts through mixed quality jalapenos at Trinidad Produce at the McAllen Produce Terminal Market. McAllen, TX. April 14, 2022.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune
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