Tag Archives: immigration

Call to action: DREAM Act repeal hearing set for Monday

Posted on April 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

You know the drill. The push to repeal a 2001 law that allows some undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at public colleges and universities is returning to the legislative spotlight, but on an unusual stage. On Monday, the border … Continue reading →

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Hearing set for appeal of immigration order ruling

Posted on March 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Coming soon. A court hearing has been set for April 17 on whether a temporary hold on President Barack Obama’s immigration executive action should be lifted, a federal appeals court announced Tuesday. […] The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals … Continue reading →

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Bill filing deadline has passed

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Believe it or not, we are almost halfway through the legislative session, and we have now passed the point where new bills can be filed. Racing to beat a deadline for filing bills, state lawmakers on Friday submitted hundreds of … Continue reading →

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Feds file appeal of immigration injunction to Fifth Circuit

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Time to force the issue. The Obama administration Thursday asked a federal appeals court to do what a Texas-based judge didn’t: allow a controversial immigration program to move forward while the issue plays out in the courts. Attorneys with the … Continue reading →

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Immigration lawsuit update

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Another hearing is scheduled. The judge who blocked President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration has ordered the Justice Department to answer allegations that the government misled him about part of the plan. U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen ordered Monday … Continue reading →

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Sanctuary cities bill hearing rescheduled

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Didn’t know you could do this in the Lege. A controversial immigration proposal scheduled for a public hearing Monday was postponed after a border Democrat argued that Republicans did not give the public sufficient notice about the meeting. The “sanctuary … Continue reading →

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First call to action: Sanctuary cities

Posted on March 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Stace sounds the alarm. Republicans have set a hearing to debate and railroad through committee SB 185, a sanctuary cities bill which will allow local and state law enforcement to participate in immigration duties through the practice of racial profiling … Continue reading →

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Justice Department files request for stay on immigration ruling

Posted on February 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. The U.S. government asked a federal judge Monday to lift his temporary hold on President Barack Obama’s action to shield millions of immigrants in the country illegally from deportation. The Justice Department’s motion for a stay was filed … Continue reading →

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Stay sought on immigration lawsuit decision

Posted on February 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. The Obama administration will ask a court on Monday to allow the president’s controversial immigration order to move forward after a Texas judge halted the program this week. “The Department of Justice has made a decision to file … Continue reading →

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Obama immigration executive order halted

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

For now. A federal judge late Monday halted President Barack Obama’s landmark immigration order on the eve of its implementation, denying millions of people illegally in America access to work permits and dealing a victory to Gov. Greg Abbott in … Continue reading →

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2015 Mayoral manifesto: Public safety

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Preliminaries Transportation When I first started thinking about this series a couple of months ago, this section was all going to be about the budget. We’ve covered this ground before – public safety is about 65% of the total city … Continue reading →

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First hearing in Abbott’s immigration lawsuit

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

No clue what will happen with this. Saying South Texas is where the “rubber meets the road” on immigration issues, a federal judge used a folksy reference Thursday to note his court is the right place to decide whether to … Continue reading →

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Rallying to save the Texas DREAM Act

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It won’t be easy. With a new Texas legislative session underway and incoming state leaders indicating a desire to repeal the Texas Dream Act, supporters of the law are gearing up for a renewed fight to keep it in place. … Continue reading →

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More on revamping Secure Communities

Posted on December 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Stace responds to me. The involvement of local law enforcement has always been a sticking point for me. I’ve never been a fan of the federalization of local cops for the purpose of rounding non-criminal working brown people; I don’t … Continue reading →

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I’ll see you in C-U-B-A

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Among the many likely winners of the new US policy towards Cuba will be the city of Houston. As an established travel gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean, Houston is positioned to benefit from any potential easing of tourism … Continue reading →

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Revamping Secure Communities

Posted on December 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Long overdue. A federal jail screening program known as Secure Communities epitomized for critics the worst failings of the nation’s immigration system, causing the deportations of tens of thousands of immigrants who had committed no crimes or only minor infractions. … Continue reading →

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Abbott files his suit

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. Leading a 17-state charge up a steep legal hill, Attorney General and soon-to-be-Gov. Greg Abbott Wednesday filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Obama administration’s moves to expand legal protections for undocumented immigrants. The lawsuit, the 31st Abbott has … Continue reading →

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Abbott can’t stop talking about suing Obama

