The latest border news from The Texas Tribune.
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst released more interim charges he wants Senate committees to consider before the upper chamber gavels in January 2013. And it should be a surprise to few that there's a sustained focus on the Texas-Mexico border. Full Story
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Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst released a list today of border security-related issues he wants Senate committees to consider in advance of the 2013 legislative session. Full Story
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Last night's CNN debate on national security highlighted significant differences among the GOP presidential candidates — in particular, between Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports. Full Story
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Mayors of cities along the Texas-Mexico border intent on protecting the images of their communities are drawing vastly different conclusions about a proposal that would bring in equipment from overseas war zones to bolster border-security efforts. Full Story
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Vikram Datta was a successful perfume businessman when the feds accused him of being part of a complex conspiracy to launder money from drug sales. What led to his downfall? An investigation into the Black Market Peso Exchange. Full Story
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In this edition of the Texas Tribune Weekend Insider, reporter Julian Aguilar explains the challenges and temptations facing business owners on the border. And reporter Morgan Smith takes us to West Texas, where school districts have benefited from the wind energy boom. Full Story
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Environmental groups are fighting a proposal that would grant U.S. Border Patrol greater authority to operate in public parks and on environmentally protected land, saying it would circumvent regulations designed to protect natural resources. Full Story
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The French photographer on why he documented the construction of the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico, and what he learned as he trekked through four states photographing the multi-billion dollar effort. Full Story
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced this week it deported more immigrants during the 2011 fiscal year than it did in any year since the agency's 2003 inception. Full Story
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Accusations that Iranian citizens allegedly planned a terrorist plot in the U.S. and engaged people they believed were Mexican cartel operatives to help carry out the attack brought swift reactions from Texas lawmakers. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry’s suggestion he might be in favor of sending the U.S. military into Mexico to quell cartel-related violence elicited a variety of reactions, from outright dismissal to praise that he had brought the issue to the forefront of the presidential campaign. Full Story
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The former head of the U.S. Armed Forces Southern Command said Monday that if the U.S. does not provide more support to Mexico, that country's next presidential administration may have no choice but to make a deal with cartel leaders. Full Story
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Immigration issues jumped into the center ring of the presidential race, so we took the opportunity to ask our insiders how that's going to play for Gov. Rick Perry. The verdict? It depends. Full Story
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As Gov. Rick Perry adjusts to his front-runner status for the Republican presidential nomination, his opponents are planting seeds of doubt about how tough the border state’s longest-serving governor has been on illegal immigration. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry repeated a familiar claim at the GOP debate: Texas' border cities, he said, are unsafe because the federal government has failed to secure the U.S.-Mexican border. But are they? Full Story
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El Paso's Democratic state representative on the media's portrayal of her hometown, why the grassroots is key to making gains for her party, and why she thinks immigration legislation will hurt Gov. Rick Perry on the campaign trail. Full Story
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Mexican journalist Alejandro Hernandez Pacheco was granted asylum last week by the U.S. government. His attorney says it's a sign U.S. officials are no longer confident the Mexican government can protect its citizens from drug cartels. Full Story
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Former city councilman Beto O'Rourke's decision to run is no big surprise. But it sets up another big political brawl in this city known for bruising Democratic melees. Full Story
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On the national stage, Texas' economy is its best selling point. But this so-called "Texas Miracle" doesn't extend statewide: In the border region, unemployment reaches as high as 13.2 percent, and the median income is 30 percent lower than the statewide average. Full Story
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DAY 30 of our month-long series on the effects of new state laws and budget cuts: During a legislative session where hardly any services were spared the budget ax, funding for border security actually increased. Full Story
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