Texas governor visiting Houston to make announcement on border security
Details on the announcement are unclear, but a press release from the governorโs office says the efforts are a response โto the Biden-Harris Administrationโs reckless open border policies that have allowed dangerous criminals to enter our country illegally.โ
Houston judge limits what attorneys and others can say in Jocelyn Nungaray murder case
Months after two Venezuelan immigrants were charged with the murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, one of the suspects asked for a protective order to ensure the media attention about the case wonโt prevent him from having a fair trial. Wednesday morning, that order was rejected when the two men appeared in court
Dan Patrick asks Senate to consider bills to unmask protesters, change runoff elections
The new list includes many right-wing priorities, and would escalate Republicansโ wars against diversity, equity and inclusion programs and review laws to keep noncitizens off voter rolls.
Mayorkas: Texasโ immigration policies have wreaked havoc and disorder
The U.S. Homeland Security Secretary specifically called out the stateโs policy of busing migrants to cities in other parts of the country.
Group of Texas Democrats asks DOJ to investigate Texas over possible voter rights violations
The request by the Texas Senate Democratic Caucus in a letter to the Department of Justice follows a similar request by a Latino civil rights organization.
Judge rejects Ken Paxtonโs bid to question leader of Brownsville migrant aid organization
The AGโs office sought to depose the leader of Team Brownsville, which provides water, shelter and basic necessities to asylum-seeking migrants.
Judge in Texas pauses Biden program offering legal status to spouses of U.S. citizens
Biden announced the program in June and Republicans in 16 states filed suit. The federal judge issued an order that puts the program on hold for at least two weeks.
Judge rejects Attorney General Ken Paxtonโs attempt to shut down Houston immigrant rights group
Paxtonโs office claimed the group broke rules prohibiting political activity by nonprofits, but the judge rejected the case outright.
Murder suspect in Jocelyn Nungaray case files protective order to prevent โundue prejudice,โ ensure a fair trial
Due to the case gaining national and media attention, Franklin Peรฑaโs attorneys have filed a protective order claiming โthe additional extra-judicial statements to the news media are likely to produce a result of undue prejudice in the community to deprive the Defendant of a fair trialโ
Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Houston immigrantsโ rights org over political speech
Attorney General Ken Paxton has targeted similar organizations that aid migrants at the border. The lawsuit appears to be the first to focus on political speech and rules that govern nonprofits.
State leaders address Gov. Abbottโs order to require Texas hospitals to collect patientsโ immigration status
Congressman Al Green and other leaders addressed Gov. Greg Abbottโs executive order that requires hospitals in Texas to collect information on the immigration status of patients so that the hospitals can then track costs incurred for the care of undocumented migrants.
Abbott order will require Texas hospitals to collect patientsโ immigration status
The executive order from the Texas governor will require hospitals to track the cost of care for undocumented migrants, in order for the state to push for federal reimbursement.
Spider monkeys, parrot eggs and pythons, oh my! A look back at strange items found during border inspections
Ever wondered what bizarre items people try to smuggle across the U.S. border? Check out these strange finds from border inspections: live spider monkeys, giant African Land Snails, and even Xanax pills hidden in yarn spools! Learn about these unusual cases and more as KPRC dives into the creative lengths smugglers go to. Tune in Friday at 6 a.m. for an exclusive look at how customs agents keep the country safe. Don't miss out
Sen. Ted Cruz details what the โJustice for Jocelyn Actโ will look like
Senator Ted Cruz holds a news conference with the family of Jocelyn Nungaray, and details the "Justice for Jocelyn Act" he plans to introduce.
Texas attorney general says Biden must continue border wall construction after court deadline passes
Texas sued to stop an executive order issued by President Biden on his Inauguration Day to stop border wall construction and divert funds that had already been allocated for the project.
Texasโ floating barrier in the Rio Grande can stay for now, appeals court says
After Texas deployed the barrier, a panel ordered it removed. The full appeals court says it can stay while a lower court hears a case on the merits.
El Paso County officials say itโs time the state pays for Operation Lone Star arrests
County officials issued a disaster declaration Tuesday, saying the stateโs mass arrests at the border have cost the county millions of dollars and overwhelmed its criminal justice system.
