https://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/uriel-j-garcia/The latest news by Uriel J. García.enWed, 01 Oct 2025 12:25:35 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/10/01/texas-daca-deportation-el-paso-catalina-xochitl-santiago-court-ruling/The El Paso federal judge said the Trump administration is violating the constitutional rights of Catalina “Xochitl” Santiago, a DACA recipient who has lived in the U.S. for two decades.By Uriel J. GarcíaWed, 01 Oct 2025 12:25:35 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/10/01/texas-daca-deportation-el-paso-catalina-xochitl-santiago-court-ruling/Protesters hold signs up during a rally for the release of Catalina “Xochitl” Santiago, a DACA recipient who was detained by immigration agents at El Paso's airport, outside of an immigration detention center in El Paso on Sept. 10, 2025.Protesters hold signs up during a rally for the release of Catalina “Xochitl” Santiago, a DACA recipient who was detained by immigration agents at El Paso International Airport in August, outside of the El Paso Service Processing Center, an immigration detention center in El Paso on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025.Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/30/texas-daca-new-applications-lawsuit/If a judge accepts the plan, the Trump administration will reopen new applications for DACA for the first time in four years — but Texas applicants would no longer receive work permits.By Uriel J. GarcíaTue, 30 Sep 2025 16:30:03 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/30/texas-daca-new-applications-lawsuit/Protesters in McAllen during "no kings" protests that happened around the country in opposition to President Donald Trump's policies. The Trump administration will reopen DACA applications for the first time in years after a recent court ruling.Protesters demonstrate at a No Kings rally in McAllen on June 14, 2025.Ben Lowy for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/30/texas-dallas-ice-shooting-victim-dies/The 32-year-old Mexican citizen died after being taken off life support, his wife said in a written statement.By Uriel J. GarcíaTue, 30 Sep 2025 10:51:45 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/30/texas-dallas-ice-shooting-victim-dies/Dallas police outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, where three migrants were shot on September 24, 2025. A second victim died from his injuries this week, bringing the death toll to three, including the shooter.Dallas police outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Dallas where three migrants were shot on September 24, 2025. A second victim died, bringing the death toll, including the shooter, who killed himself, to three.Johnathan Johnson for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/24/dallas-ICE-shooting-fatalities/Federal authorities said the notes indicate the 29-year-old who killed an ICE detainee and wounded two others expressed hatred for the federal government and acted alone.By Uriel J. García, Colleen DeGuzman and Nicholas GutteridgeWed, 24 Sep 2025 08:39:54 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/24/dallas-ICE-shooting-fatalities/R. Joseph Rothrock, special agent in charge of the Dallas FBI field office, speaks at a press conference after a fatal shooting at an ICE field office in Dallas on Sept. 24, 2025. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz stands to the left of Rothrock.Joe Rothrock, special agent in charge of the Dallas FBI Field Office, speaks at a press conference regarding the shooting at an ICE field office in Dallas on Sept. 24, 2025.Johnathan Johnson for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/15/texas-immigration-activist-daca-detention-el-paso-xochitl-santiago/An immigration judge ruled ICE can’t deport Catalina “Xochitl” Santiago, who has permission to be in the country, unless the agency can provide evidence that her legal status was revoked.By Uriel J. GarcíaMon, 15 Sep 2025 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/15/texas-immigration-activist-daca-detention-el-paso-xochitl-santiago/Desiree Miller, 25, the partner of Catalina “Xochitl” Santiago, a DACA recipient detained by immigration agents at El Paso International Airport in August, speaks at a rally for Xochitl’s release outside of the El Paso Service Processing Center on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025.Desiree Miller, 25, the partner of Catalina “Xochitl” Santiago, a DACA recipient who was detained by immigration agents at El Paso International Airport in August, speaks to press during a rally for Xochitl’s release outside of the El Paso Service Processing Center, an immigration detention center in El Paso on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025.Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/08/texas-houston-immigrants-family-deportation-belize-ice/Margarita Avila, a Houston mother of nine, was detained by ICE after an altercation that led to no charges. Her close-knit family weigh their futures if she is deported.By Uriel J. García, Graphics by Alex Ford and Edison Wu, Photos by Lexi ParraMon, 08 Sep 2025 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/08/texas-houston-immigrants-family-deportation-belize-ice/José Avila and his sons, Jeremiah (left) and Issac (middle), attend service at their Houston church in June. José is a devout Christian, finding solace in his faith while his wife was detained.José Avila and his two sons, Jeremiah (left) and Isaac, attend church service at the Iglesia Pentecostal Del Nombre de Jesus on Sunday, June 1, 2025, in Houston.Lexi Parra for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/19/texas-migrants-shooting-warden-civil-trial-el-paso/The victims sued the employer of the alleged shooter, the former warden of a migrant detention center. Three different prosecutors have so far opted not to file criminal charges.By Uriel J. GarcíaTue, 19 Aug 2025 14:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/19/texas-migrants-shooting-warden-civil-trial-el-paso/Luz Maria Martinez and Napoleon Sepúlveda show photo a of their son, Jesus Ivan Sepulveda Martinez, on Oct. 5, 2022, in Ciudad Juárez. Sepulveda Martinez was a Mexican migrant who was shot to death in September 2022 in Hudspeth County. Another migrant, Brenda Berenice Casias Carrillo, was injured in the shooting.Luz Maria Martinez and Napoleon Sepulveda cry over their son, Jesus Ivan Sepulveda, who was shot and killed by a prison warden (at the time) last week near Sierra Blanca, Texas, Wednesday, October 5, 2022, in Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Sepulveda was shot while the group of migrants he crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with stopped for water near Sierra Blanca, Texas. Photo by Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas TribuneIvan Pierre Aguirre for the Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/05/texas-appeals-court-ruling-catholic-charities-paxton-attorney-general/The three-judge panel agreed with a lower court that Ken Paxton’s office can’t question officials from Catholic Charities under oath without first filing a lawsuit.By Uriel J. GarcíaTue, 05 Aug 2025 12:21:59 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/05/texas-appeals-court-ruling-catholic-charities-paxton-attorney-general/A migrant child waits with his family in front of the Catholic Charities RGV Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen on July 27, 2021.A migrant child waits with his family in front of the Catholic Charities RGV Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen on July 27, 2021.Jason Garza for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/04/texas-flooding-deaths/Local officials said they have rescued or evacuated more than 200 people since the Guadalupe River flooded early Friday morning, but the fate of more than 20 girls missing from a camp remains unclear.By Uriel J. García, The Texas Tribune, and Hannah Fingerhut, Associated PressFri, 04 Jul 2025 13:29:07 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/04/texas-flooding-deaths/Heavy rains in Kerr County and elsewhere in Central Texas have caused severe flooding and loss of life.Heavy rains in Kerr Co. and elsewhere in Central Texas have caused severe flooding and loss of life. July 4, 2025.City of Kerrville Facebook pagehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/04/texas-immigration-law-senate-bill-4-fifth-circuit-court-ruling/The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling means that Senate Bill 4, which allows local police to arrest suspected undocumented immigrants, continues to be blocked.By Uriel J. GarcíaFri, 04 Jul 2025 10:31:05 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/04/texas-immigration-law-senate-bill-4-fifth-circuit-court-ruling/A panel of the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Senate Bill 4, the Texas law giving local police the power to arrest undocumented immigrants, is unconstitutional.The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals building in downtown New Orleans on July 1, 2025.John Jordan/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/27/texas-parents-challenges-citizenship-donald-trump/The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship to take effect in certain states in 30 days.By Uriel J. García, Berenice Garcia, Carlos Nogueras Ramos and Terri LangfordFri, 27 Jun 2025 17:22:43 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/27/texas-parents-challenges-citizenship-donald-trump/https://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/27/birthright-citizenship-supreme-court-donald-trump-texas/The ruling was a partial victory for President Donald Trump who has made immigration his signature issue.By Uriel J. García, Carlos Nogueras Ramos, Berenice Garcia and Associated PressFri, 27 Jun 2025 09:34:04 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/27/birthright-citizenship-supreme-court-donald-trump-texas/The Supreme Court building in Washington on Jan. 15, 2025.The Supreme Court building in Washington on Jan. 15, 2025.Luke Johnson for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/16/texas-operation-lone-star-border-el-paso-deaths-migrants-new-mexico/Since El Paso joined Operation Lone Star in 2022, migrant remains discovered in the desert west of the city have increased every year, even as they have declined in every other border sector.By Uriel J. García, The Texas Tribune, Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico, and Yuriko Schumacher, The Texas Tribune, Photos by Justin HamelMon, 16 Jun 2025 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/16/texas-operation-lone-star-border-el-paso-deaths-migrants-new-mexico/Doña Ana County Sheriff Deputy N. Al-Abayad, left, and Detective Alan Barbosa transport a body bag containing the bones of a migrant, first found by volunteers with Battalion Search and Rescue, on May 3, 2025. The discovery of migrant bodies in the desert has spiked since El Paso joined Texas’ Operation Lone Star.Doña Ana County Sheriff Deputy N. Al-Abayad, left, and Detective Alan Barbosa transport a body bag containing the bones of a migrant, first found by volunteers with Battalion Search and Rescue, on May 3, 2025. The discovery of migrant bodies in the desert has spiked since El Paso joined Texas’ Operation Lone Star.Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/05/texas-el-paso-trial-immigration-military-zone/The trial of the Peruvian woman was the first test of the Trump administration’s new policy aimed at prosecuting immigrants who crossed the border illegally with military-related charges.By Uriel J. García and Ayden RunnelsThu, 05 Jun 2025 14:59:27 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/05/texas-el-paso-trial-immigration-military-zone/A sign seen on May 12 near Marker 4 east of the Texas-New Mexico state line — illegible from the Mexican bank of the Rio Grande — warns that the U.S. Department of Defense has taken over the area.Near Marker 4 east of the Texas-New Mexico state line, a sign, illegible from the Mexican bank of the Rio Grande, warns that the U.S. Department of Defense has taken over the area, May 12, 2025.Courtesy of Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Mattershttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/19/texas-immigrants-self-deportation-flights-houston/The Department of Homeland Security said the 64 people who volunteered received $1,000 and a chance to return to the U.S. legally. Advocates question whether the government will honor its promises.By Uriel J. GarcíaMon, 19 May 2025 18:37:51 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/19/texas-immigrants-self-deportation-flights-houston/https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/13/texas-houston-ice-deportations/The agency did not offer details about the types of crimes or immigration violations the majority of the people were accused of.By Uriel J. GarcíaTue, 13 May 2025 19:07:12 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/13/texas-houston-ice-deportations/A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent outside of the J.J. Pickle Federal Building in downtown Austin on April 1, 2025.A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent’s badge in front of the J.J. Pickle Federal Building in downtown Austin on April 1, 2025.Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/02/texas-military-zone-el-paso-immigrants-soldiers-arrest/It’s the second military zone the Trump administration has created at the border, following one on the New Mexico-Mexico border, where a group of migrants were arrested on Monday.By Uriel J. GarcíaFri, 02 May 2025 13:32:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/02/texas-military-zone-el-paso-immigrants-soldiers-arrest/The Rio Grande, which marks the U.S.-Mexico border, is covered in concertina wire in El Paso on May 27, 2024.The Rio Grande, which marks the U.S.-Mexico border, is covered in concertina wire in El Paso, Texas, as seen from Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua state, Mexico on May 27, 2024.Paul Ratje for the Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/10/texas-homeland-security-division-dps-senate-vote/Senate Bill 36, a priority bill for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, would create an office within the Department of Public Safety focused on immigration enforcement, organized crime and threats to state infrastructure.By Uriel J. GarcíaThu, 10 Apr 2025 14:07:03 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/10/texas-homeland-security-division-dps-senate-vote/Texas Department of Public Safety boats on the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass on June 6, 2024.DPS airboats on the bank of the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, seen from Piedras Negras, on June 6, 2024.Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/01/texas-senate-bill-8-vote-287g-agreements-sheriffs-ice/Senate Bill 8 would require sheriffs in urban counties to enter into 287g agreements with ICE, which can then train deputies and jailers on how to identify and apprehend undocumented immigrants.By Uriel J. GarcíaTue, 01 Apr 2025 17:14:56 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/01/texas-senate-bill-8-vote-287g-agreements-sheriffs-ice/https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/25/texas-el-paso-mass-shooting-walmart-death-penalty-plea-bargain/The new DA campaigned on seeking the death penalty for the 2019 massacre, but said he offered the gunman a plea deal of life in prison to avoid dragging out the case for several more years.By Uriel J. GarcíaTue, 25 Mar 2025 17:42:27 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/25/texas-el-paso-mass-shooting-walmart-death-penalty-plea-bargain/The family of Javier Amir Rodriguez, a victim of the El Paso Walmart shooting, at a 2022 memorial service at the El Paso County Healing Garden, on the third anniversary of the shooting that left 23 people dead.The family of Javier Amir Rodriguez, who was killed at the Walmart shooting in 2019, is seen during a memorial service on the third anniversary of the August 3rd Walmart mass shooting that left 23 dead, at the El Paso County Healing Garden, Wednesday, August 3, 2022, in El Paso.Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune