Category Archives: La Migra

Abbott’s border wall

Posted on June 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have many questions about this, but for this post I will limit myself to three. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday that Texas will build a border wall along the state’s boundary with Mexico — but provided no details on … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

How about we sue you for a change?

Posted on June 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The state of Texas has sued the federal government more times than I can count in recent years. There may be examples of the reverse happening, but offhand I can’t think of any. As such, this may be a first. … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Sheriff Gonzalez nominated to lead ICE

Posted on April 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that he will nominate Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, a vocal skeptic of cooperating with federal immigration authorities in certain circumstances, to serve as director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. As head of … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Local politics, National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Deportation freeze still on hold

Posted on February 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Grrrrrrrr. A federal judge in Texas has put an indefinite halt to President Joe Biden’s 100-day ban on deportations after issuing a preliminary injunction late Tuesday. The ruling by Judge Drew Tipton comes after he had already temporarily paused the … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Deportation pause still on hold

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Another pause for the pause, which is as dumb and annoying as it sounds. A federal judge in Texas has extended the block on President Joe Biden’s deportation moratorium for two more weeks as the case continues to play out … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Deportation pause still on hold

Federal judge blocks the deportation pause

Posted on January 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Infuriating, but possibly less than it appears. A federal judge in Texas temporarily blocked the Biden administration from moving forward with a 100-day pause on many deportations across the US, saying Tuesday that it was not adequately reasoned or explained … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Paxton sues over deportation pause

Posted on January 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

That didn’t take long. Three days into the Biden administration, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed his first lawsuit against the federal government. The lawsuit seeks an halt to one of the president’s executive actions on immigration, a 100-day … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

If we finally get immigration reform…

Posted on January 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It would have a big effect in Texas, for obvious reasons. Just after being sworn in on Wednesday, President-elect Joe Biden plans to propose a major immigration overhaul that would offer a pathway to citizenship to up to 1.7 million … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, National news | Tagged , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

More heat on Abbott over his anti-refugee action

Posted on January 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Keep it up. “This is not a Democrat versus Republican issue. It’s not an immigrant versus native-born issue … it is not a religious versus secular issue,” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo during a press conference with elected … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More heat on Abbott over his anti-refugee action

Bishops condemn Abbott’s refugee refusal

Posted on January 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Texas’ Catholic bishops issued a sharp rebuke of Gov. Greg Abbott, a fellow Catholic, following his decision Friday to ban refugees from initially settling in Texas. In a joint statement by the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops, which includes … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Abbott opts out of accepting refugees

Posted on January 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Sadly, not a surprise. Gov. Greg Abbott informed the U.S. State Department that Texas will not participate in the refugee resettlement program this fiscal year. The decision comes after more than 40 other governors, including several Republicans, said they would … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Abbott and refugees

Posted on January 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The moral choice is clear. It’s also clear for a variety of other reasons. I don’t expect Greg Abbott to make it, because he’s Greg Abbott. For years, more refugees have resettled in Houston and Texas than any other city … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

The local response (so far) to the ICE raids

Posted on July 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This is good. Houston’s top elected and law-enforcement officials sharply criticized federal authorities’ plans to arrest large numbers of immigrant families living without legal permission in major U.S. cities, contending that the raids targeting groups of recent arrivals would harm … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

We need a coordinated strategy to fight these immoral immigration raids

Posted on July 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I feel such despair about this. Federal authorities are expected to try to arrest thousands of immigrant families in at least 10 cities, including Houston, beginning as early as Sunday, rattling communities across the country who faced a similar scare … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

“I’m haunted by their eyes”

Posted on June 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We should all be haunted, and outraged, by this. Immigrants held in a McAllen-area U.S. Customs and Border Patrol processing center for migrants — the largest such center in America — are living in overcrowded spaces and sometimes are forced … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Paxton asks for summary judgement to end DACA

Posted on February 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Not much coverage of this, and I’m not sure what that means. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Monday asked a federal judge to strike down Obama-era deportation protections for immigrants whose parents brought them to the United States illegally … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What if he does it anyway?

