The Department of Homeland Security has released little information to the public on its plans to build new border infrastructure through the Big Bend region.

Trump White House faces scrutiny over billion-dollar border wall contracts in Texas’ Big Bend region

A lawsuit alleges the Trump administration awarded most new Texas border wall contracts to two firms. One has faced legal issues and shoddy construction claims.

By Sam Karas, Perla Trevizo, Misty Harris, Propublica and Big Bend Sentinel, The Texas Tribune May 22, 2026May 22, 2026

Marchers take to San Antonio's streets in January as part of a as part of a nationwide protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Texas News

Ruptured Families: The U.S. citizen children left behind by deportations

More than 800,000 Texan kids with citizenship depend on an undocumented parent. Trump’s immigration crackdown is tearing their households apart.

by Jesús Jank Curbelo May 21, 2026May 21, 2026

The T. Don Hutto Residential Center, a detention facility in Taylor on Sept. 24, 2020.

Texas News

Inside the legal battle over undocumented immigrants’ right to challenge their detention.

Last year the Trump administration launched a policy of keeping all immigrants arrested by ICE in detention without the right to request bond, reversing decades of established law.

by Uriel J. García, The Texas Tribune May 21, 2026May 21, 2026

ICE agents question a driver in the parking lot of the Las Palmas Branch Library.

San Antonio News

ICE conducts enforcement action at San Antonio voting location, witnesses say

While witnesses said the agents didn’t question or approach people there to cast ballots, their presence comes amid heightened worries about attempts at voter suppression.

By Michael Karlis May 20, 2026May 20, 2026

An aerial view of the Camp East Montana Detention Facility at Fort Bliss in El Paso on Sept. 7, 2025. Andrea Pedro was sent to the detention center on August 11, 2025. Just before she arrived, three detained immigrants had died there in the span of six weeks.

Texas News

Doctors say woman in Texas ICE detention center urgently requires surgery she’s being denied

Andrea Pedro Francisco was scheduled to have surgery to remove an ovarian cyst in February but was detained by ICE, which has repeatedly denied her surgery. Nine doctors who reviewed her case said she’s at risk of a medical emergency.

by Lomi Kriel, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica May 20, 2026May 20, 2026

Texas AG Ken Paxton's office sent out nearly 300 press releases in the past year, and the overwhelming majority were negative in tone, even those lauding his office’s “major victories” in court.

Texas News

Ken Paxton’s glass house

Texas AG Ken Paxton’s office sent out nearly 300 press releases in the past year, and the overwhelming majority were negative in tone, even those lauding his office’s “major victories” in court.

by Michelle Pitcher, The Texas Tribune May 18, 2026May 18, 2026

Visitors at Texas' Big Bend National Park look toward the Rio Grande separating Mexico and the United States on Feb. 22, 2025.

Texas News

$1.7 billion contract awarded ‘for border wall in Big Bend’ amid public confusion over plans

The contract comes just a week after Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said the agency would not build a wall in Big Bend National Park.

by Ayden Runnels May 16, 2026May 16, 2026

A Laredo Police Department officer at the World Trade Bridge in Laredo on Feb. 17, 2023.

Texas News

Parts of Texas immigration law are likely unconstitutional, federal judge signals

The law, which gives state law enforcement and judges a role in immigration enforcement, is set to go into effect in two days.

by Alejandro Serrano, The Texas Tribune May 14, 2026May 14, 2026

Two men from Venezuela and Mexico are detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials after their court hearings on June 10, 2025, in Houston. Two men from Venezuela and Mexico are detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials after their court hearings on June 10, 2025, in Houston

San Antonio News

For Texas GOP, immigration politics show signs of fading potency

Texas voters have listed immigration and border security among their top issues for years, but recent polling found they are less of a priority than at any point in recent history.

by Alejandro Serrano, The Texas Tribune May 13, 2026May 13, 2026

Veronica Viera drives to pick up her children from school in Houston on April 26, 2026. A DACA recipient and mother of four children, Viera had her commercial license revoked late last year and is now finding work as an Uber driver.

Texas News

Texas took their licenses. Now these immigrant truckers face lost livelihoods, sense of betrayal

Texas was among the first states to heed Trump administration directives to revoke commercial driver’s licenses from some immigrants as a safety measure.

