📰 From the daily news brief — Port of Brownsville tempers claims about the proposed oil refinery's environmental safety, while a new study warns Trump’s National Defense Area could cause severe flooding on the Rio Grande. www.acrosstheamericas.com/news-briefs-...

The full background behind Trump's recently announced oil refinery at the Port of Brownsville that began more than a decade ago, and the political party fracturing under the pressure of soaring gas prices. My latest for Across The Americas — www.acrosstheamericas.com/port-of-brow...

Just now — Trump announces a new $300 billion oil refinery for the Port of Brownsville, billed as the first new U.S. refinery in 50 years. For Rio Grande Valley residents: even refineries marketed as “clean” raise concerns about air quality, water use, and impacts on wildlife and coastal ecosystems.

📰 In my latest for The Border Chronicle—I heard the family story of a DACA recipient in the Rio Grande Valley amid growing cases of ICE detentions of individuals like him who should be legally protected under this federal policy. www.theborderchronicle.com/p/under-trum...

It seems the Trump admin still hasn’t accepted that the Western Hemisphere no longer needs the U.S. to play leader—or bully. A major misread. Get ready for the U.S. to “make friends” with Latin America through brute force. History will judge VP Harris’s largely unseen work in the region vs Trump.

There's more important things happening in our community, but I'm humbled to share that my work was highlighted in the Columbia Journalism Review. It's been a great opportunity to continue writing about the Rio Grande Valley with The Border Chronicle. www.cjr.org/feature/the-...

We see toxic narratives on social media about SNAP participants as people who do little to improve their situation. In the Rio Grande Valley, many working adults rely on this bridge to escape poverty through hard work. My latest on Across The Americas: www.acrosstheamericas.com/assistance-p...

Election day has arrived. Do local elections matter? We want to hear from readers in the Rio Grande Valley. Plus a note on tonight's decision by the city of Brownsville to possibly dissolve its LGBTQ+ task force. www.acrosstheamericas.com/reader-quest...

From our latest news brief — The Rio Grande Valley honors victims of the 1915 Texas massacres, Trump faces court battles over SNAP, and Texas voters head to the polls Tuesday to decide 17 state constitutional amendments. www.acrosstheamericas.com/la-caminata-...

Who is running for Texas governor? A quick look from one of our news briefs earlier this week that included coverage of state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, a Rio Grande Valley native running for governor.

📰 “We are working hard to make this event a reflection of the beautiful culture of our border region” — STEP is leading the effort to create a dynamic blend of queer visibility and Latinx representation as a family event for all ages. www.acrosstheamericas.com/lgbtqia-lati...

“Every single issue we have in Texas, there is that connection,” state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, who is running for governor, said about Abbott’s billionaire donor network. This and more stories from the Rio Grande Valley on Across The Americas. www.acrosstheamericas.com/hinojosa-on-...

📰 “Families in the Rio Grande Valley will feel these cuts the most" — Almost 330,000 people in the Rio Grande Valley are enrolled in SNAP as the government shutdown threatens to cut off food assistance. My latest for Across The Americas: www.acrosstheamericas.com/over-300-000...

More than 2,000 "No Kings" peaceful protests are planned across the country for Saturday, including four in the Rio Grande Valley. Critics of President Trump are demanding an end to what they characterize as authoritarian policies and a weakening of democratic norms, including...

Curanderismo is being reclaimed during a time of deep uncertainty in the U.S. A historian and teacher of the tradition says there is now a surge of interest in reconnecting with cultural roots. www.acrosstheamericas.com/healing-trad...

Thread on the latest from Across The Americas — In many cultures, caring for the needy is a litmus test for societal health. In the U.S., Trump's key legislation boosts border security by $170 billion, while cutting food aid for millions. (Photo: World Central Kitchen)

Cristela Alonzo recently weighed in on why the Rio Grande Valley voted for Trump. The interview is especially resonant now as the Latino support Trump gained in 2024 shows signs of coming apart even as Democrats struggle to connect with these voters. www.acrosstheamericas.com/cristela-alo...

