Oversight
Eroding Private Border Wall to Get an Engineering Inspection Just Months After Completion
Months after the “Lamborghini” of border walls was built along the Rio Grande, the builder agreed to an engineering inspection of his controversial structure. Experts say the wall is showing signs of erosion that threatens its stability.
Oversight
South Texas Landowners Are Hoping to Use President Trump's Own Words Against Him in a New Border Wall Lawsuit
Landowners are alleging that the construction of the barrier is driven by little more than racism and politics and is therefore unconstitutional, according to a new lawsuit.
Management
He Built a Privately Funded Border Wall. It’s Already at Risk of Falling Down if Not Fixed.
Trump supporters funded a private border wall on the banks of the Rio Grande, helping the builder secure $1.7 billion in federal contracts. Now the “Lamborghini” of border walls is in danger of falling into the river if nothing is done, experts say.
Management
In Zapata County, Local Government Is Fighting the Federal Government to Stop One Piece of the Border Wall
The rural border county is digging in and challenging the Department of Homeland Security in court over the government’s attempt to gain access to small tract of county-owned land.
Management
Border Wall Construction Continues During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Lawmakers and advocates call on the Trump administration to stop construction to protect public health and save taxpayer dollars.
Management
Senators Make Bipartisan Push to Better Protect Feds From Synthetic Opioids
Measure would ensure federal personnel have protective equipment and overdose medications on hand.
Workforce
The FBI Is Investigating Massive Embezzlement of Border Patrol Union Funds
The head of the powerful union representing border patrol agents nationwide said the FBI is working to identify who stole some $500,000 out of the coffers of the El Paso local. The theft raises more questions about lawlessness in the union’s ranks.
Oversight
Watchdog: EPA Needs to Improve Management of Environmental Program Along the U.S.-Mexico Border
Documentation of progress was “frequently unreliable” and program information was “neither transparent nor accessible,” said the report.
Oversight
Lawmakers Threaten Subpoena for Disciplinary Info on Border Agents Posting Racist Facebook Messages
Committee accuses Customs and Border Protection of "stonewalling" after reports it bypassed punishment for most employees involved.
Defense
A Group of Agents Rose Through the Ranks to Lead the Border Patrol. They’re Leaving It in Crisis.
How several agents from a small outpost in Arizona, including recently retired chief Carla Provost, climbed to the top of the Border Patrol, then one by one retired, leaving corruption, misconduct and a toxic culture in their wake.
Management
Six Children Died in Border Patrol Care. Democrats in Congress Want to Know Why.
Video obtained by ProPublica contradicted the Border Patrol’s account of 16-year-old Carlos Gregorio Hernandez Vasquez’s death. Now, House Democrats are pressuring the agency to explain why six migrant children died under its care in less than a year.
Oversight
Appeals Court Rules Trump Can Use Nearly $4 Billion in Military Funds for Border Wall
The White House called the initial decision to block on the use of military funds for the boder wall "illegitimate" and hailed the appeals court decision as a victory.
Defense
Pentagon Watchdog to Review Military’s Border Support Mission, Spending
The Defense inspector general plans to evaluate training and deployment costs, and whether funding meets legal and policy standards.
Defense
Apprehensions of Undocumented Immigrants on the Southwest Border Continue to Fall
The figure is the lowest since July 2018 and marks the fifth consecutive month that the number has dropped.
Management
Border Agents Can Now Get Classified Intelligence Information. Experts Call That Dangerous.
The Trump administration is creating a center that will give immigration agents access to information from U.S. intelligence agencies. Migrants and others denied entry will be unable to see the evidence against them because it is classified.
Management
Trump's Controversial 'Remain in Mexico' Immigration Policy Expands Along Texas' Southern Border
The Migrant Protection Protocols, a program requiring migrants to wait in Mexico as their asylum requests are pending, is in effect in Eagle Pass, El Paso, Laredo and Brownsville.
Tech
The Endless Aerial Surveillance of the Border
New reports suggest that drone activity at the southern border is spreading to nearby cities, erasing the line between police procedures and immigration enforcement.
Management
Federal Government Awards Three Contracts for 65 New Miles of Border Fencing in South Texas
The cost of the new fencing will range between $385 million and $800 million. Construction is set to begin in early 2020.
Management