Immigration

The Texas Department of Transportation, alongside Lubbock’s city and county leaders, cut the ribbon for drivers on the first portion of the anticipated Loop 88 in south Lubbock, this southern portion of the outer loop project broke ground four years ago, but the full freeway is expected to take 15-20 years to complete, depending on state and federal funding. An environmental group is suing the Trump administration over its plan for a border wall in parts of the Big Bend region of Texas. Marfa Public Radio’s Travis Bubenik reports the Big Bend border wall plan has prompted widespread pushback from Democrats and Republicans.

The sweeping rule changes, all enacted outside the typical legislative process, have upended life for noncitizens, including those who are here legally.

Most of the state’s measles cases reported so far this year are inside the West Texas Detention Facility in Hudspeth County, where four infected El Paso residents worked.

When Medicaid began sharing personal data with federal immigration authorities last year, it upended decades of explicit promises to patients. Now, even eligible immigrants fear getting the health coverage.

Yesterday afternoon, students from Lubbock’s Estacado High School and the Margaret Talkington School for Young Women Leaders walked out of their schools and down Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd to protest actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Our Brad Burt reports this comes after guidance from the Texas Education Agency outlined the consequences for students and teachers who participate in demonstrations during the school day.

Young Texans, including students in Lubbock, continued protests and walkouts over the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, despite threats from the governor and state education leadership.

Border wall projects could soon move forward in the remote Big Bend region of West Texas as part of the Trump administration's sweeping "Smart Wall" plan for the entire U.S.-Mexico border, according to officials and local residents who say construction firms have started contacting people in the area about the project.

The agreement with the Department of Justice and U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, filed in court Tuesday, settles the 2023 lawsuit alleging that owners of the development engaged in deceptive advertising and targeted Hispanic residents with predatory loans and seller-financed mortgages.

Officials said 18 cases of COVID-19 were also identified at the 5,000-bed tent Fort Bliss Army facility, where a Democratic congresswoman said many “chronic issues” persist.

Avian flu continues to spread among wild birds in and around Lubbock, with hundreds of dead geese collected in recent weeks, including near local lakes and water treatment facilities. Our reporter Bishop van Buren has more on the outbreak from Lubbock City Manager Jarrett Atkinson. New data finds that around 71,000 immigrants are being held in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention as of the end of January. Texas Public Radio's Marian Navarro reports the data shows around 74% of the detainees have no criminal conviction.