Austin Signal

February 4, 2026

Texas GOP reexamines ICE messaging amid crackdown controversies

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has said Immigration and Customs Enforcement needs to “recalibrate” its tactics, and he isn’t the only member of the Texas GOP to comment on the operations and the rhetoric around it. The messaging comes a few weeks before early voting begins in the Texas primaries ahead of the midterms. We’ll have […]

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February 3, 2026

Austin area students stage walkouts over ICE actions

Student walkout demonstrations in the Austin area continued this week in protest of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Texas and across the country. The Austin Independent School District has come under fire from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton over such actions. We’ll hear from some of the students who participated […]

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February 2, 2026

Austin warming shelter’s lack of nutritious food draws concern

Nighttime temperatures in Austin won’t be cold enough this week to warrant the opening of warming shelters, but last month’s prolonged freeze did highlight the lack of nutritious food being served at one refuge in town. We’ll hear from someone who’s taken shelter there and the people helping to fill the need. Travis County District […]

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January 30, 2026

Nonprofit starts new Austin music industry fund

There are about 43,000 people experiencing homelessness in Texas, and more than 3,000 of them are Austinites. We’ll take a look at the programs and services helping people get back on their feet here in the city. https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/esperanza-community-austin-ged-classes-adult-education-texas/ Most people have gone down a one-way street before – and downtown Austin is full of them. […]

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January 29, 2026

Austin nurses hold vigil for Alex Pretti

Local nurses led a peaceful vigil last night in Austin for Alex Pretti, the Minnesota ICU nurse shot and killed over the weekend by U.S. immigration officers. We’ll hear about the latest instance of local folks protesting ongoing customs and border patrol activities in Minneapolis. Three Austin ISD middle schools could get a fifth failing […]

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January 28, 2026

Gov. Abbott targets new H-1B visa applications at state universities, agencies

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement operations have been happening in Austin and Central Texas in recent week. During the past weekend’s weather event, local officials had to dispel rumors fueled by the operation. The lack of information and communication around these operations is causing panic and anxiety that can boil beyond social media. Gov. Greg Abbott […]

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January 27, 2026

City of Austin paid out $143 million in overtime in 2025

Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minnesota have caught the attention of the nation and the world in recent weeks. Meanwhile, such operations in Texas have been taking place at the same time. We’ll check in with folks from Elgin, just outside of Austin, to hear how it’s impacting them. The City of Austin paid […]

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January 26, 2026

How the Austin area fared amid arctic front

An arctic cold front brought freezing precipitation to the Austin area over the weekend. Classes were cancelled today at UT Austin and most school districts in Central Texas. Still, the area made out much better this time than in ice storms of years past. We’ll have more about the situation locally and this week’s forecast. […]

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