https://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/uriel-j-garcia/The latest news by Uriel J. García.enThu, 04 Jan 2024 16:01:42 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/04/texas-migrants-new-york-bus-companies-lawsuit/More than 33,000 migrants have arrived from Texas since August 2022. The city wants bus companies to pay more than $700 million.Uriel J. GarcíaThu, 04 Jan 2024 16:01:42 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/04/texas-migrants-new-york-bus-companies-lawsuit/https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/03/texas-senate-bill-4-illegal-immigration-justice-department-lawsuit/Senate Bill 4 allows Texas police to arrest immigrants who cross the border between ports of entry. The federal government says the law is unconstitutional.Uriel J. GarcíaWed, 03 Jan 2024 17:42:54 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/03/texas-senate-bill-4-illegal-immigration-justice-department-lawsuit/https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/03/texas-mexico-border-house-speaker-johnson-immigration/Johnson and 60 GOP House members went to Eagle Pass and said they won’t support financial aid for Ukraine or Israel unless the president backs their proposals to secure the border.Uriel J. GarcíaWed, 03 Jan 2024 17:14:51 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/03/texas-mexico-border-house-speaker-johnson-immigration/https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/20/texas-plane-immigrants-chicago-greg-abbott-busing/The flight comes after Chicago officials reportedly cracked down on buses coming from Texas with immigrant passengers. Since last year, Texas has bused over 80,000 immigrants to Democratic-led cities across the U.S.Uriel J. GarcíaWed, 20 Dec 2023 16:41:37 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/20/texas-plane-immigrants-chicago-greg-abbott-busing/https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/19/texas-immigration-law-lawsuit-border-aclu/The lawsuit asks a judge to prevent the state from enforcing Senate Bill 4, which will authorize Texas police to arrest immigrants suspected of crossing the border illegally.Uriel J. GarcíaTue, 19 Dec 2023 12:27:23 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/19/texas-immigration-law-lawsuit-border-aclu/A group of migrants follows a state trooper vehicle after surrendering in Eagle Pass on July 29. Two immigrant rights groups have filed a lawsuit to stop a new Texas law that would make illegally crossing the border a state crime.A group of migrants follow a state trooper vehicle after turning themselves in in Eagle Pass, Texas on July 29, 2023. They crossed through a cap in the concertina wire in the Urbina’s property. Some will be sent back after being arrested for trespassing private property without allowing them to go through the immigration process in the U.S.Veronica G. Cardenas for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/18/texas-governor-abbott-bills-border-wall-illegal-entry-crime-sb3-sb4/The new law would authorize police to arrest people they suspect crossed the Rio Grande between ports of entry. Abbott also signed a bill earmarking more than $1 billion for more border barriers.Uriel J. GarcíaMon, 18 Dec 2023 17:02:25 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/18/texas-governor-abbott-bills-border-wall-illegal-entry-crime-sb3-sb4/On Monday Gov. Greg Abbott signed three border-related bills into law, including one that makes illegally crossing the Texas-Mexico border a state crime.Gov. Greg Abbott, signs six bills during a border security bill signing session at the state capitol in Austin on June 8, 2023. “Washington D.C. has failed to do its job to secure the border,” Abbott said. “As a result, Texas has had to take unprecedented steps in responding to the crisis caused by the Biden administration on the border, and in response the Texas legislature has stepped up to make sure that we will be able to more robustly respond.”Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/07/texas-department-public-safety-border-migrants-investigation/A DPS medic assigned to the border was so disturbed by what he saw that he blew the whistle. The agency now says its leaders on the ground didn’t break the law or violate agency policy.Uriel J. GarcíaThu, 07 Dec 2023 15:50:17 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/07/texas-department-public-safety-border-migrants-investigation/https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/04/texas-border-concertina-wire-court-ruling-fifth-circuit/Less than a week after a Del Rio-based federal judge ruled against Texas in the ongoing fight over the state’s razor wire, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals paused that decision while it reviews the case.Uriel J. GarcíaMon, 04 Dec 2023 17:41:08 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/04/texas-border-concertina-wire-court-ruling-fifth-circuit/A U.S. Border Patrol agent cuts through razor wire to let in a group of asylum seekers who crossed the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass on Sept. 28, 2023. The 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals will review a lower court's ruling that the Border Patrol did not break the law by cutting the wire installed by Texas at the border.A U.S. Border Patrol agent cuts through razor wire to let in a group of asylum seekers who crossed the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas, U.S., September 