Human Rights
Activists Rally for the Closure of Hutto Detention Center as Private Contract Rumors Swirl
Governor Launches Camp, Backs ‘Mega-Tent’ for Austin’s Homeless, Surprising Advocates
The governor and Austin’s business community announced plans for a temporary campsite and a future “mega-tent” shelter for the city's homeless community. They’re working separately from local homeless service providers.
After a months-long campaign of smearing Austin’s homeless as violent and disease-ridden, Governor Greg Abbott announced Thursday he was designating 5 acres o...Read More
When ICE Emptied Out an All-Women Detention Center in Texas, Chaos Ensued
Women formerly detained in Karnes County Residential Center have been lost in the shuffle, facing moved or cancelled court dates, high bonds, and legal confusion.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced in September that it would turn a detention center just outside of San Antonio back into a family residentia...Read More
Governor Clears Out Camps. Austin’s Homeless Remain Homeless.
Greg Abbott began clearing out the camps under Austin’s highways Monday, over the objections of the homeless and their advocates.
On Monday afternoon, state troopers, officials from the state transportation department, and cleaning contractors descended on a homeless encampment beneath Tex...Read More
The Fear—and Hope—of Living in Sanctuary
After fleeing domestic violence in Guatemala, I’ve been living inside a Texas church for the past four years. I’m exhausted, but I won’t stop fighting.
Hilda Ramirez is an asylum-seeker from Guatemala who came to the United States in 2014 after fleeing domestic violence. Ramirez and her son, Ivan, now 13, were ...Read More
Greg Abbott vs. Austin’s Homeless
As Texas’ governor promotes sensational stories of homeless violence and threatens a state crackdown, the people living on Austin’s streets tell a different story.
Update: On Monday, November 4, the state began clearing out homeless encampments under highways in Austin at Governor Greg Abbott’s behest. Unhoused Austinite...Read More
If DACA Ends, It Would Be a ‘Catastrophe’ For Dreamers
As many as 700,000 people could be directly impacted by the end of the Obama-era program.
On June 15, 2012, Juan Carlos Cerda was installing a fan on the second-floor bedroom of a house in Preston Hollow, a wealthy neighborhood in north Dallas, when ...Read More
A Small County Bets Big on Locking Up Undocumented Immigrants
Jones County has an empty prison and a load of debt. Their solution? Dust off the old prison and fill it with undocumented migrants.
By late November, residents of Jones County, a swath of Texas plains home to some 20,000 souls, should have new neighbors: about 1,000 undocumented immigrant me...Read More
The Roots of Narendra Modi’s Divisiveness Are at Odds With the Idea of a Diverse Houston
Opinion: The “Howdy Modi” event is drawing criticism for welcoming the Indian prime minister amid human rights issues plaguing his country.
When the NRG stadium in Houston opens its doors Sunday morning to welcome Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and his estimated 50,000 supporters, about 8 milli...Read More
The Consequence of Trump’s New Family Detention Rules
The Trump administration announced a new rule allowing for indefinite detention of migrant families. Game theory suggests it won’t end well.
On Wednesday morning, Trump administration officials announced a final rule that will allow the government to detain migrant children indefinitely in family det...Read More
