The Horse Who Got Deported
When a mare illegally crossed the border into Big Bend National Park in search of greener pastures, Facebook users rallied to bring her back to her owner in Mexico. Park officials think they’re missing the point.
Sasha von Oldershausen joined Texas Monthly in 2023 to contribute reporting to its news and politics desk. Before that, she worked for several years as a freelancer, regularly writing stories for the New York Times, where she also worked as a stringer for its Metro desk. Her words have also appeared in the Atlantic, Harper’s, the Believer, the Oxford American, and the Paris Review. Originally from New York City, she moved to the small town of Presidio on the Texas-Mexico border in 2014 to write for the Big Bend Sentinel, a local newspaper for which her reporting earned her several awards through the Texas Press Association. After transitioning into freelance work, she remained on the border through 2017 and focused her reporting on immigration, border security, and rural issues, writing for a number of national and regional publications, including Texas Monthly. With her background in local news, she often notices the ways in which seemingly small stories can resonate on a much bigger scale. An Iranian American and the daughter of immigrants, she has a vested interest in Iranian culture and is drawn to issues impacting immigrant populations.
When a mare illegally crossed the border into Big Bend National Park in search of greener pastures, Facebook users rallied to bring her back to her owner in Mexico. Park officials think they’re missing the point.
A suspicious man brandished a shotgun in an Austin park—then in New York. The responses of the two police departments were markedly different.
Residents of El Paso and Sunland Park, New Mexico, agree illegal immigration is a problem, but the Texas governor’s newest effort is little more than a PR stunt.
A veteran of many Sunset Limited trips to Alpine finally indulges in a private room and finds a lot to love. Especially the French toast.
Karen Ramirez traverses vast Brewster County—a territory bigger than Connecticut—so her patients can finish their days at home.
Delays in dispatching the alert system mean that some children fall between the cracks.
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I recently had a terrifying run-in with one in a West Texas stock tank.
The disorder is commonly associated with the colder months, but studies show that excessive heat also impacts our mental health
After Governor Greg Abbott signed a law blocking gender-affirming care for minors, some have fled the state. Others have no choice but to stay.
Austin nurses walked out of Ascension Seton Medical Center to protest staffing and retention issues, saying their patients are not safe.
Two high-profile workplace complaints made headlines at the Capitol this year, but insiders say others against Houston representative Shawn Thierry have been ignored.
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Scientists have figured out how to grow meat in a lab. Cattle farmers insist it’s not the real thing.
A Rice University bioengineer’s mini “drug factories” could save thousands of lives.
Menstrual products are subject to a sales tax, and Democrat Donna Howard has tried to change that since 2017. With support from powerful Republicans, this could be the year.
Taking a cue from authoritarian leaders, state representative Bryan Slaton has proposed property tax relief for some large families. White, straight, property-owning couples would be the primary beneficiaries.
Briscoe Cain wants all Texans to have the right to gather eggs in their backyards, local ordinances be damned.
Asian Americans across the state are rallying against the legislation, saying it’s racially motivated and could have unintended consequences for the Texas economy.
For years, Austinite Leyla Shams worked to keep politics out of her language classes. But as the uprising in Iran continues, she’s no longer staying silent.
At a recent expo in Houston, innovators claimed they can spare us a global catastrophe—and make billions in the process.
The quiet border town hosts amateur drag races at the Presidio International Raceway, featuring anything from souped-up muscle cars to pickup trucks.
Surveillance is part of daily life on the border. But how much do the people watching us know? What do they see? And how much of our privacy are we willing to sacrifice in the name of security?
Welcome to the Texas border, home of the two busiest federal court districts in the nation.
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