The latest border news from The Texas Tribune.
For several years, residents in Maverick County have waged a war against a company that wants to mine low-grade coal on 6,300 acres of land in this impoverished borderland. A recent twist in the saga is giving them new hope. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TxTrib-MexicanCoal008.jpg)
A multistate effort urging churches and other places of worship to provide sanctuary for undocumented immigrants began this month. The effort could come to Texas, where some leaders say such shelter is already being provided. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/09/29/Clergy-Sanctuary.jpg)
In a speech in Washington, D.C., on Friday, outgoing Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst doubled down on claims that Muslim prayer rugs had been found on the Texas-Mexico border. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/05/19/IMG_6761.jpg)
A federal program that transfers surplus military equipment to local communities is drawing a mix of responses from border officials whose regions have benefited from the initiative. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/09/25/M35.jpg)
Gov. Rick Perry, speaking on Sunday at The Texas Tribune Festival, said he still supports a Texas law that grants in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants. He also said he would not decide whether he was going to run for president until 2015. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/09/21/xxTribFest_Perry245.jpg)
We're liveblogging the sessions from the 2014 Texas Tribune Festival's Immigration track. The sessions include panels on border security, Latinos and the Republican Party, the comprehensive immigration reform debate, and what to do with the DREAMers. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/09/18/TTF14-liveblog-immigration.png)
Four years after fleeing Somalia, Dekha Hassan-Mohamed is living in El Paso after winning an asylum claim and bucking a national trend. Her lawyer is seeking the same protection for another client who fled Nigeria. Both women are grateful for the new chapters of their lives in El Paso. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/09/18/Asylum_Seeker_TX_Tribune_IPA_08.jpg)
Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday invited Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto to witness for himself the operations of the National Guard patrolling the Texas side of the Rio Grande. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/08/13/SwiftGuard306.jpg)
The congressional debate about how to address the influx of unaccompanied Central American minors crossing illegally into Texas is likely to re-emerge later this year when lawmakers debate an omnibus budget bill, according to a Texas lawmaker. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/02/19/_01F2562.JPG)
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst issued a harsh rebuke of the Mexican government on Thursday for issuing what he called an “offensive” statement on the border surge that coincided with the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/05/27/UP9A7059.jpg)
Ted Cruz calls deferred action for undocumented immigrants "amnesty" and blames it for fueling the surge of Central Americans breaching Texas’ southern border. Repeal is unlikely — but here's a look at how it would affect Texas. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/01/10/TPPF_Cru341.jpg)
Former Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño, a Democrat, was sentenced to prison in July for taking money from a drug trafficker. But analysts say it's unlikely that the case will lead to a Republican taking the reins as sheriff after the next election. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/09/03/Hidalgo-Race.jpg)
The parish at McAllen's Sacred Heart Church has acted as a shelter for thousands of Central Americans crossing the border illegally into Texas. An effort to send some of its surplus donations into Mexico is facing hurdles. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/08/28/JulianPic_1.jpg)
Democrats say media reports that some National Guard troops on the border haven't been paid and can't afford basic necessities are infuriating. Republican Gov. Rick Perry's office says the National Guard is fully equipped to help them. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/08/13/SwiftGuard072.jpg)
Some of the Texas National Guard troops deployed by Gov. Rick Perry to help secure the border haven't been paid and are unable to pay for their own food or gas, according to a report from KGBT Action 4 News in the Rio Grande Valley. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/SwiftGuard251.jpg)
The arrival of the Texas National Guard to the border has been met with praise by some who say the state is taking the lead in securing the border. Others say the deployment is overkill that only serves to hamper the local economy. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e00d40a882af9e01f94bb9c004057f5d/DONT%20USE%20DPS%20Gunboat)
State leaders tout the so-called Texas miracle – the idea that the economy here is thriving thanks to their small-government approach. But not everyone benefits. Here are the stories of six Texans who've found little relief in the Texas miracle. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/08/25/ByPassed-PointerLead-3.jpg)
Texas immigration lawyers are scrambling to coordinate representation for the thousands of Central American migrants who have crossed into Texas illegally. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/08/21/UP9A0358.jpg)
A coalition of ranchers and business owners from South Texas is pushing back against border officials who have criticized the build-up of law enforcement on the Rio Grande. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/08/04/BorderSurge_EG34.jpg)
Rio Grande City Mayor Ruben Villarreal is among the few public officials on the border welcoming the presence of National Guard troops to deal with the surge of illegal immigration. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/08/13/SwiftGuard251.jpg)