Tom Homan spoke at the National Conservatism Conference in July 2024, around the time the FBI opened a probe in Texas that led to him being secretly recorded accepting $50,000 in cash after indicating he could help undercover agents win government contracts, MSNBC broke today.

New in The Border Chronicle by @pablodelarosa.bsky.social Can the Water Resiliency Fund Help Revive the Endangered Rio Grande? 💧🦂 “It’s billions of dollars to focus on this, and this is all hands on deck," says Jesse Hereford, a NADBank official.

📰 My latest on Across The Americas — In April, American Rivers designated the Rio Grande as endangered. The new Water Resiliency Fund hopes to begin answering the call for billions in infrastructure investments from stakeholders in the region. www.acrosstheamericas.com/can-the-wate...

Here's a map showing how close the SpaceX rocket facility Starbase is to Mexico. Take a look at how Texas beaches don't stop at the mouth of the Rio Grande. Mexican environmental groups are beginning to push back against the company. Story: www.acrosstheamericas.com/communities-...

Communities in Mexico are pushing back against SpaceX operations in Texas. I spoke with Angela Kocherga for The Texas Standard this week for this story. Listen here: www.texasstandard.org/stories/tama...

Thanks to all who joined Todd Miller and I LIVE for @theborderchronicle.bsky.social this morning. Here’s Todd’s piece, a powerful meditation on the history shaping our current moment. My writeup on Mexico communities affected by SpaceX is up on TBC as well. www.theborderchronicle.com/p/the-tower-...

THREAD: Join me for a live discussion on Friday morning on Mexican activists pushing back against SpaceX launches in Tamaulipas with @theborderchronicle.bsky.social + listen to an interview from this week on this story with @texasstandard.bsky.social: www.acrosstheamericas.com/friday-morni...

In my latest: Trump's military zone on the Rio Grande, a community healing from alienation, the river that can no longer be photographed, and the drone that was originally designed to wage war in the Middle East and may now be gliding over us all. www.theborderchronicle.com/p/they-want-...

In South Texas, our reporter @pablodelarosa.bsky.social spoke with people about what it's like living under ICE raids. One woman said they live in a "jaula de oro" a golden cage, citing a song by Los Tigres del Norte. Listen to the full report here🦂 www.theborderchronicle.com/p/audio-feat...

In this audio feature for The Border Chronicle, I speak with people in South Texas' Rio Grande Valley to explore what life now looks like under the constant threat of a surge in ICE workplace raids and arrests — part of Trump's plan to deport millions. www.theborderchronicle.com/p/audio-feat...

📰 From the Rio Grande Valley — Local environmental justice groups have been warning federal regulatory agencies about the possibility of an explosion at Starbase for ten years. On Wednesday night, SpaceX’s Starship 36 suffered a catastrophic explosion. www.acrosstheamericas.com/a-huge-setba...

📰 From the Rio Grande Valley — Local environmental justice groups have been warning federal regulatory agencies about the possibility of an explosion at Starbase for ten years. On Wednesday night, SpaceX’s Starship 36 suffered a catastrophic explosion. www.acrosstheamericas.com/a-huge-setba...

With border crossings at historic lows, beginning in 2024, Strykers have now been sent to the Rio Grande Valley anyway. Just last year, a general testified that these border deployments have no "military value" and are a law enforcement mission, not a military mission.

In case you missed it — Department of Defense strykers just arrived in the Rio Grande Valley, USBP RGV confirmed on Saturday. NewsNation's Ali Bradley reported two weeks ago that a National Defense Area would be set up along the border in our region.

Afraid of ICE raids, 100% of all workers are totally gone on this farm in the Rio Grande Valley — even those working legally. Working on a similar story now and what we're seeing out in the community is devastating. Full story from Border Report for KVEO: www.borderreport.com/news/100-per...

I sat down for a conversation with Melissa del Bosque for @theborderchronicle.bsky.social this morning on the current moment in the Rio Grande Valley, ICE raids, and the new Texas bill that will force sheriffs to carry out immigration enforcement actions. www.theborderchronicle.com/p/the-border...

