Immigrants

Del Rio’s William Beckmann fuses youthful energy and timeless soul in country music

A body was found in a buoy barrier in the Rio Grande, prompting harsh criticism of Texas’ border strategy.

Four years after the mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, people at the scene that day who are eligible for immigrant visas are still waiting.

The end of the pandemic emergency – and the end of pandemic relief funds – could mean a cut in childcare options in Texas. We’ll hear why.

A women’s soccer champion-turned Texas collegiate soccer coach weighs in on the U.S.’ prospects as the World Cup moves into the knockout rounds.

Plus the rise of songwriter William Beckmann, a Del Rio native.

Teaching ancient Greek and Roman texts in the Jim Crow era

As Title 42 comes to an end, El Paso declares a state of emergency due to the influx of migrants.

The week ahead at the Texas Legislature, and two bills affecting transgender youth in Texas; one relating to medical treatment, the other, sports competition.

An investigation of a chemical fire in Deer Park outside of Houston, and what it says about warning signs and preparation for potential disasters.

Researchers revisit an educational debate from the Jim Crow era, and the contributions of the Black Texans at the center of it.

The future of TikTok hinges on ‘Project Texas’

Another tragedy in Uvalde, this one involving human smuggling. We’ll have the details on events there and in Eagle Pass that left three dead over the weekend.

Crowds are expected at the state Capitol this week as lawmakers take up several bills involving the treatment of transgender Texans.

What does it mean for Texas to blacklist a bank, especially at a time when the industry is so volatile?

“Project Texas” could be central to preventing a U.S. TikTok ban. But what is it exactly?

And why is a Texas school district considering leaving a statewide organization of school boards that until now has had 100% participation from public districts in the state?

How Austin has changed

Last night’s State of the Union touched on immigration, inflation, gun violence and other issues. Richard Pineda of the University of Texas at El Paso joins us with analysis of the annual message by the president to Congress.

A legal challenge to an abortion drug and a possible decision from a federal judge in Amarillo that could come as early as this week, with potential implications nationwide.

Wage gains for migrants filling jobs in the U.S. and why a visa program for seasonal workers may not be working for U.S. employers.

And author Lawrence Wright on the astonishing transformation of the Texas capital city.

What’s happening at the Cutoff in East Texas?

As cities grow, so do tensions between state and local officials over policy direction. A bipartisan coalition of 18 big city mayors team up to press state officials over top priorities. What they’re planning and more in our conversation with the mayor of Fort Worth. Also, how transgender youth and their families are gearing up to fight several new proposals in the GOP led Texas legislature. And an update over public access to a beloved east Texas body of water called The Cutoff. Plus rising grocery prices and the SNAP gap for those needing help to get food on the table. These stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

What this cold snap means for Texans experiencing homelessness

A last minute scramble to keep the Government funded as Texans clamber in advance of dangerously cold weather. We’ll have more on efforts to piece together a 1.7 trillion dollar spending bill; much debate centering on what’s happening at the border. Also as Texans prepare for a blast of Arctic air, we’ll speak with an official in Irving who’s been mobilizing efforts to help folks in the metroplex experiencing homelessness, who are especially vulnerable. Also a crisis among caregivers assisting Texans with disabilities. These stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Taco Gentrification

In Austin, East of IH-35 is considered the great divide, from the wealthy and the poor, the whites and Black and Latino communities. With Austin’s growth and gentrification comes even more displacement. You can literally experience it through the city’s tacos, where you can buy tacos for $2.00 at one location and $9.00 at another, all within 5 blocks of each other! In this episode, we’ll explore Taco Gentrification and how it impacts taqueros and the communities we live in. We will take a taco tour of the east Cesar Chavez and 7th Street and also hop over to East Riverside, a place of dos mundos where one side of the street is home to immigrants and families while the other side is inhabited by millenials and new condo dwellers. Guests include Regina Estrada from Joe’s Bakery & Mexican Restaurant, Mincho Jacob from BASTA Austin and Samuel Franco, East Riverside resident and advocate.

Las Jefecitas: using comida to sustain immigrant households.

Many immigrants have leveraged the delicious cuisines of their países as a means of income and work when they first arrive in the United States. Even before setting up a taco truck or even a brick and mortar, we see vendedoras earning their income by selling tacos out of their hieleritas in grocery store parking lots or wherever they know they’ll find foot traffic. In this episode we explore what motivates these women to leave their kitchens and go out into these parking lots. We discuss these informal economies and how they look in today’s digital age. We also spend time at La Mujer Obrera and Cafe Mayapán to see how the organization supports immigrant and indigenous women by training and employing them.

