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.
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.
Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter crashes near border; Minor injury reported
A Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter patrolling the stateโs border with Mexico has crashed, injuring at least one person.
Lawmakers call for federal investigation into Texas Guard intel ring
The lawmakersโ remarks came after an investigation published Tuesday by Military Times and The Texas Tribune revealed how Texas Guardsmen at the stateโs border with Mexico spied on migrants via WhatsApp and allegedly mishandled secret documents.
Take video tour of 3,000-acre recreational ranch for sale near Uvalde
Soldierโs Gap Ranch is named for its historic natural crossing point once used by Cavalry soldiers from Fort Clark, which was established in 1852.
Texas House passes sweeping border funding bill, guts proposed policing unit
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle threw their support behind a new requirement that the unit use only commissioned peace officers for enforcement actions.
Dozens of migrants found overheated, dehydrated in train car in Kinney County
Dozens of migrants were found overheated and dehydrated in a train car Friday in Kinney County, Sheriff Brad Coe told KSAT 12 News.
3 killed in rollover crash following pursuit in Kinney County, sheriffโs office say
Three people are dead after a pursuit that ended in a rollover crash on Sunday, according to the Kinney County Sheriffโs Office.
San Antonio woman arrested near border for smuggling immigrants, DPS says
Isabel Franco, 22, was taken into custody by Kinney County Sheriffโs deputies and special agents with the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Travis County judges canโt hear appeals from migrants arrested under Texas border security push, court rules
The Court of Criminal Appeals scuttled nearly 450 cases, saying migrants arrested for trespassing in Kinney County canโt ask Austin judges to hear their appeals.
A growing number of Texas rural counties are declaring local immigration โdisastersโ
The latest county to make a disaster declaration is an eight-hour drive away from the Texas-Mexico border, but local officials there say theyโre under โinvasion.โ
Judge in Texas border crackdown accused of using racist slur against migrants
Allen Amos, a visiting judge handling trespassing cases under Gov. Greg Abbottโs โcatch-and-jailโ border operation, allegedly used the derogatory term in a recent conversation with a defense attorney.
A free ride or de-facto deportation? Was it legal for a Texas sheriff to drive migrants to the border?
Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe said at a news conference Tuesday that following a wreck โa couple of days ago,โ federal authorities wouldnโt take custody of four suspected undocumented immigrants until they had been checked out by a doctor. Coe said the four people werenโt hurt and had declined medical attention, and he didnโt want to take up โfour or five hoursโ of his deputiesโ time waiting for them to be examined.
Republican county officials in South Texas want Gov. Greg Abbott to deport migrants. Only the federal government can do that.
Immigration law enforcement falls under the jurisdiction of the federal government. In recent months, a fringe legal theory has found more mainstream supporters who are calling on state leaders in Arizona and Texas to deport migrants with state resources.
Kinney, several other counties on Texas border declare immigration an โinvasion,โ want Gov. Abbott to act
Kinney County and several other counties have declared an โinvasionโ in Texas by migrants, and officials want Gov. Greg Abbott to recognize the problem and treat it as such.
Cash is piling up in Kinney County from bonds posted to free migrants arrested under Texas border crackdown
Friends, families and attorneys have posted more than $2 million to get migrants out of prison. Defense attorneys say the rural county is erecting barriers that will keep many from recovering the money when theyโre entitled to it.
Treasury Department opens investigation into Gov. Greg Abbottโs use of federal funds for border mission
Texas has been using coronavirus relief money to help pay for the multibillion-dollar deployment.
15-year-old suspect in human smuggling operation in Kinney County shot, sheriffโs office says
A 15-year-old boy accused in a human smuggling operation out of Kinney County was shot on Monday and is recovering in a San Antonio hospital.
A minor trespassing case gives Gov. Greg Abbottโs border initiative its first courtroom win
The trial included four prosecutors, and so many potential jurors were summoned the town sandwich shop was shorthanded for lunch. But a Kinney County jury Monday convicted a Honduran national in the first jury trial for trespassing under Gov. Greg Abbottโs Operation Lone Star.
New federal lawsuit seeks to halt Texasโ border trespassing arrests, give more than $5 million to illegally detained migrants
Thousands of men have been arrested on trespassing charges under Gov. Greg Abbottโs border crackdown. A new lawsuit claims the attempt to skirt federal immigration authority is unconstitutional.
Man arrested in cold case killing of decapitated, burned victim found in dumpster, SAPD says
A suspect was arrested in connection with the 2016 decapitation of a man after he was accused of transporting immigrants earlier this month, according to San Antonio police.
