US Mexico border

Senate Bill 602 was touted as another force multiplier on the border. But almost a year after the law went into effect, the program has yet to get off the ground.

The permits will allow for expansion projects to move forward in Eagle Pass, Laredo, and Brownsville following long delays.

The 2-1 decision came late Tuesday from a three-judge panel at the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. It keeps the state of Texas from enforcing the law, known as SB 4, as the legal challenge against it continues in federal court.

A Texas law that allows local and state police officers to arrest people suspected of being in the country illegally is now in effect after a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. Immigrant rights groups and the Biden administration have argued the law is unconstitutional and will unfairly target Texans of color.

President Joe Biden will meet with law enforcement in Brownsville on Thursday while former President Donald Trump travels to Eagle Pass.

Construction of the facility, which will be able to hold more than 2,000 soldiers upon completion, is the latest in the state’s years-long feud with the Biden administration over border security.

The state of Texas squared off against the U.S. Department of Justice and a coalition of immigrant rights groups in federal court on Thursday over whether a new state border enforcement bill is constitutional.

U.S. Border Patrol recorded 124,220 encounters between ports of entry along the southwest border last month, down 42% from December 2023 and is the lowest recorded so far during this fiscal year.

She said the recent deaths were part of a larger pattern for Gov. Greg Abbott and Operation Lone Star on the border.

Rep. Joaquin Castro (D - San Antonio) called on the Biden administration to federalize the Texas National Guard this week, calling Gov. Greg Abbott's border security mission, Operation Lone Star, a "rogue operation."