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s what he does. A state lawsuit challenging President Obama’s executive order shielding as many as 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation could come from Texas in the next two weeks, Gov.-elect Greg Abbott said during a Monday press conference. … Continue reading →

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Of course Greg Abbott wants to sue

Posted on November 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s what he does. What else is there to him? Minutes after President Obama doubled down on his promise to change the country’s immigration system through executive action, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott made a vow of his own: Expect … Continue reading →

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What to expect from the DACA announcement

Posted on November 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

So today is the long-awaited, should-have-happened-months-ago announcement of executive action by President Obama on immigration enforcement and deportation. Stace, the Observer, and Politico have good overviews of what to expect. I personally hope Obama goes big, but whatever he does … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick loves the poor folks

Posted on September 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

He says so himself, so it must be true. State Sen. Dan Patrick told a wealthy Houston business group Thursday that he would advocate for the poor and people of color if elected lieutenant governor in November, at one point … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick sightings

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I doubt that the Chron’s calling out of Dan Patrick had anything to do with him appearing in public, in the daylight, where there might be people that don’t vote Republican, but it was good timing anyway. Now that Patrick … Continue reading →

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It’s a great time to be a construction worker

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

For most people, anyway. On a conference call earlier this month, the president of Houston-based developer Camden Property Trust described what it’s like building apartments in markets where construction is booming and skilled workers are in short supply. “It’s a … Continue reading →

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Perry’s border surge

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Stupid. Gov. Rick Perry, leaping again into the national spotlight on illegal immigration, announced Monday he is sending up to 1,000 National Guard troops to the Texas-Mexico border, where an influx of young Central Americans has overwhelmed the federal government. … Continue reading →

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San Antonio’s “Little India”

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I love stories like this. On a recent Saturday morning, about two dozen men in team jerseys gathered on grounds in the far North Side with their kits of helmets, bats and protective gear, pumped to play cricket. The scoreboard … Continue reading →

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The real reason we need border security

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

To protect us from these guys. Several anti-government groups – many of which participated in the standoff at Cliven Bundy’s Nevada ranch – are recruiting armed volunteers to travel to the Texas-Mexico border as a citizen militia to participate in … Continue reading →

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Convention coverage

Posted on June 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Wendy and Leticia and a whole host of others rally the crowd in Dallas. Wendy Davis and Leticia Van de Putte shared the spotlight at the Texas Democratic Party convention on Friday night, promising to change the direction of the … Continue reading →

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Special session for border security?

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

What could possibly go wrong? State Sen. Dan Patrick, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, joined some of his conservative colleagues on Tuesday in calling for “immediate action” to address the surge of undocumented immigrants crossing into Texas. “The Texas … Continue reading →

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I repeat: Greg Abbott owns the RPT platform

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This is what I’m talking about. At its state convention in Fort Worth last week, the Texas GOP amended its platform to include support for reparative therapy “for those patients seeking healing and wholeness from their homosexual lifestyle.” In response … Continue reading →

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Yes, Greg Abbott owns the RPT platform

Posted on June 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry, Greg. You can mumble all the vague platitudes you want, but this baby’s all yours. In the wake of the GOP’s approval of a platform that includes a hardline stance on immigration, Attorney General Greg Abbott finds himself at … Continue reading →

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Castro v Patrick

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Who do you think won? Democratic Mayor Julián Castro and GOP lieutenant governor candidate Dan Pat- rick of Houston clashed over immigration policy on Tuesday in a rowdy debate that left both politicians claiming victory. The politicians stood by the … Continue reading →

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National ag groups not happy with Republicans

Posted on April 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s all about immigration reform. Craig Regelbrugge, who co-chairs the Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform, says a large majority of his group’s members — which include large and small farming enterprises and growers all around the country — are Republican, … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS declines to hear Farmers Branch appeal

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

By all rights, this story should now be at an end. The U.S. Supreme Court brought closure Monday to the seven-year legal battle in Farmers Branch over a local ordinance that sought to ban landlords from renting property to people … Continue reading →

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Texas Farm Bureau unhappy with anti-immigrant Republicans

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s an opportunity for Democrats, assuming they actually mean what they’re saying. When Republican agriculture commissioner candidate Eric Opiela appeared on television sets across Texas recently to declare “No amnesty under any circumstances,” he was no doubt attempting to appeal … Continue reading →

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