Politics

As Texas Republicans Tout Their Trump Ties, Experts Say It Could Come Back to Haunt Them

byOISAKHOSE AGHOMO

 As Tuesday’s primaries inch closer, you can’t turn on the TV without seeing ads from Republicans trumpeting their ties and devotion to President Donald Trump.  Candidates are trying to brand themselves as the “most MAGA ever,” calling their constituents to “stand with President Trump” and taking digs at their opponents for not being MAGA enough.  […]

Undocumented Immigrants are the Backbone of Texas Agriculture. An Abbott-Endorsed Agriculture Commissioner Candidate Wants to Change That.

byMax Mazoch

Immigration raids have caused unrest in Texas agriculture, the state’s second largest industry. Now, Gov. Greg Abbott’s preferred candidate for agriculture commissioner, the chief advocate for the state’s 230,000 farms, has made stricter immigration enforcement a key tenet of his campaign. “If I was king for a day, and I got to go in and […]

Dual Citizens in Texas Critical of Effort to Make Them Choose One Nationality

bySamantha Rubin

Texans with dual citizenship are decrying the potential effects of a  bill introduced by an Ohio senator that would force Americans who hold citizenship in another country to renounce one nationality or risk being treated as if they gave up their U.S. citizenship. 
Legal experts said the proposal is unworkable.  “There really is no good way to police this,” said Elissa Steglich, who teaches the immigration law clinic at the University of Texas law school. “There’s no actual benefit to the nation for people to relinquish citizenship to other countries.” 

Talarico Urges UT Students to Channel Frustration into Political Action at Campus Rally 

bySamantha Rubin

As Democrats look to energize young voters ahead of a competitive primary, U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico urged University of Texas at Austin students Wednesday to reject political division and to help mobilize voters on campus. 

‘It’s a Constant Sacrifice’: DACA Struggle With Loss of In-State Tuition

byErika González and Noemi Castanon

Elizabeth Mazariegos flips through her folder full of school reports, letters of recommendation and college documents, feeling worried. “I never thought I could get this far, and now I feel all my effort is disappearing overnight. It’s like everything I achieved is not enough,” said Mazariegos, a 31-year-old Guatemalan who has lived in the United States for two decades.
For years, the U.S. policy of Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, protected immigrants who came here as children and allowed Mazariegos to study, work and plan a stable future. Now, that path has become more uncertain as both the state and federal governments clamp down on immigrants.
On June 5,  Texas repealed the Texas Dream Act, a law that since 2001 had allowed undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates and to have access scholarships and loans.

New Graduate Workers Union Fights for Better Pay and Protests the College Compact

byRachel N. Madison

or the past two months, the University of Texas’ newly formed Graduate Workers Union has been advocating for better treatment, pay and rights of graduate student employees. And now it is joining other student groups in opposing a deal with the Trump administration that would transform the university’s governance structure.
“A union is a commitment by workers at a workplace to stand together with each other to be treated the way they deserve to be treated in terms of compensation and working conditions,” said Sociology Ph.D. student and union member Noah DiAntonio.

Students Demand Protection of Ethnic and Gender Studies as UT Weighs Trump Compact and Consolidation

bySamantha Rubin

University of Texas students Monday urged administrators to reject the Trump compact on higher education and to stop a possible consolidation plan of the College of Liberal Arts they say could erase ethnic studies, women’s and gender studies and several language departments. “When I arrived at UT as a freshman, our campus looked completely different,” […]

DACA Helped Them Get Legal Commercial Vehicle Licenses. A New Policy Took Them Away.

byErika González

At 4 a.m., Yeni Renderos’ alarm went off, just like every other day. Half-asleep, she made coffee, woke her 16-year-old daughter and drove her to school before climbing into her truck, “Rosendo,” as she affectionately called it. For 10 years, that routine had defined her life in Houston, driving to construction sites, convinced her life was finally moving forward.
But that Monday was different. Renderos’ boss called to confirm what she feared most: “You can’t keep working, Yeni, she recalled him saying. “The rules for commercial licenses have changed.”

Unaccompanied Minors Face New Hurdles as Trump Administration Levies Unprecedented Fees

byOisakhose Aghomo

  Immigrant children seeking asylum in the United States are facing thousands of dollars in new fees and other hurdles mandated this year by Congress, Texas refugee advocates say. “Policy changes that we’ve seen over the past few months …  all have one thing in common, and that is targeting the rights of migrant children […]

As a New Texas Law Clamps Down on School Libraries, ‘Librotraficantes’ Fight Back

byIsabel Neumann

Just two months after a new Texas law expanded parents’ power to challenge school library books, authors gathered at the Texas Book Festival’s Banned Book Bash to read from titles that have been banned or challenged, or which might face future restrictions. The festival’s Librotraficantes: Banned Book Bash, held Saturday at Cheer Up Charlies, brought […]

Young Americans Could Change the U.S. Position in the Middle East, Authors Suggest

byMax Mazoch

Young Americans’ shifting opinion on the Israel-Palestine conflict could change U.S. involvement in the Middle East, a former U.S. diplomat said Saturday at the Texas Book Festival. “We are now living in a period which is, to me, unique in the history of this country,” said Robert Malley, who served in the Clinton, Obama and […]

High School Marchers Protest Restrictions on Speech and Academic Freedom: ‘We are Done Being Polite About Our Rights.'”

byA.J. Muonagolu

College and high school students marched to the Texas State Capitol Friday to protest new state laws that they say limit student speech and harm public education.
“To Texas lawmakers, hands off our youth — because we are done being polite about our rights.” high school student Kara Newton yelled through a megaphone to protesters. “We are done being complacent. We want change and we want it now!”