Texas Standard: September 19, 2022

With shelters full and an infrastructure near breaking point, hundreds of migrants released on the streets of El Paso without services. So what now? As Governor Abbott presses forward with a program to bus migrants to democratically controlled cities out of state, New York’s mayor threatens legal action, as critics call Abbott’s busing program a political stunt. We’ll take a closer look. Also Texas’ richest resident announces plans for a new startup: a lithium refining plant. Why that could be critical for the next evolution in transportation. And the road ahead for rural Texas: a report warns it’s especially treacherous. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 12, 2022

Four months after Uvalde, what do we know about the role of the Texas Department of Public safety in the response? A deep dive into the history of Texas DPS Director Steve McCraw and the role he played (or didn’t) during the state’s deadliest school shooting. Also, Migrants are being released into the streets in El Paso, that’s because detention centers and shelters to support them are full. And energy prices are very high in Europe; we’ll look at energy weaponization. Also, what does it mean to re-wild and why is San Antonio an example of this tactic? These stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: May 23, 2022

Plans to lift Title 42 at the border today are now on hold. We’ll look at what this means for the future of immigration and deportations. Other stories we’re tracking: how the mass shooting in Buffalo, New York is resonating in El Paso, the site of a racist shooting at a Wal Mart three years ago. Also what a political runoff in South Texas tells us about an intra-party ideological battle among Texas Democrats. And more than a year ago, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality announced a social justice initiative. So what’s happened since, and what hasn’t? And a new film that puts a more human face on a larger than life Texas baseball legend. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: April 4, 2022

The Biden administration is set to end a Trump era policy aimed at keeping migrants out of the US due to pandemic concerns. Also, what’s the difference between Greg Abbott and Beto O’Rourke? According to a new survey of potential Texas voters: about 2 points; the research director of the Texas Lyceum Poll on the Governor Abbott’s slim lead. And Richard Linklater on his new film celebrating growing up in Texas during the space age. These stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: February 10, 2022

A government investigation into the death of a migrant teenager in 2019 puts blame on the Border Patrol–what happens next? Also, some 18 Austin police officers could face charges involving the use of so-called less lethal munitions during protests in the summer of 2020. Plus, the future of the post office. These stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 24, 2021

Deportations from Del Rio Texas are the focal point in one of the highest profile diplomatic resignations in modern memory. We’ll have more on a scathing departing salvo from the president’s special envoy to Haiti, lambasting the Biden administration’s handling of a migration crisis at the border. Also, November 2020 election results from four Texas counties to be audited. That news coming just hours after former President Donald Trump demands a statewide election audit. And the San Antonio resident at the center of what human rights watchers call a sham trial and an unjust prison sentence. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: February 15, 2021

As the temperatures fall, along with precipitation, millions of Texans stranded or worse by winter weather. Coming up, conversations with reporters from across Texas on how Texans are weathering conditions that have brought large parts of the state to a standstill. Also, missing out on the vaccine but getting something else instead: scammed. A report from Houston. Plus a major disconnect with rural Texas: concerns that a lack of broadband is leaving some Texas towns far behind. And new efforts to reunite families separated by U.S. immigration policies. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

V&B – Undocumented, Illegal, Unauthorized: Immigration and Trump’s America

NPR’s John Burnett guest hosts this discussion along with Joy Diaz of The Texas Standard, UT Law professor Denise Gilman, and ACC Student and “Dreamer” Cynthia Zapata, to talk about the past, present, and future of immigration in America.

Recorded Tuesday, November 7th, 2017 at the Cactus Cafe in Austin, Texas.

Texas Standard: September 28, 2017

They say it’ll help balance the budget, grow the economy, create more jobs, but what does it add up to for Texas? We’ll explore. Also after this week’s highly watched senate race in Alabama, what’s the take away for Texas? We’ll hear how that election could have shockwaves for the lone star state, and for one top congressman in particular. Plus Homeland Security will start gathering social media information for all immigrants, an effort sparked by the 2015 San Bernardino attack. But what’s the government looking for and does it make sense for security? Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 5, 2017

Getting back to business across Harvey-hit Texas: it was no holiday weekend for roughly 1 in 3 in the Lone Star State. The mucking, the cleanup, the drywall, the carpet, the debris left behind by harvey: put it all together and how much is there and where does it go? And what about all that water? As trillions of gallons flow back to the gulf, some wonder if there’s not a quicker and better way to drain east Texas. Plus a price tag bigger than Katrina says the Texas governor. Not so fast say others in Washington. And now a new storm brewing over who and how to pay for the effects of an historic storm. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 27, 2017

A deadly discovery in South Texas with echoes of the past: why is Texas at the epicenter of the human smuggling crisis? We’ll have the story. Also the terms are used almost interchangeably: human trafficking and human smuggling. We’ll look at what the difference is, and why it matters in the wake of 10 deaths in the back of a tractor trailer. Plus a sad sign of of an oil rebound? Experts point to a boom in methamphetamine use in the oil fields of west Texas. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 21, 2017

Were they targeting the Texas capitol after all? Sworn testimony claims immigration officials wanted retribution, we’ll explore. Also after grilling the FBI director on Russian ties to Donald Trump, congressman Joaquin Castro tells us whether he sees evidence of collusion. Also …She might be the youngest unofficial lobbyist in Texas: her mission: convincing lawmakers to change a law she believes, sends innocent people to death row. We’ll hear her story. And this month’s reading recommendation from the editor in chief of Kirkus: a book the author doesn’t doesn’t want you to love. Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard: