🗳️🌵 “The Valley Matters”: Texas Democrats Vow to Reclaim South Texas Ahead of 2026 Elections
🏫🚨 House Democrats Demand Answers After Immigration Agents Target L.A. Elementary Schools 💧🇲🇽 Northern Mexico States Refuse to Send Water to U.S., Citing Human Needs and Severe Drought
🌵 “The Valley Matters”: Texas Democrats Vow to Reclaim South Texas Ahead of 2026 Elections
Berenice Garcia, The Texas Tribune.- In a renewed effort to reclaim ground in the traditionally Democratic Rio Grande Valley, newly elected Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder made his first official visit to the region, vowing to prioritize local engagement and economic advocacy. Amid GOP gains and historic shifts—such as Starr County’s vote for Trump—Scudder acknowledged past neglect and emphasized the need for rebuilding party infrastructure, including filling precinct and county chair vacancies. Scudder criticized GOP Rep. Monica De La Cruz for avoiding in-person town halls and promised Democrats would focus on wage increases and job protections. He also pledged to build a Spanish-language communications team once funding allows. Local Democrats floated the potential 2026 candidacy of Tejano star Bobby Pulido. While party finances remain tight, Scudder stressed that authentic community relationships, not flashy spending, would fuel a Democratic resurgence in South Texas.
🇺🇸🚫 Abbott Credits Trump for Border Booking Site Closure Amid Already Declining Arrest Numbers
Alejandro Serrano, The Texas Tribune.- Texas Governor Greg Abbott praised President Trump for record-low border crossings while announcing the closure of a migrant booking facility in Jim Hogg County. However, booking numbers at the site had already been steadily declining, dropping from 67 per month in 2022 to just nine in April 2024. The closure is part of Operation Lone Star, a controversial $11 billion initiative launched in 2021 to arrest migrants on state charges. Experts argue Trump and Abbott are oversimplifying the reasons behind the decrease in border crossings, which had already begun under President Biden due to a deal with Mexico and executive restrictions on asylum. As Abbott seeks an additional $6.5 billion for border enforcement, critics note the state’s actions must be viewed in tandem with federal and international policies. Analysts say Texas’ unilateral approach overshadows more complex diplomatic and systemic factors shaping migration trends.
🏕️💰 Tent Company Reaps Billions Under Trump’s Mass Deportation Plan and Military Base Contracts
Jeff Ernsthausen, ProPublica.- Deployed Resources, once a music festival logistics firm, has become a major beneficiary of President Trump’s expansive immigration enforcement policies, securing up to $3.8 billion in new federal contracts to build tent cities for ICE detainees on military bases like Fort Bliss. The company, whose founders have amassed personal fortunes, is now transitioning from border intake facilities to long-term detention sites as ICE arrests outpace deportations. Critics warn the use of tent cities for high-risk and vulnerable populations poses serious safety and legal concerns. Deployed’s rapid rise is powered by former ICE executives on its payroll and a proven track record of adapting to shifting immigration policies across multiple administrations. Watchdogs point to past waste, no-bid contracts, and even staffers role-playing as detained children at empty shelters. As the administration explores $45 billion in expanded detention efforts, Deployed and private prison giants GEO Group and CoreCivic are all angling for the windfall.
🎓🚫 Over 250 International Students in Texas Lose Immigration Status Amid Federal Crackdown
Ayden Runnels, The Texas Tribune.- More than 250 international students across Texas universities have had their immigration status revoked or marked as terminated in the federal SEVIS database, stripping them of the right to stay in the U.S. and threatening their academic futures. Universities in the UT and Texas A&M systems confirmed widespread terminations, though no specific reasons have been provided. Legal experts warn that SEVIS removals create immediate consequences, including loss of work eligibility and legal residency for dependents. The Department of Homeland Security attributed the enforcement to new screening policies targeting “antisemitic” content on students’ social media, linked to pro-Palestine campus protests. Immigration attorneys say the policy denies due process and disproportionately impacts students from countries like India, China, and Muslim-majority nations. Students have few options: departure, legal appeals, or uncertain reinstatement. Advocates fear the crackdown could jeopardize the U.S.’s standing as a destination for global academic talent.
⚖️✈️ Trump’s Proposal to Imprison U.S. Citizens in El Salvador Sparks Legal Firestorm
Nicholas Riccardi, AP News.- President Donald Trump reaffirmed his desire to imprison U.S. citizens convicted of violent crimes in El Salvador’s notorious CECOT mega-prison, escalating concerns among legal scholars and human rights advocates. While the administration has already deported immigrants to the harsh facility, the prospect of forcibly sending U.S. citizens—particularly natural-born individuals—faces major constitutional hurdles. Experts argue such actions would violate due process, the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel punishment, and even a 2018 law Trump himself signed, requiring inmates to be housed close to home. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned that the administration’s position implies citizens could be secretly exiled without legal recourse. Although the government could pursue denaturalization in rare cases, most legal experts agree that exiling citizens to foreign prisons is unconstitutional. Critics see the plan as a dangerous overreach to bypass U.S. judicial oversight and punish dissent.
🏫🚨 House Democrats Demand Answers After Immigration Agents Target L.A. Elementary Schools
Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times.- House Democrats are demanding a briefing from the Department of Homeland Security after federal immigration agents attempted to contact five students at two elementary schools in South Los Angeles without warrants or prior notice. The agents, identified as part of Homeland Security Investigations, claimed they were conducting welfare checks on children believed to have entered the U.S. as unaccompanied minors. However, school officials at Russell Elementary said the students targeted were not unaccompanied and denied access to the agents, who failed to present valid identification. Lawmakers, led by Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach), condemned the operation as deceptive and a breach of public trust, citing constitutional protections ensuring access to education regardless of immigration status. The incident raises fears of future enforcement actions targeting vulnerable immigrant communities and has prompted widespread concern among educators and civil rights groups.
💧🇲🇽 Northern Mexico States Refuse to Send Water to U.S., Citing Human Needs and Severe Drought
Equipo MILENIO, Milenio.- Governors of Tamaulipas, Chihuahua, and Coahuila have jointly rejected delivering water to the United States under the 1944 Water Treaty, arguing it jeopardizes water availability for residents amid a historic drought. With the La Amistad and Falcón dams at critically low levels—13.6% and 8.3% capacity, respectively—leaders say the current extraction demands from Washington are unfeasible. Coahuila’s governor, Manolo Jiménez, stressed local water needs in cities like Acuña and Piedras Negras. At the same time, Chihuahua’s Maru Campos declared the state cannot fulfill impossible obligations as the only Mexican region facing extreme drought. Tamaulipas officials emphasized the treaty’s October deadline has not passed and labeled U.S. pressure premature. President Trump recently accused Mexico of "stealing water," claiming a 1.3-million-acre-foot debt to Texas and threatening sanctions. President Claudia Sheinbaum responded by offering a proposal to meet treaty requirements. The water standoff raises cross-border tensions as both nations endure worsening climate-driven scarcity.