Texas lawmakers urge Trump to extend tomato trade agreement with Mexico
The 1996 agreement is set to expire Monday, which could raise the price of Mexican tomatoes and threaten thousands of Texas jobs. Full Story
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Berenice Garcia is a regional reporter covering the Rio Grande Valley. She works at the Tribune as a corps members with Report for America. She previously covered local government, crime, healthcare and general assignments for The Monitor in McAllen where she was born. Though she's spent the majority of her life in the Valley, she traveled east to attend New York University where she studied journalism and politics. While there, she interned at the New York Daily News, the Daily Beast and NBC News. When she’s not working, she enjoys fighting for her life at the gym. Berenice is based in McAllen.
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![Employees at Anavale Produce in Pharr sort tomatoes for shipment in 2012. The produce comes from the Comarca Lagunera region of Mexico.]()
Credit: Reynaldo Leal for The Texas Tribune -
SpaceX wins OK to build plant that creates liquid oxygen for rockets near South Texas beach
Cameron County commissioners approved the request this week over the objection of some residents and SpaceX critics. Full Story
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![A SpaceX platform behind a dune at Boca Chica beach on Aug. 8, 2024.]()
Credit: Ben Lowy for The Texas Tribune -
Michigan man dead after firing at U.S. Border Patrol station in South Texas
Three officials were injured during the shooting and are recovering. The FBI is investigating the incident. Full Story
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![The levee-border wall can be seen through concertina wire from the the McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge in Reynosa, Mexico on May 5, 2022.]()
Credit: Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune -
Central Texas flooding death toll rises to at least 100 as search continues for survivors
About two dozen people were still missing. Many more people could still be unaccounted for, officials warned, noting that visitors to the area for the July 4th weekend make it difficult to assess an exact number. Full Story
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![A small boat is wrapped around a tree along with other debris in Ingram on Saturday, July 5, 2025. Ingram is a small town about seven miles northwest of Kerrville.]()
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“It will affect all families”: Challenges await Texas parents if birthright citizenship ends
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. Full Story
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![Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on border security and immigration, in Austin, Texas, Oct. 25, 2024.]()
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Fate of birthright citizenship order unresolved after Supreme Court limits nationwide injunctions
The ruling was a partial victory for President Donald Trump who has made immigration his signature issue. Full Story
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![The Supreme Court building in Washington on Jan. 15, 2025.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott orders preemptive strike on screwworm in Texas
Abbott ordered two Texas agencies to begin working together and with residents and business leaders to stop the spread of the invasive fly before it even starts. Full Story
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![Cattle at a ranch in Cedar Creek on March 28, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
To fight screwworm, the U.S. is opening a South Texas facility to disperse sterile flies
Screwworm is a parasitic fly that targets warm-blooded animals and has the potential to disrupt Texas’ $15 billion cattle industry. Full Story
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![Cattle are brought across the U.S.-Mexico border at the livestock import/export facility in Santa Teresa, New Mexico on January 22, 2021.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribune -
South Padre Island officials worried about FEMA’s potential disaster spending cuts
The Trump administration is proposing limits to the recreational facilities — including beaches — that are eligible for federal assistance. Full Story
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![The beach in the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge on South Padre Island.]()
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As Trump celebrates military, Texans protest president’s aggressive immigration enforcement
Demonstrations in McAllen, Midland, Odessa, Austin and elsewhere in Texas were largely peaceful, as some protests went well into the night. Full Story
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![Beth Vaughan, at center, chants as protestors march up Walker Street during a No Kings protest at City Hall, Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Houston.]()
Credit: Antranik Tavitian for The Texas Tribune