The latest border news from The Texas Tribune.
The senior fellow for Latin American studies at the Council on Foreign Relations on immigration reform, security in Mexico, the country’s budding prosperity amid an escalating drug war, and what the United States needs to understand. Full Story
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Details of a sweeping federal immigration reform bill emerged Tuesday. The plan includes a path to citizenship that lasts more than a decade, beefed-up border security and an expanded visa system. Full Story
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After initial hopes of harmony on immigration reforms in both Austin and Washington, Texas lawmakers are holding back and Texans in Washington are taking opposing tacks on border security. Full Story
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The Texas House on Thursday voted to formally ask the U.S. State Department to apply pressure on the Mexican government to release water owed to Texas under the terms of a treaty signed in 1944. Full Story
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Citing the need for more power to meet the demands of a burgeoning community, El Paso Electric plans to build a natural gas power plant. But a legislator has joined forces with a coalition of residents intent to fight the project. Full Story
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Discussions on gun control are replete with arguments about background checks, ammunition limits and issues related to mental-health awareness. Gun running to Mexico, however, remains a key concern, a new study shows. Full Story
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Austin has become a growing market for Mexican narco cinema, hastily made films inspired by the cartels. The videos are popular in Austin partly because of the city's increasing population of Hispanic immigrants and Texas’ proximity to Mexico, where the movies are made. Full Story
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U.S. Sen. John Cornyn on Thursday demanded that more information be released regarding the government's decision to release hundreds of unauthorized immigrants from immigration detention centers in Texas. Full Story
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U.S. Rep. Pete Gallego is taking his GOP colleagues to task on sequestration. In a letter, the freshman congressman tells border hawks they can’t be for the continued sequester and for increased border security at the same time. Full Story
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When it comes to immigration-related legislation, this session is far different from the one two years ago. But several bills could still stir some heated debate once House committees take up the measures in the coming weeks. Full Story
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Republicans and Democrats from Texas’ congressional delegation have come together to file legislation that would allow for public-private partnerships to fund port infrastructure improvements and staff increases. Full Story
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A decades-old treaty that mandates how Mexico and the U.S. share water from rivers is once again the genesis of growing frustrations from U.S. landowners and lawmakers. Full Story
Mexico's ruling party says the country's oil monopoly will stay under state control. But on Sunday, the party adopted a platform to allow for private investment in the oil giant, drawing interest among Texas companies. Full Story
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In a letter to Gov. Rick Perry, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano laid out the effects of federal budget cuts on agencies in Texas. The letter discusses increased wait times at at land ports and a loss of emergency management grants. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry on Monday demanded that Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton provide details about the release of thousands of undocumented immigrants from detention centers. Full Story
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“The border is safe.” That’s a common refrain from lawmakers who say the unprecedented buildup of law enforcement in the region has netted positive results. But as sequestration looms, lawmakers say federal inaction could put that reality in jeopardy. Full Story
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As lawmakers in Washington, D.C., wade into discussion of immigration reform, some El Paso leaders are urging them to include commerce considerations in their talks about safety and security on the southern border. Full Story
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The debate over what to do with the estimated 12 million people living in the country illegally has dominated the discussion on comprehensive immigration reform. But attorneys say key fixes are needed to the legal immigration system as well. Full Story
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For the second consecutive year, seizures of methamphetamine in the Laredo customs district — the country’s busiest land port — climbed significantly. Full Story
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Many in El Paso say the conditions are just right for Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform with bipartisan support. And they say that some lawmakers' demands for more border security first ignore reality. Full Story
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