The latest border news from The Texas Tribune.
The capital murder case began in 2015 with the discovery of a headless body floating off South Padre Island. The trial of two men charged in the case — a U.S. Border Patrol agent and his Mexican-born brother — begins today in South Texas. Full Story
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In 2015, state lawmakers approved $800 million for border security efforts. But the election of Donald Trump as president has some Republican lawmakers thinking there will be a change in spending plans this session. Full Story
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After a concrete and steel border fence went up between McAllen, Texas, and Reynosa, Mexico, residents of both cities say it's been tough for people who've spent most of their lives seeing the borderlands as a single entity. Full Story
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On Wednesday the U.S. Fifth Circuit of Appeals will hear arguments over whether an immigrant harboring provision lawmakers passed nearly two years ago should be implemented. Full Story
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Trying to get beyond the rhetoric on border security or immigration at the state or federal level is often a fool's errand. Here are eight secrets in those often shadowy arenas. Full Story
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The president-elect's tough border talk propelled him to victory, the U.S. Supreme Court dashed President Obama's deferred action hopes and the Texas border surge drew questions. Full Story
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In Houston and Austin, some builders are voluntarily trying to ensure that construction workers are paid well and their safety is protected. Full Story
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None of the 38 Texans in Congress offered a full-throated endorsement of a complete border wall, a position popular with President-elect Donald Trump's supporters, a Texas Tribune delegation-wide survey found. Full Story
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Two cases illustrate how big-name employers benefit from illegal labor and why undocumented workers are easily exploited. Full Story
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An underground labor market provides abundant employment opportunities for undocumented immigrants in the United States. But working in the shadows often means accepting low pay and exploitation. Full Story
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The state's top elected officials are happy to go on about border security, but they get tongue tied if the conversation turns to cracking down on employers of undocumented immigrants. Full Story
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For all their condemnations of illegal immigration, Texas lawmakers — Republican and Democratic — have shown little interest in cracking down on businesses that employ undocumented workers. Full Story
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An estimated 1.6 million adult Texans have substance use disorders, many addicted to drugs that arrive illegally from Mexico. Full Story
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Supporters of legal marijuana say it would help ease problems with drug smuggling at the southern border, but experts say drug cartels would probably just switch to other products. Full Story
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Often overlooked in border security debates is the river of guns and ammunition that flows from the United States — especially Texas — into Mexico, arming cartels and smugglers. Full Story
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Two immigration detention centers in Texas will continue their day-to-day operations despite a Travis County judge’s ruling last week that denied the facilities state licenses. Full Story
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A fundamental truth underlies the nation's collective failure to stop illegal immigration and smuggling over the southern border: The United States demands the cheap labor and drugs. Full Story
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The number of illegal border crossers from far flung places— including countries deemed sponsors of terrorism — has been increasing, but they remain a small fraction of total border apprehensions. Full Story
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The race is on for Texas lawmakers to pass legislation to beef up staffing and improve facilities at the country's land ports while President Obama is still around to sign it. Full Story
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October was the deadliest month in Ciudad Juárez in nearly three years. Locals are anxious — and hopeful they're not witnessing a resurgence of the brutal drug war that plagued this Mexican border city from 2008 to 2011. Full Story
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