28, 2023.REUTERS/Brian Snyderhttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/01/texas-legislature-border-wall-bill-barriers/Senate Bill 3 would also appropriate $40 million for state troopers to patrol Colony Ridge, a housing development outside of Houston, and allow the state to send money to local jurisdictions to offset the cost of enforcing another immigration-related bill.Uriel J. GarcíaFri, 01 Dec 2023 15:07:47 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/01/texas-legislature-border-wall-bill-barriers/Texas National Guard and Texas state troopers position themselves on the banks of the Rio Grande on Dec. 20, 2022, in El Paso to manage a large influx of migrants. State lawmakers have approved a bill to spend more than $1.5 billion for additional barriers on the Texas-Mexico border.Texas National Guard and Texas DPS officers position themselves on the banks of the Rio Grande on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, in El Paso. Over 400 personnel have been sent to this border sector by Governor Abbott after El Paso city officials declared a state of emergency.Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/01/texas-border-sb4-illegal-crossing-state-law/Gov. Greg Abbott says he will sign Senate Bill 4, which would make it a state crime to cross the border between ports of entry, allow police to arrest people who do and require judges to order them to return to Mexico.Uriel J. GarcíaFri, 01 Dec 2023 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/01/texas-border-sb4-illegal-crossing-state-law/https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/30/texas-border-concertina-wire-judge-ruling/Judge Alia Moses ruled in the federal government’s favor but chided the Biden administration for not allowing migrants to use international bridges to claim asylum.Uriel J. GarcíaThu, 30 Nov 2023 13:49:41 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/30/texas-border-concertina-wire-judge-ruling/National Guard members install concertina wire along the bank of the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass on July 28. Texas sued the federal government after U.S. Border Patrol agents began cutting or removing the wire to assist migrants.National Guard members install concertina wire along the river bank on private property owned by the Urbinas in Eagle Pass, Texas on July 28, 2023. Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas TribuneVerónica Gabriela Cárdenas for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/20/texas-lawsuit-parole-immigrants-nicaragua-cuba-haiti-venezuela/A Texas judge will decide the fate of a Biden administration program that allows people from four countries to live and work in the U.S. for up to two years. A man who sponsored his friend for the program has fought to save it.Uriel J. GarcíaMon, 20 Nov 2023 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/20/texas-lawsuit-parole-immigrants-nicaragua-cuba-haiti-venezuela/Texas National Guard and state troopers stand by a gate in the border fence on May 12, 2023, in El Paso. A program launched by the Biden administration allows people from four countries to apply for "parole" and enter the U.S. legally if they have a U.S. sponsor.Members of the Texas National Guard and the Texas Department of Pubic Safety at the entrance to where hundreds of migrants wait to be processed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents inside a makeshift migrant camp about three hours after Title 42 ended at 9:59 p.m. local time, Friday, May 12, 2023, in El Paso.Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/15/texas-border-bill-immigrants-crime-mexico-response/Mexico said Texas’ Senate Bill 4 will violate the human rights of Mexican immigrants living in Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott said he plans to sign the proposal into law.Uriel J. GarcíaWed, 15 Nov 2023 15:21:11 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/15/texas-border-bill-immigrants-crime-mexico-response/Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena speaks at a press conference in Palenque, México after attending a summit of leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean looking to broker agreements to curb a recent jump in migrants bound for the U.S. border on Oct. 22, 2023.Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena speaks during a press conference after attending a summit of leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean in the southern city of Palenque looking to broker accords to curb a recent jump in migrants bound for the U.S. border, in Palenque, México on Oct. 22, 2023.Handout via REUTERShttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/14/texas-house-border-wall-crossing-crime-bill/The Texas House also voted to spend $1.5 billion on new state border walls, though that measure must be reconciled with the Senate version before it’s sent to Gov. Greg Abbott for consideration.Uriel J. GarcíaTue, 14 Nov 2023 20:05:15 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/14/texas-house-border-wall-crossing-crime-bill/Migrants talk to Texas National Guard and Texas state troopers along the banks of the Rio Grande in El Paso in December 2022. The Texas House tentatively passed bills that would appropriate more money to build border barriers and make illegally crossing the border into Texas a state crime.Migrants standing on the other side of barbwire speak to the Texas National Guard and Texas DPS officers