A new Texas law will turn sheriffs into federal immigration enforcers. Experts say racial profiling and rights violations are sure to follow. My latest for @theborderchronicle.bsky.social. www.theborderchronicle.com/p/iced-up

Beneath today’s Starship launch smoke at Boca Chica, a new kind of Texas city is rising in political power — “How Musk’s Starbase Could Become the Most Powerful City in Texas” My latest for @theborderchronicle.bsky.social: open.substack.com/pub/theborde...

Going live on @theborderchronicle.bsky.social at 11 AM CT Friday to chat with Todd Miller on video about his visit to Trump's new National Defense Area and also talk about my latest story on the endangered Rio Grande, and what its going to take to save it. www.theborderchronicle.com

The Rio Grande is drying up, while Texas's elected leaders play politics with Mexico. Experts I spoke with said political champions in Congress are needed. My latest for @theborderchronicle.bsky.social: www.theborderchronicle.com/p/who-will-s...

In this audio interview for @theborderchronicle.bsky.social, I spoke with Dr. Maria-Elena Giner, recently ousted by the Trump administration as Commissioner of the federal agency that manages water treaties and infrastructure between the U.S. and Mexico. www.theborderchronicle.com/p/the-endang...

On The Border Chronicle podcast🦂 New Border Wall is an 'Ecological Catastrophe': A Podcast with the @sierraclub.org's Erick Meza Arizona's San Rafael Valley and other critical wildlife corridors are targeted by the Trump Administration for wall construction. 🦂

Breaking — a new executive order signed by President Donald Trump late Monday directs the DOJ, DHS, and DOD to work in coordination to, within 90 days, "increase the provision of excess military and national security assets in local jurisdictions to assist state and local law enforcement" to...

New in The Border Chronicle 🦂🔥 Amerika Garcia Grewal, speaks about the impacts of Texas's militarization of Eagle Pass, Texas, and about co-founding a new organization, Frontera Federation, to advocate for civil rights in border communities. open.substack.com/pub/theborde...

Just now — Dr. Maria Elena Giner resigns as head of the International Boundary and Water Commission. The announcement comes as American Rivers, a conservation group, said the lower Rio Grande is "endangered". Giner says the IBWC was given insufficient funding. More to come.

Pope Francis, the first head of the Catholic Church from the Americas who became a symbol of hope and change during his papacy, died Monday at age 88. He was the first Jesuit pope, the first Latin-American pope and the first pope from outside Europe in at least 1,000 years. to.pbs.org/3EjlyFb

📰 A national conservation group said the Rio Grande is "disappearing before our eyes." Experts say the key is infrastructure, but more equitable investments are needed in the historically marginalized Rio Grande Valley. www.acrosstheamericas.com/disappearing...

The New York Times is reporting that Hegseth shared details of the Yemen strike in a second chat that included his wife and brother. It's unclear why the secretary of defense would go out of his way to use Signal if so many people are included in these sensitive conversations.

🕊️ Wishing everyone a nice and safe Easter weekend. I'm grateful to be with family and wishing peace for all. It's been a hard few weeks, but the way people in this region are supporting one other has been a source of hope. Saludos from the Rio Grande Valley!

Feeling incredibly grateful to be doing what I love as a journalist with the team at The Border Chronicle this year — a remarkable publication and podcast covering the U.S.-Mexico border from the perspective of the people who live here. www.theborderchronicle.com

For folks in the Rio Grande Valley — An early Easter egg. 🐣 A special thank you to our latest subscribers and some exciting updates from Across the Americas, the newsletter of insightful, independent journalism from the RGV. 🙏Saludos! www.acrosstheamericas.com/thank-you-to...

With a new demonstration titled "No Kings!" planned for Saturday, people in the Rio Grande Valley continue to speak out as fear over civil liberties and deportations hits home. www.acrosstheamericas.com/no-kings-pro...

Just now — Press Sec. Leavitt announces 90 miles of a new “National Defense Area” military zone coming to the Texas border in the next few weeks. The operation is part of an executive order authorizing the DOD to take control of federal lands. Story: www.theborderchronicle.com/p/trump-auth...