Texas continues imprisoning migrants without filing charges or appointing lawyers, court filings claim
Months after the problems became apparent, migrants are still being kept in prison in violation of state laws under Gov. Greg Abbottโs border security crackdown.
Webb County, a Democratic stronghold, is set to welcome Texas Gov. Greg Abbottโs controversial migrant arrests
The county is the most populous to embrace the Republican governorโs โcatch-and-jailโ policy to arrest people accused of crossing the border illegally for state crimes, including trespassing.
Court fight brews over constitutionality of Texas governorโs border arrests
A legal defense group is asking Travis County courts to throw out the arrests of hundreds of migrants swept up in the governorโs border initiative. The case is expected to draw in the Texas attorney general and address whether Gov. Greg Abbottโs plan is unconstitutional.
Texas judge opens door for widespread constitutional challenges to Gov. Greg Abbottโs border initiative
A Travis County judge Thursday tossed out the trespassing charge of an Ecuadorian man who said he came to the United States seeking asylum. His lawyers argued that the governorโs directive to arrest migrants on state charges unconstitutionally usurps federal immigration law.
Hundreds of migrants accused of trespassing languish in Texas prisons. A county judgeโs new approach might prolong their detention.
Despite a surge of arrests under Gov. Greg Abbottโs border security initiative, a Kinney County judge removed three judges who have been helping him hear the cases. The judges had been letting some of the migrants out after months in prison, and defense attorneys say the action is retaliatory.
Coronavirus shuts down legal proceedings in latest misstep for Texas border crackdown
Migrants arrested under Gov. Greg Abbottโs border security push have been imprisoned for weeks or months waiting to appear before a judge. About 90 were finally to receive hearings this week, but court proceedings were canceled.
In latest blunder, charges dropped against migrants arrested in Texas governorโs border crackdown because of faulty paperwork
The migrants were arrested for trespassing, but court documents failed to specify what property they allegedly trespassed upon. Itโs the latest misstep in implementation of Greg Abbottโs border initiative, which has seen frequent violations of state law and disregard for due process rights.
After delay, Texas to begin releasing migrants held in violation of state law under Gov. Greg Abbottโs border crackdown
The almost 250 detained men, whose immediate release was ordered three days ago, are expected to be turned over to federal authorities to be detained again, deported or freed in the United States while their cases are being resolved.
Texas court orders release of more than 200 migrants imprisoned in Gov. Greg Abbottโs border security clampdown
The men were arrested by state troopers and held for weeks without facing formal charges, a violation of state law. Itโs the latest misfire in Abbottโs hastily assembled effort to involve Texas in patrolling the border.
Migrants arrested by Texas in border crackdown are being imprisoned for weeks without legal help or formal charges
Defense attorneys have started asking courts to set migrants free because local justice systems, overwhelmed by arrests under Gov. Greg Abbott's border security push, are routinely violating state law and constitutional due process rights.
People living near the border open their homes to law enforcement assisting with Haitian migrant surge
Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe said because of limited hotel space in the Del Rio area, he decided to help some of troopers find temporary shelter.
Thanks to local politics and a railroad, rural Kinney County accounts for most of Texasโ migrant arrests
Under Gov. Greg Abbottโs border security push, Texas state police have arrested hundreds of migrants in the conservative county, usually after spotting them on cargo trains or walking remote ranch lands. Sent to a state prison retooled as an immigration jail, many men were left without lawyers for weeks.
Winter wonderland turns into winter crisis in Brackettville
Kinney County โ What started off as a winter wonderland for so many Texas residents has now turned into a winter weather crisis. Kinney County Judge Tully Shahan said they are helping the community as much as they can. Gomez said itโs been a challenge keeping her family warm during this winter storm. Thursday afternoon, Gomez said her power was restored but was not sure how long it would last. Judge Shahan said Bracketville residents without power should call AEP Texas at 877-373-4858.
Kinney County deputies, Border Patrol searching for driver responsible for fatal rollover crash
KINNEY COUNTY Kinney County deputies and Border Patrol are actively searching for a man involved in a fatal rollover crash overnight after leading authorities on a pursuit. The pursuit happened on Ranch Road 674 Sunday morning, according to a Facebook post from the Kinney County Sheriffs Office. The driver lead deputies on a pursuit when he lost control of his vehicle and rolled it, police said. Officials said resources in Kinney County were stretched thin in response to the crash, as deputies, EMS, Fire and Rescue and the Department of Public Safety were called to the scene. Ranch Road 674 is currently closed as the investigation continues.