along the banks of the Rio Grande, Tuesday, December 20, 2022, in El Paso, Texas. Over 400 personnel have been sent to this border sector by Governor Abbott after El Paso city officials declared a state of emergency. Photo by Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas TribuneIvan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/08/texas-legislature-border-security-bills-republicans/Immigration experts say the most recent proposals would raise constitutional challenges in the U.S. and Mexico, as federal courts have repeatedly ruled that immigration law enforcement falls under federal jurisdiction.Uriel J. GarcíaWed, 08 Nov 2023 12:57:10 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/08/texas-legislature-border-security-bills-republicans/Texas Department of Public Safety special agents oversee a group of four Honduran undocumented migrants that were caught on private property in Kinney County near Brackettville on Nov. 9, 2021. State lawmakers have again filed bills that would make illegal border crossing a state crime.Texas Department of Public Safety special agents oversee a group of four Honduran undocumented migrants that were caught in private property in Kinney County near Brackettville, Texas on Nov. 9, 2021. The owner of the property did not sign the affidavit to allow DPS to arrest undocumented migrants in their property, so they will be processed by Border Patrol.Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for ProPublica/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/02/texas-border-bills-special-session/The governor, lieutenant governor and House speaker generally agree on building more border barriers and making illegal border crossings a state crime. But disagreements over strategy and personal animosity mean those measures face long odds this special legislative session.Zach Despart and Uriel J. GarcíaThu, 02 Nov 2023 17:33:14 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/02/texas-border-bills-special-session/State Troopers arrest an undocumented Mexican migrant for trespassing as part of Operation Lone Star after he was caught with others in private property in Kinney County, on Nov. 9, 2021.State Troopers arrest an undocumented Mexican migrant for trespassing as part of Operation Lone Star after he was caught with others in private property in Kinney County, on Nov. 9, 2021.Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for ProPublica/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/31/texas-senate-senate-bill-6-border-wall-colony-ridge/Along with the money to build more border barriers, Senate Bill 6 would devote $49 million to beef up law enforcement of the Colony Ridge development that’s become a target of far-right media.Uriel J. GarcíaTue, 31 Oct 2023 17:55:10 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/31/texas-senate-senate-bill-6-border-wall-colony-ridge/A portion of the Texas-funded wall at Rio Grande City on Jan. 11, 2022.A portion of the Texas-funded wall at Rio Grande City on Jan. 11, 2022.Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/30/texas-border-lawsuit-concertina-wire-restraining-order-judge/Border Patrol agents have cut through the state’s wire to free migrants or take them into custody. Judge Alia Moses will hear arguments from Texas and the Biden administration next week to determine whether her temporary order will continue past Nov. 13.Uriel J. GarcíaMon, 30 Oct 2023 15:44:01 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/30/texas-border-lawsuit-concertina-wire-restraining-order-judge/Migrants, mostly from Venezuela, gather near a wire fence in El Paso on Sept. 22 after crossing the Rio Grande with the intention of surrendering and claiming asylum. A judge on Monday ordered the federal government to stop removing or cutting through concertina wire deployed by Texas at the border.Migrants, mostly from Venezuela, gather near a wire fence after crossing the Rio Bravo river with the intention of turning themselves in to the U.S. Border Patrol agents to request asylum, in El Paso, Texas, U.S., September 22, 2023.REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalezhttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/25/texas-legislature-house-immigration-bills/Democrats fumed when Republicans tried to block more amendments on a bill that would create a new state crime for illegally crossing the border into Texas.Uriel J. GarcíaWed, 25 Oct 2023 21:54:33 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/25/texas-legislature-house-immigration-bills/https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/24/texas-attorney-general-paxton-lawsuit-border-concertina-wire/Attorney General Ken Paxton’s latest lawsuit against the federal government claims Border Patrol agents cut through concertina wire purchased and deployed at the border by the state.Uriel J. GarcíaTue, 24 Oct 2023 16:16:59 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/24/texas-attorney-general-paxton-lawsuit-border-concertina-wire/A U.S. Border Patrol agent cuts through concertina wire to let a group of asylum seekers through after they crossed the Rio Grande at Eagle Pass. Texas, which deployed the wire at the border, is suing the Biden administration, claiming it illegally destroyed state property.A U.S. Border Patrol agent cuts through razor wire to let in a group of asylum seekers who crossed the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas, U.S., September 28, 2023.REUTERS/Brian Snyder