Posted on January 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

That’s my question. Gov. Greg Abbott, the state’s two Republican U.S. senators and a bipartisan group of 20 U.S. House members released a letter stating their staunch opposition to raiding Texas’ hard-fought Harvey money. “Recent reports have indicated that your … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

It’s always possible to make a border wall proposal stupider

Posted on January 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s Exhibit A. An emergency Trump administration plan to tap storm protection funds to pay for a border wall was slammed Friday by Houston lawmakers who said it could endanger the city’s recovery from Hurricane Harvey and jeopardize the region’s … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, National news | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

Southwest Key sues city over permit for child detention warehouse

Posted on September 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Screw them. The Austin-based nonprofit trying to open a shelter to house migrant children east of downtown sued the city of Houston Friday, alleging a discriminatory, baseless and politically motivated campaign to prevent it from opening the facility. Southwest Key … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

DACA lives another day

Posted on September 1, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

But don’t relax just yet. A federal district judge on Friday denied the state of Texas’ request that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program be put on hold after Texas and nine other states sued to halt the Obama-era … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on DACA lives another day

Trump administration denying passports to US citizens born near the border

Posted on September 1, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is infuriating. On paper, he’s a devoted U.S. citizen. His official American birth certificate shows he was delivered by a midwife in Brownsville, at the southern tip of Texas. He spent his life wearing American uniforms: three years as … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The DACA hearing

Posted on August 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know about this. The state of Texas will continue to incur irreparable financial harm if an Obama-era immigration program isn’t halted immediately, attorneys for the state argued in Houston on Wednesday. But lawyers representing nearly two dozen recipients … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The DACA hearing

One federal court orders DACA restored

Posted on August 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

But hold on, because there’s another ruling to come. A federal judge on Friday upheld his previous order to revive an Obama-era program that shields some 700,000 young immigrants from deportation, saying that the Trump administration had failed to justify … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Business groups file brief opposing Paxton’s anti-DACA lawsuit

Posted on July 24, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is good. A federal lawsuit by Texas officials earlier this year seeking to order the end of the federal immigration program called the Deferred Act for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, will have “immediate, irreparable injury” to Texas businesses and … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Still waiting on families to be reunited

Posted on July 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Horrible story remains horrible. The clock is ticking on a court-ordered Tuesday deadline for the federal government to reunite migrant parents with kids under 5 who were taken from them at the border. With a mere four days left, government … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

“Families Belong Together”

Posted on July 1, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Make some noise, then make sure everyone you know gets out and votes. As the temperature inched to the triple digits and sweating crowds swarmed the south lawn of the Texas State Capitol, speakers declared with grief, hope, indignation and … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The family separation crisis is far from over

Posted on June 22, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

For one thing: Although the zero-tolerance policy was officially announced last month, it has been in effect, in more limited form, since at least last summer. Several months ago, as cases of family separation started surfacing across the country, immigrant-rights … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , | 29 Comments

Our typically feckless state leaders

Posted on June 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Way to set an example for the rest of us, y’all. Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick frequently talk tough about illegal immigration, but they refuse to publicly support the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy that’s spurred outrage for … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 53 Comments

Mayor Turner says “No!” to the child detention warehouse

Posted on June 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Damn right. Mayor Sylvester Turner called on the owner of a building east of downtown Houston and the nonprofit hoping to operate the former warehouse as a detention center for immigrant children separated from their families at the nation’s southern … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 45 Comments

Say “No!” to warehousing “tender age” children

Posted on June 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We cannot allow this. The large vacant warehouse in downtown Houston has housed women and families who were once homeless and adults displaced by Hurricane Harvey. Until now, however, it has never sheltered small children who are on their own … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , | 93 Comments

Justice Department won’t defend DACA, either

Posted on June 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Even less of a surprise. Agreeing with a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas against the Trump administration to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the U.S. Justice Department told the courts late Friday the program should … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Dreamers can litigate in support of DACA

Posted on May 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A federal district judge has allowed a group of young undocumented immigrants to intervene in a lawsuit where the state of Texas seeks to put an end to the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program. Brownsville-based … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Dreamers can litigate in support of DACA

The “sanctuary cities” connection to the SCOTUS sports betting decision

Posted on May 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The state’s rights aspect of this ruling may have other applications. Seven of the nine justices — five conservatives and two liberals — backed a robust reading of the Constitution’s 10th Amendment and a limit on the federal government’s power … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Paxton sues to end DACA

Posted on May 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This guy, I swear. Following through on a months-old promise, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Tuesday to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, leading a seven-state coalition against an Obama-era immigration measure that protects hundreds … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments