Bordering on Insecurity

Bexar County Sheriff Susan Pamerleau says U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is being "disingenuous" by claiming in administrative records that her jail declined 11 "detainers" seeking custody of undocumented immigrants. Full Story 

A state plan to eradicate invasive Carrizo cane along the Rio Grande — cited by Gov. Greg Abbott as a border security priority — is finally getting some funding after sitting dormant for almost a year. Full Story 

During an hours-long committee on border security and immigration Wednesday, a Republican sheriff was called out for doing what some argue only Democrats do: Let deportable immigrants out of jail. Full Story 

Every month, busloads of deported undocumented immigrants arrive at the southern border, returning to Mexico after serving prison time in the United States. Meanwhile, other migrants prepare to attempt illegal border crossings. This story is part of our "Bordering on Insecurity" series. Full Story 

Marcos Valencia was raised in Indiana, but in the eyes of the law, his home is the cartel-infested state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, where he was born. Now he's stuck in Mexico, unable to return to the country where he grew up. Full Story 

Unconvinced he was a U.S. citizen, the Dallas County Jail held Ricardo Garza for more than a month until he could prove his status to federal immigration authorities. Full Story 

Before two murders landed him in Texas prison, Obed Josafhat Rodriguez racked up a criminal history stretching back to his first arrest for stealing a car at age 12, but his immigration status failed to trigger any action while he was a juvenile. Full Story 

Texas counties along the Rio Grande are relatively safe, state and federal crime statistics show, and they seem to be getting even safer as more law enforcement resources pour into the area. Full Story 

Of the 251 men and women on Texas death row, 12 committed their crimes while in the country illegally, according to an analysis of data obtained by The Texas Tribune. Full Story 

About 4.6 percent of Texas prison inmates are undocumented immigrants with standing requests that they be turned over to federal authorities when their sentences are served. Full Story 

Martha and Kimberly Martinez would like to know how a man with Juan Francisco De Luna Vasquez's lengthy criminal history could be living illegally in the United States when he killed their sister. Full Story 

The arrest of an undocumented immigrant in the U.S. kicks off a complicated interplay between local and federal authorities. Use this flowchart to see the different steps in the process. Full Story 

The federal government stands poised to deport immigrants who commit serious crimes in the United States — provided someone else catches them first. The success of federal efforts to detain criminal immigrants depends largely on local sheriffs. Full Story 

Almost seven years ago, former University of Texas student Raul Zamora’s broken taillight landed him in the South Texas Detention Facility in Pearsall on the brink of deportation. Full Story 

Deported to his native Mexico for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl, Juan Leonardo Quintero returned to Houston and easily resumed his life. When he killed a police officer in 2006, Quintero became a poster child for loose border enforcement. Full Story 

How to deal with, or talk about, foreigners who commit crimes in the United States — the government’s term for them is the politically incorrect “criminal aliens” — has prompted heated calls for vastly different solutions. Full Story 

The murder of 25-year-old Spencer Golvach by an undocumented Mexican national – repeatedly thrown out of the country for multiple criminal convictions – lit a political firestorm over illegal immigration that has not abated. Full Story 

Several members of the Texas congressional delegation say the nation must prioritize an overhaul of immigration policy, specifically targeting the nation’s southern border. Full Story 

Despite the federal government’s stated focus on deporting felons, not families, some criminal offenders have illegally crossed the Texas-Mexico border multiple times. Victims’ families know something needs to change. Full Story 

When she was a federal prosecutor in Texas, Sarah Saldaña was seen as hard-nosed and nonpartisan. Since President Obama appointed her to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, she's learned to take hits from the left and right. Full Story