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Inside the chaotic U.S. asylum system
With all the stories about border and immigration policies, wall-building, Operation Lone Star, Title 42 and all the rest, it is possible to lose sight of the very real human beings and families who are buffeted by those forces. Those like the Valera family.
The Houston Chronicle's Jhair Romero and Raquel Natalicchio published a spectacular article today taking us inside the chaotic situation at the border. The Valeras are one of thousands of families who fled extreme poverty in their home countries and braved the jungle horrors of the Darién Gap to arrive in America.
"Thank God we're here," Alejandro Mavo, the father, recalled telling his family. "This nightmare is over."
But in some respects, their troubles were only beginning.
They waited for a week on the dusty banks of the Rio Grande. The harsh sun bore down on them in the day and storms pelted them with pebbles and sand through the cold nights. And no one in the family anticipated they'd be separated when they were detained and processed that night by immigration officials as Title 42 expired. They thought they could make a home in San Antonio, and then New York City, in limbo until their 2025 asylum hearing.
"Esto no tiene fin," Alejandro said to himself. This has no end.
 | Edward McKinley, state government reporter |
Who's up, who's down
Up: The Harris County Election Administrator (for now),
Earlier this year, the Texas Legislature voted to strip the state's largest county of its ability to independently manage its elections. That law was blocked temporarily by a federal judge, who said the law is unconstitutional. The decision will be appealed.
Down: Oil companies?
A Montana judge ruled that the state's climate policies unlawfully failed to account for the dangers of more fossil fuels being burned into the atmosphere. Michael Gerrard, an environmental & energy law professor at Columbia University, called the ruling "the strongest decision on climate change ever issued by any court." The decision will also be appealed.
What do you think? Hit reply and let me know.
What else is going on in Texas
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Pick of the day
Last year's Miss Texas is now entering another competition where she'll be judged on her talents, leadership abilities and appearance. But this time it won't be a beauty pageant. Averie Bishop became the first Asian American winner of the Miss Texas competition in its 85-year history. Now she's running for the Texas House.
What else I'm reading
If one's company, two's a crowd and three's a party, then what's four? Donald Trump might be asking himself that question today as he now faces a quartet of indictments. The New York Times' writeup summed things up well, describing the development as "surreally routine."
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