How a South Texas County Bet on Immigrant Incarceration and Got Burned
Despite a $100 million debt, a lawsuit and a torched prison, Willacy County officials hope Trump's expected immigration raids will be good for business.
Since 1954
Melissa del Bosque joined the Texas Observer staff in 2008. She specializes in reporting on immigration and the U.S.-Mexico border. Her work has been featured in various national and international media outlets, including the Guardian, PBS, NPR and Marie Claire. Melissa is a 2016-17 Lannan Fellow at The Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute. You can contact her at [email protected].
Despite a $100 million debt, a lawsuit and a torched prison, Willacy County officials hope Trump's expected immigration raids will be good for business.
The El Paso congressman is a new breed of Texas maverick.
Trump could quickly take action that would render some of them obsolete, while others could see several more years of litigation.
Every year, the United States locks up hundreds of thousands of immigrants at a cost $2 billion. Is there a better way?
Volunteers are scrambling to house all the families, who were unexpectedly released after a ruling that prohibits Texas from licensing immigration jails as child care facilities.
In the last month, the number of congregations offering to provide shelter to immigrants has more than doubled across the country to 450.
As political leaders argue over the crisis at the Texas-Mexico border, local communities and nonprofits carry the weight.