New: People seeking a host of professional licenses in Texas, from electricians to dog breeders, will soon have to prove they are in the country legally under a new rule adopted Tuesday that could affect thousands of workers.
#txlege
www.texastribune.org/2026/03/24/t...
Republicans went on to win freshly redrawn TX-15 in November 2022, and two Texas House Districts in the RGV:
t.co/5rpbsX8ExM
After the 2022 primaries, Republicans were the ones riding high after seeing GOP turnout more than double in the Rio Grande Valley compared with the previous midterm primary.
t.co/FuSCIsNYQo
New: Texas Democrats more than doubled their turnout from 2024 during the primary elections on March 3 in the Rio Grande Valley, as the % of registered D voters who cast a ballot far exceeded that of recent elex.
w/ this neat graphic:
www.texastribune.org/2026/03/13/t...
The death of Ruben Ray Martinez, which would be the earliest deadly shooting by fed officers since the start of President Trump's immigration clampdown, came to light bc of a FOIA lawsuit from nonprofit watchdog American Oversight for records.
www.texastribune.org/2026/02/20/t...
Colony Ridge came under fierce scrutiny from GOP commentators and TX state leaders in 2023 bc the developers sold land to undocumented people.
www.texastribune.org/2023/09/29/c...
New: Houston-area developer Colony Ridge, accused of running a predatory lending scheme that deceived Latinos, reached a $68M settlement w/ Texas and the feds.
This detail 👇 stuck out –– undocumented ppl can't get a driver's license or official ID in TX. Report:
www.texastribune.org/2026/02/10/c...
Democrat Taylor Rehmet’s stunning upset victory in last month's Texas Senate #SD9 elex is explained in part by the massive swing by Latinos toward his campaign compared to other Dems in recent elections.
to see the change, @amahaja.bsky.social made these maps:
www.texastribune.org/2026/02/09/t...
Photo shows a smiling baby
This is Amalia.
She spiked a fever of 104 in ICE lock up, a lawsuit says. Her oxygen levels dropped to 50%
Officers stood watch during her 10-day emergency hospital stay.
When she was well enough to leave, doctors said Amalia should go home.
Instead, ICE put her and her mom back in detention.
Two weeks ago, the El Paso Medical Examiner ruled the death of a 55yo Cuban detainee at an immigration center in El Paso was a homicide.
ICE bypassed the county ME w/ the latest death, sending the body to an Army hospital instead.
www.texastribune.org/2026/02/03/t...
NEW: How Democrat Taylor Rehmet upset a MAGA candidate to flip a North Texas Senate district that Donald Trump carried by 17 points in 2024 + what folks are making of the special election, held on a Jan. Saturday w/ no other candidates on the ballot.
#txlege #sd9
www.texastribune.org/2026/02/02/t...
Texas passed a '23 immigration law in response to record border crossings under the Biden admin.
Today, a challenge to the law returns to court under v diff circumstances: crossings are low + TX is helping the Trump admin + the DOJ is no longer a plaintiff.
www.texastribune.org/2026/01/22/t...
Two weeks ago, Texas AG Ken Paxton announced that his office had arrested 35 undocumented people they turned over to ICE.
So, I asked via an open records requests for arrest reports and any other relevant docs related to the apprehensions. The AG's office says there aren't any:
new from me: In the wake of the Uvalde school shooting in 2022, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn made a risky decision for a Texas Republican: He helped shepherd major gun safety legislation. Now critics are turning up the heat on Cornyn in what's shaping up to be the fight of his career.
t.co/Sa9INpUBNb
In April, authorities raided what they say was a Tren de Aragua gathering. Attendees say it was a birthday party.
Among those detained included a homeless barber/DoorDash driver, and three people who fled Venezuela years ago *because of* that gang
🧵
www.texasobserver.org/officials-tr...
The Texas Department of Public Safety has shifted from Biden-era border enforcement to helping expel people from the country, a job once exclusively done by federal authorities. @serranoalej.bsky.social @texastribune.org
here is a link again to today's story again. it contains nuance I hope you spend time with, as well as unanswered questions we hope to answer.
if you want to talk to me on or off the record: alejandro.serrano@texastribune.org.
DM me for signal.
www.texastribune.org/2025/09/12/t...
But reporting has cast doubt on the assertion.
In Texas, one raid in Hays County raised fresh questions about evidence.
our June report:
www.texastribune.org/2025/06/04/t...
DPS said as of mid-August it had identified nearly 6,500 “criminal illegal immigrants with active felony warrants in Texas for a variety of offenses.”
The Trump administration has similarly said it is prioritizing deporting "the worst of the worst."
The state also dropped buoys and razor wire into international waters, built a border wall, etc. --- all raising Qs about how much authority a state has to enforce immigration law.
here is a great story from January 2024 via @ujohnnyg.bsky.social
www.texastribune.org/2024/01/22/t...
When DPS officers were surged to the border in 2021, they began arresting asylum-seekers on state charges of criminal trespass, instead of crossing the border like CPB might.
It was one of several OLS aspects ...
It is not clear if DPS officers themselves are making the arrests. The story gets into this question of authority a bit:
Meanwhile, the number of border crossings has tanked. These numbers offer a glimpse into how state police are shifting their focus from the border toward aiding the Trump administration.
The #txlege this year appropriated another $3.4B for border security.
www.texastribune.org/2025/06/19/t...
Public records obtained by The @texastribune.org show that the teams have recorded 3,131 previously unreported arrests. Most people (88%) were picked up for violations of federal immigration laws. At least one in five in either Austin, Dallas or Houston.
Since, not much has been said or celebrated about the teams or their productivity. DPS has acknowledged their involvement in individual arrests, like these:
www.kxan.com/news/local/a...
cmf.statesman.com/news/local/a...
In January, Gov. Abbott directed DPS to dispatch teams to help President Trump's immigration crackdown.
And DPS is being tight-lipped about the ops, a stark contrast from the press releases, videos, pics + stats frequently published over the last 4 years of Operation Lone Star, a border mission started in response to the Biden admin's immigration policies.
New: Texas DPS officers are helping arrest thousands of undocumented immigrants across the state, including in large cities whose Democrat leaders have historically opposed working w/ ICE.
Spokesperson tells me: "Operation Lone Star 2.0 is underway statewide..."
www.texastribune.org/2025/09/12/t...
