https://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/uriel-j-garcia/The latest news by Uriel J. García.enThu, 13 Mar 2025 16:12:36 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/13/texas-fema-federal-grants-immigrants/A letter sent this week claims the grant recipients, including many Texas cities and counties, may have illegally “induced” undocumented immigrants to enter the country.By Uriel J. García, Alejandro Serrano and Berenice GarciaThu, 13 Mar 2025 16:12:36 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/13/texas-fema-federal-grants-immigrants/Migrants walk from a Department of Homeland Security tent facility in front of the McAllen bus station to Catholic Charities RGV Humanitarian Respite Center on April 22, 2021.Migrants walk from a DHS tent facility in front of the McAllen bus station to Catholic Charities RGV Humanitarian Respite Center on April 22, 2021.Jason Garza for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/12/texas-legislature-immigration-bills/From requiring law enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal officials to forcing state contractors to use E-Verify to spot undocumented workers, here are the bills that could reshape the state’s immigration policies.By Alejandro Serrano and Uriel J. GarcíaWed, 12 Mar 2025 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/12/texas-legislature-immigration-bills/Migrants apprehended by state troopers after crossing the Texas-Mexico border are brought to the International Bridge in Eagle Passand handed over to Border Patrol custody on May 28, 2022.People who were apprehended by state troopers after crossing the border were brought to the International Bridge in Eagle Pass, where they were handed over to Border Patrol custody on Thursday, May 28, 2022.Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/03/texas-refugee-catholic-charities-federal-grants-trump-freeze/Catholic Charities Fort Worth says that its partners have had to lay off 750 people because of the freeze.By Uriel J. GarcíaMon, 03 Mar 2025 15:08:32 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/03/texas-refugee-catholic-charities-federal-grants-trump-freeze/https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/12/texas-immigrants-deportation-operation-trump-eisenhower/Seventy-one years after the Eisenhower administration launched a high-visibility operation to arrest undocumented immigrants, President Trump is following some of the same playbook.By Uriel J. GarcíaWed, 12 Feb 2025 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/12/texas-immigrants-deportation-operation-trump-eisenhower/https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/05/alice-texas-buses-students-citizenship-border-patrol/The chief’s comments came after Alice ISD sent a letter to parents Wednesday warning students may be detained and possibly deported if they can’t prove they’re in the country legally. The letter was later removed from the district’s website.By Uriel J. García and Ayden RunnelsWed, 05 Feb 2025 22:03:43 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/05/alice-texas-buses-students-citizenship-border-patrol/A school bus waits at an intersection while driving its morning pickup route before dawn on Sept. 12, 2023 in West Odessa.A school bus waits at an intersection while driving its morning pickup route before dawn on Sept. 12, 2023 in West Odessa.Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/04/texas-immigrant-legal-aid-federal-program-department-justice/The agency’s reversal comes after a federal judge told the Trump administration it must continue to pay for grants and other programs it abruptly froze last month.By Uriel J. GarcíaTue, 04 Feb 2025 14:15:09 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/02/04/texas-immigrant-legal-aid-federal-program-department-justice/A plaque marking the U.S.-Mexico border between Laredo and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.A woman commutes across the U.S-Mexico border crossing in Laredo on Nov. 9, 2021.Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/31/texas-immigrants-undocumented-trump-deportation/Across the state, immigrants and their loved ones are changing their daily habits as the Trump administration orders at least 1,200 daily arrests of undocumented people.By Uriel J. García, Alejandra Martinez and Berenice GarciaFri, 31 Jan 2025 16:29:07 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/31/texas-immigrants-undocumented-trump-deportation/People gather at Memorial Park in El Paso on Jan. 29 to protest immigration raids and deportations since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.People gather at Memorial Park in El Paso on Jan. 29, 2025 to protest ICE raids and deportations.Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/28/texas-immigrants-dps-department-public-safety-ice-arrests-warrants/According to the governor, 5,400 immigrants in Texas have a warrant for their arrest.By Uriel J. GarcíaTue, 28 Jan 2025 12:34:21 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/28/texas-immigrants-dps-department-public-safety-ice-arrests-warrants/Department of Public Safety Special Operations agents escort a group of migrants through private property near Brackettville on Nov. 9, 2021. Agents turned the migrants over to Border Patrol.Department of Public Safety Special Operations agents escort a group of migrants through private property as part of Operation Lone Star after catching them 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 G. Cárdenas for ProPublica/The Texas TribuneGabriel V. Cárdenas for ProPublica/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/28/texas-border-immigrants-federal-legal-aid-cut-off/The decision to halt the program could prevent thousands of people detained in immigration detention centers from receiving legal advice.By Uriel J. GarcíaTue, 28 Jan 2025 11:45:26 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/28/texas-border-immigrants-federal-legal-aid-cut-off/South Texas Family Residential Center, an ICE detention center in Dilley, on Sept. 30, 2020. The U.S. Department of Justice has halted federal programs that helped detained migrants obtain legal help.South Texas Family Residential Center, an ICE detention center in Dilley, on Sept. 30, 2020.Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/24/texas-trump-immigration-policy-prosecutors-police-undocumented/The Trump administration this week threatened local officials with prosecution if they interfere with its planned immigration crackdown.By Alejandro Serrano and Uriel J. GarcíaFri, 24 Jan 2025 12:42:21 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/24/texas-trump-immigration-policy-prosecutors-police-undocumented/https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/21/texas-border-migrants-trump-asylum-executive-order/Hours after Trump’s inauguration, his administration canceled appointments allowing migrants to enter the U.S. to request asylum, leaving many of them stranded on the U.S.-Mexico border.By Uriel J. García and Alejandro SerranoTue, 21 Jan 2025 18:59:01 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/21/texas-border-migrants-trump-asylum-executive-order/Margelis Tinoco Lopez at El Buen Pastor migrant shelter in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico on Tuesday. Tinoco Lopez was in line for her CBP One appointment when President Donald Trump issued an executive order following his inauguration that immediately canceled all CBP One appointments.Margelis Tinoco Lopez was in line for her 1pm CBP One appointment when President Trump was sworn into office and issued an executive order that immediately canceled all CBP One appointments, including her own. Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on January 21, 2025.Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/17/texas-mass-deportations-trump/The new administration could use the existing system of federal agents, local police and jails to funnel more people into the deportation pipeline.By Uriel J. García and Alejandro SerranoFri, 17 Jan 2025 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/17/texas-mass-deportations-trump/Central American migrants who were apprehended crossing the Rio Grande in Brownsville were flown to El Paso for processing, then deported to Mexico across the Paso del Norte International Bridge on March 16, 2021.Migrants from Central America that were apprehended crossing the Rio Grande in Brownsville were flown to El Paso for processing and then deported to Mexico across the Paso del Norte International Bridge on March 16, 2021.Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/07/congress-bill-deportation-undocumented-crimes/The proposal requires immigration authorities to hold and deport immigrants charged with crimes like burglary, theft, larceny or shoplifting.By Uriel J. García and Katharine WilsonTue, 07 Jan 2025 16:48:23 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/07/congress-bill-deportation-undocumented-crimes/https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2024/texas-border-wall-greg-abbott-landowners/At least a third of landowners approached by state officials have refused to let wall be built on their properties. That’s forced the state to largely build on ranchland in remote areas, or erect sections that are full of gaps.By Zach Despart, Yuriko Schumacher and Uriel J. García, Photos by Eli HartmanThu, 19 Dec 2024 05:00:00 -0600https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2024/texas-border-wall-greg-abbott-landowners/Ben Lowy for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/25/texas-24-hours-border-takeaways/Reporters from both organizations spent a day documenting the reality on the border. Here’s a summary of what they found.By Berenice Garcia, Uriel J. García, Jakob Maurer and Alejandro Serrano, The Texas Tribune, and Juan A. Lozano and Elliot Spagat, Associated PressWed, 25 Sep 2024 11:52:03 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/25/texas-24-hours-border-takeaways/A private border wall that extends nearly three miles stands in Mission, on Friday morning, Aug. 9, 2024.A private border wall that extends nearly three miles is seen in Mission, Texas on Aug. 9, 2024.Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/25/texas-border-24-hours-trump-harris-migrants/The Texas Tribune and The Associated Press visited five locations along the 1,254-mile span to separate the facts from the political narrative during a heated election year.By Berenice Garcia, Uriel J. García, Jakob Maurer and Alejandro Serrano, The Texas Tribune, and Juan A. Lozano and Elliot Spagat, Associated PressWed, 25 Sep 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/25/texas-border-24-hours-trump-harris-migrants/Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, clockwise: A Venezuelan migrant family arriving in El Paso; the Rio Grande and Shelby Park in Eagle Pass; Andrés García, Border Patrol agent and public affairs officer at the border wall near Mission; a Customs and Border Protection officer and K-9 inspecting trucks at the Port of Laredo.Christina Smallwood, foreground, and Andrés García, Border Patrol agents and Public Affairs officers look for migrants underneath the vehicular McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge in Hidalgo, Texas, early Friday, Aug. 9, 2024.Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/12/uvalde-texas-cbp-border-patrol-review/The review of CBP agents’ response to the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting found that active shooting training was insufficient.By Uriel J. GarcíaThu, 12 Sep 2024 16:59:06 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/12/uvalde-texas-cbp-border-patrol-review/A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent speaks to a reporter near the scene of a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde.A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent speaks to a reporter near the scene Robb Elementary School, on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/06/alejandro-mayorkas-texas-immigration-policies/The U.S. Homeland Security Secretary specifically called out the state’s policy of busing migrants to cities in other parts of the country.By Uriel J. GarcíaFri, 06 Sep 2024 19:27:23 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/06/alejandro-mayorkas-texas-immigration-policies/Alejandro Mayorkas, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, speaks about border issues with Laura Barrón-López, correspondent for PBS News Hour, at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, TX on Sept. 6, 2024.Alejandro Mayorkas, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, speaks about border issues with Laura Barrón-López, correspondent for PBS News Hour, at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, TX on Sept. 6, 2024.Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/06/18/texas-national-guard-border-migrants-pepper-ball-guns/Migrants in Mexico said they’ve been shot by the rounds, which leave bruises and disperse a chemical irritant. The state says Guard members are trained not to aim directly at people.By Alejandro Serrano and Uriel J. GarcíaTue, 18 Jun 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/06/18/texas-national-guard-border-migrants-pepper-ball-guns/A Texas National Guard soldier holding a pepper ball launcher monitors the concertina wire along the border in El Paso that migrants must cross to surrender to Border Patrol in El Paso, on June 1, 2024.Texas National Guard soldiers check concertina wire fence where migrants must cross through to turn themselves into Border Patrol in El Paso, Texas, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico on June 1, 2024.Paul Ratje for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/06/17/texas-el-paso-migrant-shelter-hearing-annunciation-house/Texas argues that Annunciation House is breaking state law by harboring undocumented immigrants, something the shelter's lawyers called "utter nonsense."By Uriel J. GarcíaMon, 17 Jun 2024 13:32:36 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/06/17/texas-el-paso-migrant-shelter-hearing-annunciation-house/Ruben Garcia, director of Annunciation House, speaks at a press conference on Feb 23, 2024. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the migrant shelter for allegedly operating a stash house and human trafficking. Annunciation House has been providing aid and shelter to migrants in El Paso for decades.Ruben Garcia, director of Annunciation House, speaks at a press conference on Feb 23, 2024. Earlier this week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, announced a lawsuit against the migrant shelter Annunciation House for allegedly operating a stash house and human trafficking. Annunciation House has been providing aid and shelter to migrants in El Paso for more than 40 years.Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribune