Critters
November 10, 2023
The Exotic Wildlife Trade Is Thriving in Texas
Investigators are finding new ways to catch smugglers, but high demand from China, weak laws, and cartel involvement are making enforcement harder than ever.
18 Articles
Medicine
October 30, 2023
A Taller Border Wall Brings a Surge of Costly Injuries to El Paso
The city's University Medical Center is among the trauma centers dealing with many more migrants severely hurt in falls from the thirty-foot fence.
Food & Drink
August 4, 2023
South Padre Island’s Hottest Beach Snack Is Steaming Corn
Eloteros trawl the north end of the island in converted vans and buses slinging variations of elotes in this (sometimes) fruitless, fun job.
Border & Immigration
July 27, 2023
Residents of Eagle Pass Grow Wary of Greg Abbott’s Militarized Border
Confronted with human suffering and death, as well as disruption of their small town, some former supporters of Operation Lone Star have started to sour on the program.
Medicine
June 14, 2023
Plasma Donation Is a Bloody Business at the Border
Thousands of Mexicans routinely cross into Texas to sell their vital bodily fluids for cash. Is that arrangement symbiotic—or exploitative?
Health
December 15, 2022
Texas’s Doctor Shortage Is Bilingual
There aren’t nearly enough physicians in the state, especially for the more than 7.5 million Texans who primarily speak Spanish.
Politics & Policy
October 14, 2022
Some Texas Lawyers Think Greg Abbott’s Border Initiative Is Unconstitutional—But They’re Afraid to Challenge It
As the federal judiciary has shifted to the right, many who represent migrants are wary of bringing Operation Lone Star before the nation’s highest courts.
Health
June 28, 2022
A New Diabetes Drug Could Help Many in the Rio Grande Valley—If They Can Afford It
Mounjaro is a potential lifesaver in a region with a high rate of obesity. Its price tag may prevent many from accessing it.
Politics & Policy
April 14, 2022
“Migrant Lockdowns” Are the New Active-Shooter Drills in the Rio Grande Valley
When undocumented immigrants venture near campuses, many schools institute security protocols. But criminal acts by migrants aren't common.
Politics & Policy
December 22, 2021
A Southwest Texas Paper Folded. A Conspiracy-Spewing Facebook Streamer Took Its Place.
After the ‘Del Rio News-Herald’ shuttered last year, Frank Lopez Jr., who broadcasts as “US Border Patriot,” found a national audience.
Politics & Policy
October 29, 2021
Kinney County Has Embraced Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star Like Nowhere Else. It’s Fueling the Hysteria of Some Locals.
No county in Texas has arrested more migrants under the governor’s plan to crack down on the border, and it’s created a judicial crisis.
Border & Immigration
October 21, 2021
Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz on the Crisis in Texas and Why Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star Concerns Him
The Del Rio–raised law enforcement official chatted with ‘Texas Monthly’ about the situation in his hometown and immigration enforcement across the state.
Border & Immigration
September 18, 2021
The Biden Administration Says It’s Repairing Levees. Some South Texans Say It’s Building a Border Wall.
Barriers reminiscent of the Trump era are sprouting up in Hidalgo County.
Politics & Policy
July 27, 2021
Greg Abbott’s Border Fence Is Rising in Bits and Pieces
Local officials in South Texas are scrambling to figure out what the governor is building in their communities.
News & Politics
June 24, 2021
“When Do They Leave?”: Border Residents Bear the Latest Surge of DPS Troopers
Governor Greg Abbott has sent a thousand state cops into Texas border communities to combat smuggling. But many locals complain that they are more of a nuisance than an effective crime-fighting force.
Politics & Policy
April 21, 2021
A Section of Trump Border Wall in South Texas Cost $27 Million a Mile. It’s Being Foiled by $5 Ladders.
“Ladders and walls go together like peas and carrots,” says one McAllen Border Patrol agent.
True Crime
May 29, 2019
Her Daughter Was Disappeared in Mexico. Despite Cartel Death Threats, She’s Determined to Find Her.
After Josefina De León’s daughter went missing in the Mexican State of Tamaulipas in 2012, she was determined to find her. Seven years later, she hasn’t given up.
News & Politics
April 19, 2017
Before the Flood
The border cities of Tamaulipas brace themselves for the wave of deportees Donald Trump has promised to send their way.