Category Archives: La Migra

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 →

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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 →

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“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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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

From the “Answering my own rhetorical question” department

Posted on April 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Nobody could have seen this coming! Ever since Texas’s “sanctuary cities” ban was first proposed in late 2016, the measure’s Republican backers have painted it as a public safety measure targeting criminals — without racist or anti-immigrant intent. But records … Continue reading →

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Going back to the Fifth Circuit on SB4

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Gotta hope for the best. Opponents of the state’s immigration enforcement legislation have asked a federal appeals court to reconsider a decision that allowed most of the controversial measure to go into effect. Attorneys with the American Civil Liberties Union, … Continue reading →

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More on the status of SB4

Posted on March 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Ed Sills sent this one-pager from MALDEF to his mailing list; there’s no link and I couldn’t find it on the MALDEF webpage, so I’m just going to copy and paste here: What did the Fifth Circuit Court decide? On … Continue reading →

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

Fifth Circuit lets most of SB4 remain in place

Posted on March 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. A panel of three U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals judges ruled Tuesday that most of the state’s immigration enforcement legislation, Senate Bill 4, can remain in effect while the case plays out, handing a victory to Gov. Greg … Continue reading →

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Action alert: Rally at Culberson’s office for a clean DREAM Act

Posted on February 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Mothers, children, and other allies will gather in front of John Culberson’s office to demand a Clean DREAM Act this Thursday at 4 PM. The gathering will feature remarks from children of mixed status parents and mothers … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick wants SAPD Chief arrested

Posted on January 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Bring it on. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Wednesday asked the state’s attorney general to determine if the chief of the San Antonio Police Department violated the state’s immigration-enforcement law during a human smuggling incident. Late last month, San … Continue reading →

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Federal court permanently blocks Trump “sanctuary cities” order

Posted on November 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A federal judge has permanently blocked President Trump’s efforts to bar cities that limit cooperation with U.S. immigration forces from receiving funding, the most decisive blow yet to the White House’s efforts to crack down on so-called sanctuary cities. … Continue reading →

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That decline in international students is here

Posted on November 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We knew it was coming. UHCL is among several universities around Texas that this year have seen a sharp drop in international enrollment, as the number of international student applications to four-year public universities has plummeted by more than 10,000 … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

SB4 at the Fifth Circuit

Posted on November 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Hoping for the best as always, but the Fifth Circuit has a way of stomping on that. Tuesday’s hearing was on whether U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia’s August decision to block several of the law’s provisions should stand while the … Continue reading →

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Ken Paxton REALLY wants your “sanctuary complaints”

Posted on September 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

What could possibly go wrong? Texans who suspect their elected or appointed officials of enforcing policies that protect undocumented immigrants can now file an official complaint with the office of the state’s top prosecutor. Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit partially unblocks SB4

Posted on September 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Terrible. A panel of three appellate judges ruled on Monday that parts of the state’s immigration enforcement legislation, Senate Bill 4, can go into effect while the case plays out on appeal. Last month, U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia halted … Continue reading →

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