Texas attorney general canโt question Catholic Charities director over migrant services, court says
Wednesdayโs ruling is the second time a Texas judge has ruled against the attorney general for investigating shelters helping migrants.
Governor Abbott bashes Biden over border battle with story of Houston murder victim Jocelyn Nungaray during RNC speech
The governor accused the president of fighting tooth and nail to stop Texas and other Republican states from securing their borders.
Immigration is taking center stage in Texasโ Senate race. Hereโs what Colin Allredโs and Ted Cruzโs records show.
Poll after poll shows Texas voters rank immigration and the border as the most pressing issues.
Border Patrol agents recorded the fewest monthly migrant apprehensions since 2021 on southern border
Migrant apprehensions in Texas decreased by nearly one-third in June, the first month of a new order by President Joe Biden that widely limited asylum claims.
GOP-led states have pledged hundreds of troops and spent millions of dollars to help Texas secure the border this year
The federal government has deployed National Guard to the border for years, but more than a dozen states have dug into their own budgets to send even more personnel
Eagle Pass residents have mixed feelings about sharing their city with the National Guard
Texas has sent thousands of soldiers to the border as part of Gov. Greg Abbottโs multibillion-dollar initiative Operation Lone Star. No border town has felt their presence more than Eagle Pass.
Houstonโs largest-ever naturalization ceremony swears in more than 3,300 new citizens
On July 10th at NRG Arena, 3,360 people from 121 countries were sworn in as new U.S. citizens. It was Houston's largest-ever naturalization ceremony and took place despite the massive heatwave and power outages affecting the region after Hurricane Beryl.
At half a mile a week, Gov. Greg Abbottโs border wall will take around 30 years and $20 billion to build
The state has built about 34 miles of wall spread out across at least six counties on Texasโ 1,254-mile border with Mexico.
Community activists gather to react to President Bidenโs announcement on immigration
Houston area immigrant civil rights group FIEL gathered Tuesday afternoon to react to President Joe Bidenโs announcement on immigration.
Texas National Guard is shooting pepper balls to deter migrants at the border
Migrants in Mexico said theyโve 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.
Judge weighing whether to close El Paso shelter that aids undocumented immigrants
Texas argues that Annunciation House is breaking state law by harboring undocumented immigrants, something the shelter's lawyers called "utter nonsense."
Texas immigrantsโ rights groups sue Biden administration over asylum restrictions
Both Democrats and Republicans have criticized the order, which limits asylum requests when illegal border crossings ramp up.
Brandon Herrera to request recount in primary runoff against U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales
Herrera said he doesnโt expect the results to change, โbut I feel I owe it to my volunteers, voters, and supporters to leave no stone unturned.โ
Houston immigration attorneys break down timing of Bidenโs asylum cap order
Hours before President Joe Biden was set to roll out an executive order aiming to cap asylum requests, KPRC 2 spoke with immigration attorneys to get a legal understanding of what this could mean for an overwhelmed border during an already tense election year.
โWhy now?โ: Bidenโs new immigration policy to limit asylum seekers faces quick criticism in Texas
President Joe Bidenโs new executive order, unveiled Tuesday, will restrict the number of asylum seekers allowed to cross the border when crossings reach a certain level.
A Houston woman applied for a green card. She was banned from the U.S. for a decade.
Claudia Gonzรกlez was 15 when she crossed the border into Texas to reunite with her mother. Now sheโs back in Mexico, separated from her 15-year-old son and her husband in Houston.
Migrant apprehensions are down at the Texas border. Have state policies had an impact?
Abbott has credited his Operation Lone Star for a recent drop in migrant encounters on the Texas-Mexico border.
Aรฑos antes de que los caracterizaran como criminales, los residentes de Colony Ridge buscaron ayuda del estado
Los residentes presentaron mรกs de 60 quejas en contra de Colony Ridge. No obtuvieron muchas soluciones del estado.
Texas Democrats call on colleges to set aside financial aid money for immigrant families affected by FAFSA glitch
Students whose parents do not have Social Security numbers have been blocked from completing the federal financial aid form.
Texas National Guard member charged with human smuggling after high-speed chase near the border
Authorities said the 26-year-old turned around at a Border Patrol checkpoint and fled from police in Kinney County.
