Analysis: The political value of an interruption
Nobody wants storms or fires. But for Texas politicians, responding to disasters can be a welcome change of subject from political fights in an election year. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton hosted 12 attorneys general from around the U.S. for a border security briefing at Texas DPS regional headquarters in Weslaco on Jan. 27, 2022.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott brags about his border initiative. The evidence doesn’t back him up.
Arrests of U.S. citizens hundreds of miles from the border. Claiming drug busts from across the state. Changing statistics. The data that Texas leaders use to boast about Operation Lone Star raise more questions than answers. Full Story
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![A photo collage a map of the Texas-Mexico border, images of the border fence, a handcuffed pair of hands and Operation Lone Star paperwork.]()
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Texas continues imprisoning migrants without filing charges or appointing lawyers, court filings claim
Months after the problems became apparent, migrants are still being kept in prison in violation of state laws under Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security crackdown. 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 -
Shakeup of Texas border mission leadership continues as pair of two-star generals departs
The departure of three top officials in a week signals that officials may be looking to make changes to the heavily criticized mission. A soldier leading a unionization effort welcomed the moves. Full Story
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![A sign with the Texas Military Department Seal outside Camp Mabry in Austin on Jan. 24, 2022.]()
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National Guard troops were dispatched to famous Texas ranches with private security as part of border mission
The dispatching of troops to the sprawling private ranches, far from the border, raises questions about the use of National Guard troops, who have widely decried the mission as aimless, political and oversized, as the cost of the effort has already ballooned to $2 billion a year. Full Story
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![Texas National Guard stationed outside a King Ranch Norias Division entrance on Jan. 13, 2022.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott replaces Texas military leader who has overseen heavily criticized border mission
Maj. Gen. Thomas M. Suelzer will take over as the military department’s new leader. He replaces Maj. Gen. Tracy Norris, who was criticized for her handling of Operation Lone Star, as adjutant general of the Texas Military Department. Full Story
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![From left: Gov. Greg Abbott, House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and Brig. Gen. Tracy Norris, the adjutant general of the Texas National Guard, discuss sending an additional 1,000 troops to assist at the border at a press conference in Austin on June 21, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Feds seek to protect rare Texas plant in the path of border wall construction
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a rule earlier this week to list the prostrate milkweed, which lives along the Texas-Mexico border, as an endangered species. The rare plant is threatened in part by border security activities, scientists say. Full Story
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![The view of the Rio Grande River from Gerardo Vargas' property on June 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Jessica Nicole Rodriguez for The Texas Tribune -
To build Abbott’s border barrier, Texas will use surplus wall panels from the federal government
The 1,700 unused wall panels are being stored in Eagle Pass. Texas didn’t have to explain its plans for the panels when it secured the federal donation. Full Story
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![A welder straightens out a post in a new section of border wall that is being constructed near Eagle Pass on Nov. 20, 2021.]()
Credit: Nick Wagner for The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: The Texas power grid fares better in 2022’s winter storm
In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Mitchell and James about how Texas held up during the wintry weather, plus the struggles of the National Guard during their border deployment. Full Story
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![CPS Energy employee Dillon Mikes trimmed icy branches hanging too close to power lines in northeast San Antonio on Thursday.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for the Texas Tribune -
Pro-Trump GOP congressional candidate says anti-Trump post was prank by son
The 2016 Facebook post said, "Better to be a Mexican, than to be a citizen of a country that elects Trump as President." Full Story
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![Ed Cabrera is a Republican, running to unseat U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar in Texas' 28th Congressional District.]()
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Probe of Texas National Guard border mission demanded over suicide attempts, abysmal conditions and delayed pay
The call for action from Texas Democrats comes as another service member based in the city of Pharr survived a suicide attempt on Sunday, according to an incident report obtained by Army Times and The Texas Tribune. Full Story
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![A group of migrants waits to turn themselves over to National Guard and Customs and Border Protection officials at the U.S. and Mexico border in Del Rio on July 22, 2021.]()
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Texas sheriff under investigation for routinely seizing cash from undocumented immigrants
Search warrants show that Real County Sheriff Nathan Johnson is under scrutiny by state investigators, accused of illegally confiscating cash and a pickup truck from immigrants stopped by his deputies. Full Story
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![Real County Sheriff Nathan Johnson.]()
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Texas lawmakers deplore mistreatment of National Guardsmen sent to border duty
Legislative leaders overseeing the Texas Military Department say they are looking into reports of suicides, habitual pay problems and poor working conditions on Gov. Greg Abbott's highly touted border mission. Full Story
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![Members of the Texas National Guard, seen here on Dec. 8, work 12- to 13-hour shifts guarding the Texas border wall, construction crews and materials near Del Rio. Thousands of National Guard troops were deployed to Del Rio after an increase in migration at the southern border.]()
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Allen West blasts Gov. Greg Abbott over suicides, pay problems among National Guardsmen at the border
Abbott’s political challenger said guard members deployed to Operation Lone Star are facing late pay, being exposed to COVID-19, experiencing supply shortages and dealing with added stress that has led to multiple suicides tied to the mission. Full Story
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![A National Guard soldier leads a group of asylum seekers who have just crossed the border to be apprehended by Customs and Border Protection officers in Roma on Aug. 3, 2021.]()
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In his bid for attorney general, George P. Bush pitches himself as the toughest candidate on the border
Political observers say the move is a gamble. All three other major Republican candidates for attorney general, including incumbent Ken Paxton, have strong stances on border security. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott inaugurates first stretch of state-funded border barrier in Starr County
Abbott launched the construction of a wall along the Texas-Mexico border using state money and crowdfunded private donations. The state has at least $1.05 billion for the border barriers. Full Story
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![Greg Abbott gives a press conference on border wall construction at Rio Grande City on Dec. 18, 2021]()
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Analysis: The Texas-Mexico frontier still tops the news — and state politics
For Texas voters, fear of an insecure border consistently overshadows other issues — electric grid failures, handgun regulation, abortion access — even when those things top the news. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference with nine other governors regarding the southern border at Anzalduas Park in Mission on Oct. 6, 2021.]()
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Beto O’Rourke uses opening days of challenge against Gov. Greg Abbott to recalibrate
O’Rourke hit the campaign trail with a pitch narrowly focused on several issues that are largely popular with voters, leaving behind the more incendiary rhetoric from his presidential campaign. Full Story
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![Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke speaks to supporters at a meet and greet held in San Antonio on Nov. 16, 2021.]()
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Among El Pasoans, Beto O’Rourke’s gubernatorial run excites loyal fans and revives longtime grudges
El Pasoans who have followed O’Rourke’s political career are excited about his run for governor. But his critics still remember his support of a development plan that could have displaced Mexican American residents from one of the city’s oldest barrios. Full Story
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![Beto O'Rourke's early voting rally in San Jacinto Plaza and walking through downtown to vote at the County Court House.Friday, March 2, 2018, in El Paso, Texas. Photo by Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune]()
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“Happy to see you again”: U.S. reopens land borders with Mexico to vaccinated travelers after 19 months
The ports of entry were closed in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. Mexican nationals will need to present proof of vaccination to enter the U.S. Full Story
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![Susana Garcia, left, embraces her sister, Martha Garcia, near the Paso del Norte International Port of Entry after not seeing her for nearly 2 years, on Monday, Nov. 8, 2021, in El Paso. Garcia is one of the first persons to cross into El Paso from Ciudad Juárez after the reopening of the border to vaccinated nonessential travelers. The border had been closed for nearly 20 months due to the global pandemic.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune
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