By Colleen De Guzman and Alex NguyenMay 11, 2026May 11, 2026

Texas News

Deported South Texas DACA recipient returned to U.S. freed after detainment

José Contreras Díaz, 30, was deported by ICE despite having valid DACA status. ICE returned him to the U.S. but detained him on April 29 after he landed in Texas.

by Uriel J. García, The Texas Tribune May 8, 2026May 8, 2026

Rena Schroeder poses for a portrait on her ranch where she runs an equine learning nonprofit and cares for rescue livestock in Lott on May 4, 2026.

Texas News

Texas Republicans have a data center problem

Data center construction is unpopular among locals, and a majority of the facilities are being proposed in red, rural counties. That puts Texas Republicans in a tough spot, as the White House has encouraged states to let the centers flourish.

By Taylor GoldensteinMay 7, 2026May 7, 2026

A photo of best friends Joshua Orta and Ruben Ray Martinez at Orta’s grave in San Antonio on April 16, 2026. Orta died in a car accident in February. He was a passenger in the same car when ICE shot and killed Martinez in South Padre Island a year earlier.

San Antonio News

How the unreported killing of an American by ICE shattered two San Antonio families

Josh Orta was the sole witness of Ruben Martinez’s death to dispute the government’s account. Months later, he died in a crash after learning an ICE agent killed his friend. Their mothers blame the government for their loss.

by Lomi Kriel, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica May 4, 2026May 4, 2026

Under pressure from Gov. Greg Abbott, Houston, Austin and Dallas have changed policies on how police officers handle ICE warrants.

Texas News

ICE warrants were central to Abbott’s immigration dispute with Texas cities. Here’s how they work.

Unlike criminal warrants, ICE administrative warrants don’t require approval from an independent judge. ICE defends the practice, but legal experts say they can have errors and risk wrongful detention.

by Alex Nguyen, The Texas Tribune May 3, 2026May 3, 2026

The SpaceX Starship is seen on its launch pad from the shore of Boca Chica Beach ahead of its 10th flight test on the morning of Aug. 24, 2025.

Texas News

South Texas residents suing SpaceX over alleged home damage

The lawsuit filed by 80 plaintiffs Thursday accuse Elon Musk’s company of gross negligence and trespassing for loud blasts from 11 rocket tests.

by Ayden Runnels, The Texas Tribune May 1, 2026May 1, 2026

A Laredo storefront displays “store closing” signs across its windows on April 9, 2026. Business owners say the distance between open stores has made it harder to attract consistent foot traffic.

Texas News

Once thriving, Laredo’s growth stalls under Trump’s immigration crackdown

The city’s economic growth has taken a dip, falling short of expectations amid a steep decline in international migration, among other factors.

by Berenice Garcia, The Texas Tribune May 1, 2026May 1, 2026

rawing created by a member of Hayam El Gamal’s family. The family was re-arrested on Saturday after being freed on April 23.

San Antonio News

ICE releases El Gamal family after re-arresting mother and 5 children, attorney says

A plane carrying the family to Michigan was reportedly on its way back to Colorado after a Texas federal judge ordered a halt to their deportation following his ruling that they be released.

by Lomi Kriel, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica April 28, 2026April 28, 2026

The border wall cuts across a stretch of land.

Texas News

Trump’s new tool to speed up wall construction may be a trap for Texas landowners

The administration is using a new kind of ‘right-of-entry’ request that allows building earlier in the legal process. Property owners could be signing away more than they realize, attorneys say.

by Jason Buch, The Texas Observer April 27, 2026April 27, 2026

A drawing created by a member of Hayam El Gamal’s family. The family was re-arrested after freed earlier this week.

San Antonio News

Federal judges order pause of Egyptian family’s deportation after ICE re-arrested

A federal plane carrying the family to Michigan was reportedly on its way back to Colorado after a Texas federal judge ordered a halt to their deportation following his ruling that the family be released.

by Lomi Kriel, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica April 26, 2026April 26, 2026

Texas News

Judges in every Texas border county urge White House transparency on border wall

County Judges representing the entire Texas-Mexico border are urging the feds to communicate with local officials on border wall plans, which so far have changed drastically without notice.

by Stephanie Koithan April 24, 2026April 24, 2026