House Speaker Dade Phelanโs immigration record central in bid to oust him
The Beaumont Republicanโs foes are trying to paint him as soft on the border, even after last yearโs passage of far-reaching laws and record border funding.
SB 4: Texasโ migrant arrest law on hold for now (again) under latest court ruling
Texasโ plans to arrest migrants suspected of illegally entering the U.S. will remain on hold under a federal appeals court order.
Mexico โcondemnsโ controversial Texas immigration law, says it wonโt accept deportations from the state
As a legal battle between state and federal government wages on over Texas' controversial immigration law, Mexico is making its voice heard on SB 4.
President Biden to arrive in Houston for fundraising event ahead of 2024 election
The presidentโs arrival comes on the heels of a legal chess match between Texas and the federal government over controversial immigration law, SB 4.
Enforcing Texasโ new immigration law may be challenging, even for authorities that support it
A new law allowing local authorities to deport migrants remains tied up in court. Even if it goes back into effect, logistical challenges could complicate enforcement.
Disagreement and confusion on display in hearing over Texasโ new immigration law
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments about whether to allow back into effect a law allowing state and local authorities to deport migrants.
Senate Bill 4 blocked once again, but what does Houston-area law enforcement have to say about it?
Law enforcement officials might find themselves in a strange limbo due to the legal chess match regarding Senate Bill 4. Especially after a U.S. appeals court put the stateโs controversial immigration law, Senate Bill 4, back on hold.
Texas SB 4: Read controversial immigration lawโs full ruling
A legal chess match continues with Texas and the federal government over a controversial ruling on SB 4, which was once again back in the arena after a Federal Appeals Court put the stateโs controversial immigration law back on hold.
Texasโ new immigration law is blocked again
Hours after the U.S. Supreme Court had allowed Senate Bill 4 to go into effect, a federal appeals court let an earlier injunction stand. SB 4 lets Texas police arrest people suspected of illegally crossing the Texas-Mexico border.
Supreme Court permits Texas police to arrest people who illegally cross the border as the SB 4 legal clash continues
The ruling allows Texas to start enforcing SB 4 while a lawsuit over its constitutionality remains pending before a federal appeals court.
Vicente Gonzalez compares Latino Trump supporters to โJews for Hitlerโ
The South Texas Democrat said Latinos who support former President Donald Trump are voting against their self interest, but Republicans recoiled at the comparison.
As Biden and Trump visit the border, many Texas residents feel ignored
When the two presidents used the Texas-Mexico boundary as a backdrop for the national immigration fight, residents felt they were left out of the conversation.
Texas law allowing police to arrest migrants suspected of being in country illegally blocked by federal judge
Senate Bill 4 was Texasโ latest attempt to deter people from crossing the Texas-Mexico border amid a surge in migration.
Ken Paxtonโs Annunciation House investigation is the latest attack on religious organizations aiding migrants at the border
For years, conservative religious groups and Texas politicians have accused groups housing newly-arrived migrants of encouraging, and profiting from, illegal immigration.
In two Texas border towns, Biden and Trump push for different immigration approaches
Immigration is a driving issue in the almost-certain presidential rematch between the Democratic incumbent and ousted Republican.
Years before Texas conservatives painted them as criminals, Colony Ridge residents sought help from state agencies
Texas has little to show for conservative leadersโ uproar โ or previously unreported complaints about the community developer.
El Paso leaders rally around migrant shelters after Attorney General Ken Paxtonโs threat to shut them down
Paxtonโs office demanded records of migrants that Annunciation House has helped and threatened to shut down the Catholic shelter network.
Ken Paxton sues to revoke an El Paso nonprofitโs state registration after it didnโt immediately hand over client records
Annunciation House, a network of shelters that serves migrants, sought relief from the attorney generalโs demand to immediately release information about its clients. Paxton accused the religious group of smuggling humans across the southern border.
Texas and Biden administration lawyers face off in court over new law making illegal border crossing a state crime
An Austin judge will decide whether Senate Bill 4 will go into effect on March 5. The new law allows police to arrest people suspected of illegally crossing the border.
FBI foils 2022 plot by militiamen to โstart a warโ at the Texas-Mexico border
A Tennessee man arrested Monday hoped to travel to the southern border with a militia group that allegedly plotted to go โto war with the border patrol,โ believing that the country was being invaded by migrants.
Mayra Flores: DNA testing needed at border, even if that means detaining kids for months
The former Republican congresswoman is running for her former seat representing the 34th congressional district.
Hospitalized Texas Democrat Al Green rushed to Capitol for impeachment vote in scrubs, saving Mayorkas
The Houston Democrat is recovering from abdominal surgery. Democrats did not expect him to attend the vote, but his surprise appearance sank the impeachment vote.
Gov. Greg Abbott defends migrant tactics in Eagle Pass amid escalating legal battle with Biden administration
DPS tells visiting governors that efforts to deter migrants are effective and razor wire and buoy barriers โsave lives.โ
Glitch in financial aid form is keeping students with immigrant parents from applying for college grants
Parents without a Social Security number still cannot complete the new FAFSA online. The U.S. Education Department has not said when it plans to fix the issue.
Texas' standoff with the feds in Eagle Pass is igniting calls for secession and fears of violence
The calls for Texas to defend itself and defy the federal government have set fire to a long-simmering fight over statesโ rights, emboldening right-wing figures.
โHold the lineโ: Republicans rally to Abbottโs defense in border standoff with Biden
From the Texas House to former President Donald Trump, Republicans around the country defended Gov. Greg Abbottโs challenges to the Biden administration's border policies.
U.S. Supreme Court says Texas canโt block federal agents from the border
The high courtโs order effectively maintains long-running precedent that the federal government โ not individual states โ has authority to enforce border security.
In Eagle Pass, a tense border standoff between Texas and the federal government is reaching a crescendo
A park on the Rio Grande is the new focus of a long battle over border enforcement thatโs reached the U.S. Supreme Court.
Immigration advocates criticize Abbott for busing migrants to Chicago following Illinois governorโs plea to halt
A local non-profit focused on immigrant civil rights is reacting to a letter published as a full-page ad in multiple Texas newspapers focused on the transporting of migrants from Texas to Chicago.
โAgree on saving livesโ: Illinois governor pleads for Gov. Abbott to stop busing migrants to Chicago amid winter storm
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has issued a letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pleading for him to stop sending migrant buses and planes to the Chicago area as temperatures are expected to reach below zero.
Feds say Texas is blocking Border Patrol from a section of the border, ask US Supreme Court to intervene
The Justice Department says agents canโt access 2.5 miles of the border and a boat ramp in Eagle Pass.
Abbottโs immigration rhetoric criticized again after interview response about shooting migrants
Asked how far Texas could legally go to secure the border, Gov. Greg Abbott said the state isnโt shooting people who illegally cross the border because the Biden administration would charge officials with murder.
Vouchers, border security, abortion: The issues you heard about in 2023 will continue to be hotly debated in 2024
After nearly a yearโs worth of legislative sessions, several issues are poised to dominate Texas politics this year. Hereโs a look at how things ended on several fronts last year โ and where theyโre headed next.
U.S. Department of Justice says itโll sue if Texas enforces new law punishing illegal border crossing
The state has until Jan. 3 to say it wonโt arrest people accused of unauthorized entry from Mexico. If not, the Biden administration will sue, saying immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility.
Once a laborer, this immigrant now owns his farm. He and his daughter are among few Hispanic farmers in Texas.
According to the most recent census, Texas has fewer than 26,000 Hispanic farmers compared to 236,000 white farmers.
Feds sue Colony Ridge developer, accusing it of preying on Latino homebuyers
Federal authorities accused the Houston-area developer of targeting Latino home buyers with predatory loans and false promises. The housing development drew the attention of state lawmakers after right-wing publications claimed it is a magnet for undocumented immigrants.
Texas gained more people than any other state in the last year
Texas grew by nearly half a million people in the past year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But it was South Carolina that led the nation with its rate of population growth.
Immigrant rights groups sue Texas to halt new law allowing arrests of migrants
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.
Gov. Greg Abbott signs bill making illegal immigration a state crime
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.
Texas on the cusp of enacting new immigration enforcement law
Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to soon sign an immigration enforcement bill into law. Senate Bill 4 was passed by the state House and Senate during the legislatureโs 4th special session.