Our top story: “One thing that is abundantly clear is that #border enforcement, and in particular the construction of detention facilities ... is big business. It’s a huge business. It’s incredibly lucrative for a very small number of people who have every incentive to make this system as big and as bloated as possible.” https://www.texasobserver.org/abbott-operation-lone-star-contractors-bonanza/

“Somehow this little town, Los Fresnos—it’s become a part of this huge conversation that I don’t think anyone really expected. Maybe this is a chance for people to really look at what’s happening.”

Earlier: In Cameron County where 8.5 percent of the population is undocumented, controversial raids at this popular eatery have rocked an already divided community. https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-raids-abbys-bakery-valley-los-fresnos/

Our top story: The governor's state of disaster has been continuously renewed for four years. In this time, the #Texas Legislature has allocated more than $11 billion to fund the sprawling tentacles of Operation Lone Star.
https://www.texasobserver.org/abbott-operation-lone-star-contractors-bonanza/

“Rank favoritism, such as a sole-source award to a contractor who is a major donor to the governor, leads past waste to outright #corruption, for the motivation of the award is not the bid’s economy but the governor’s campaign treasury.”

Our top story: Abbott's Operation Lone Star boondoggle has been lining donors pockets for four years now, with no sign of stopping. https://www.texasobserver.org/abbott-operation-lone-star-contractors-bonanza/

“What we are witnessing is the deliberate abduction of individuals as they are being uprooted from their lives. #Trump’s deportation machine knows no bounds, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake.” https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-raids-abbys-bakery-valley-los-fresnos/

Our top story: The list of purchased matériel seems fit for a nation at war. Drones, helicopters, and airplanes. All-terrain vehicles, tactical marine vessels, and bulldozers. AI surveillance software and mobile surveillance units. Fuel and generators, food and water, zip-ties and razor wire. https://www.texasobserver.org/abbott-operation-lone-star-contractors-bonanza/

Imma just gonna leave this here cuz the dude ain’t wrong.

“It changes your life when you get arrested and you see everything that you ever had about to go away because you were trying to provide a living. A lot of these people provide work for people because nobody else wants to do the job.” https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-raids-abbys-bakery-valley-los-fresnos/

Our top story: The governor's “border emergency” has lasted even longer than the governor’s COVID-19 declaration, which he let expire in June 2023. In this time, the #Texas Legislature has allocated more than $11 billion to fund the sprawling tentacles of the Operation Lone Star. https://www.texasobserver.org/abbott-operation-lone-star-contractors-bonanza/

“People are scared to go out because they go out with their kids, and they don’t want to go to a place where (people are) going to show up with guns to check whether they’re a U.S. citizen or not.”

New: ICE raids at Abby's have divided an already politically shifting community in South #Texas. https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-raids-abbys-bakery-valley-los-fresnos/

When exercising this newfound authority as part of Trump's taskforce, local officers must seek guidance from an #ICE supervisor—but are allowed to do so “as soon as is practicable” ... after exercising the authority.
https://www.texasobserver.org/local-state-police-ice-287g-task-force/

Our top story: “Texas has become a pay-to-play [state] if you want these big government contracts because we don’t have fair bidding requirements. Now we see these political donors getting rich off taxpayer money with no accountability. Abbott acts as if he’s king, and he’s rewarding his patrons.”
https://www.texasobserver.org/abbott-operation-lone-star-contractors-bonanza/

“Rank favoritism, such as a sole-source award to a contractor who is a major donor to the governor, leads past waste to outright #corruption, for the motivation of the award is not the bid’s economy but the governor’s campaign treasury.” https://www.texasobserver.org/abbott-operation-lone-star-contractors-bonanza/

#politics #USpol #border #immigration #GregAbbott #Texas #TXlege police #HumanRights #news

New from Justin Miller: This state of disaster has been continuously renewed, even as border apprehensions have fallen precipitously. Now four years old, the Texas Legislature has allocated more than $11 billion in funding.
https://www.texasobserver.org/abbott-operation-lone-star-contractors-bonanza/

#Pentagon orders up to 3,000 #military #troops & #Stryker #combat vehicles to Southern #border

#Defense Sec #PeteHegseth approved orders on Friday to further #militarize the border w/ #Mexico, officials said.

#immigration #law #USpol #geopolitics
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/03/01/hegseth-border-troops-mexico-stryker/

“You know, he always said that he was going to be a dictator on day one. These executive orders are just the first step in his quest to be the dictator of the country. He is trying to act like a king, although he is not one, so he’s doing the next best thing.” https://www.texasobserver.org/sylvia-garcia-interview-immigration/

From our magazine: “The Laken Riley bill, that’s been talked about by the media and everybody as an immigration bill, but it’s a criminal justice bill. And they’ve punctured the due process in criminal cases.” https://www.texasobserver.org/sylvia-garcia-interview-immigration/

Previously: “Many, many of the people involved in influencing policy in Washington D.C. are not registered as lobbyists. The most important people tend not to be registered as lobbyists.” https://www.texasobserver.org/dea-derek-maltz-border-911-penlink/