Texas officials have allowed at least 15 shelters to hold more than 700 additional kids, records show.
THIS WEEK: In recent months, Texas officials have granted permission to at least 15 immigrant youth shelters to cram in more kids than their child-care licenses allow, according to records obtained by the Observer. Two shelters have been approved to hold almost 50 percent more children. The decisions come as the Trump administration separates more and more families at the border, funnelling children reportedly as young as 8 months into government shelters.
The Lede
U.S. Agents Blocked This Family from Seeking Asylum. Then Mexico Detained Them.
Since the announcement of Trump’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy in April, stories have emerged of U.S. immigration agents taking the unusual step of physically preventing asylum-seekers from entering the United States, on the premise that processing facilities are full.
In the case of the Hidalgo-Reynosa bridge, Mexican officials appear to have given aid to Trump by detaining and reportedly deporting migrants from Central America and other parts of the world.
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From the archives
Juneteenth and the Myth of Texas’ Independence
Juneteenth was this week. The occasion is a good opportunity to take a hard look at our epic history, and face some ugly truths, Dr. Fred McGhee writes.
From the 2010 story: “Slavery continued to grow after 1836, and skyrocketed after Texas annexation to the United States in 1845. By 1860 slavery was firmly entrenched in Texas and formed the bedrock of society. Unsurprisingly, Texas was among the first group of states to secede from the Union in 1861. Some of the most vehement separatists were Tejano elites; four of Navarro’s sons served in the Confederate military during the Civil War. This is not your grandaddy’s history, but it is the history that the state is going to have to engage if historical truth is to mean something and serve as a guide for future action.”
What’s Happening at the Observer
The Texas Observer has a brand-new merch store! Here you can find all kinds of new ways to show your support for the work we do. Show the world your love for independent investigative journalism, and help pay for it all at the same time!
The first "State of Drought" event takes place in Austin this week. Join Observer editor Forrest Wilder, rural reporter Christopher Collins, environmental reporter Naveena Sadasivam and author Seamus McGraw for a series of conversations about Texas’ convoluted and outdated water policy. RSVP here.
