Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham declared that nine river islands in the Rio Grande between Laredo and McAllen belong to Texas. She authorized the Texas National Guard to access the islands to patrol and clear them of illegal activity. Mexico responded by saying the 1970 Boundary Treaty gives the International Boundary and Water Commission sole authority to determine island ownership.
Where
Rio Grande between Laredo and McAllen, South Texas
These outlets were found through Google News headlines. Google decides which outlets appear there, and they lean mostly one way, so this sheet can only be as balanced as the reporting it was built from. Leanings are AllSides Media Bias Ratings.
Federal immigration authorities arrested 4,170 people during Lone Star Mission, a 10-day statewide immigration enforcement operation that ran from Oct. 19-29. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced results at a press conference and criticized sanctuary jurisdictions during the briefing.
Markwayne Mullin, Department of Homeland Security Secretary; Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Federal agency conducting arrests; Department of Homeland Security, Federal agency announcing operation results
An investigation by The Texas Newsroom and The California Newsroom found that the Trump administration is still detaining pregnant migrant youth in South Texas despite concerns about limited obstetric care. Government records show at least four pregnant girls have been transferred out of state since July 2025 for specialized medical care unavailable in Texas.
Trump administration, Detaining pregnant migrant youth; Jen Smyers, Former Obama-era official with Office of Refugee Resettlement; Department of Health and Human Services, Oversees Office of Refugee Resettlement and 1 more
KXAN investigators found that Texas has expanded the ICE 287(g) program with hundreds of agencies gaining federal immigration powers and new funding, but with limited public disclosure. The investigation identified hundreds of authorized officers, including more than a dozen with criminal charges or state disciplinary histories.
KXAN, investigator; ProPublica, investigative partner; The Texas Tribune, investigative partner and 2 more
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Veterans International Bridge in Brownsville seized cocaine hidden in a commercial vehicle on October 21. The driver, a 39-year-old Mexican citizen, was arrested and a criminal investigation opened.
$$611,680 for estimated street value of seized cocaine
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Officers who intercepted and seized the narcotics; Tater Ortiz, Port Director, Brownsville Port of Entry; Homeland Security Investigations, Special agents who arrested the driver and initiated investigation and 1 more
Manuel Alejandro Melendez-Cereceres, 42, was sentenced in federal court to nine years in prison for conspiracy to transport migrants resulting in serious bodily injury. He organized drivers and coordinated locations for a smuggling network. A migrant fell from a border fence during a May 2025 smuggling event in Tornillo and suffered multiple fractures.
$$672,101 for money judgment
Manuel Alejandro Melendez-Cereceres, defendant; migrant smuggling organization member; U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone, sentenced defendant; U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons, Western District of Texas, announced sentencing and 2 more
The port of entry at Columbus, New Mexico, reopened Monday for Mexican cattle imports under new safeguards including tests, shots and inspections. The reopening comes as the U.S. combats the New World screwworm, a flesh-eating fly larva that has infected livestock and wildlife in Texas and New Mexico since June 2026.
$$113 billion for U.S. cattle industry value threatened by screwworm
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Approved reopening with all-clear for inspectors; Dudley Hoskins, Undersecretary for the Department of Agriculture; Brooke Rollins, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and 2 more
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham announced Tuesday that nine islands in the Rio Grande River, totaling about 66 acres, belong to the State of Texas. The declaration aims to give state and federal law enforcement access to monitor and secure the islands and prevent their use by criminal organizations.
Dawn Buckingham, Texas Land Commissioner; Texas General Land Office, State agency making the determination; Texas Department of Public Safety, Requested mapping of island ownership and 1 more
Thirteen individuals were charged in El Paso following Operation Southbound Takedown, an investigation into transporting stolen vehicles to Mexican cartels. Investigators recovered 29 vehicles worth approximately $1,137,000.
$$1,137,000 for estimated value of recovered stolen vehicles
Justin R. Simmons, U.S. Attorney, Western District of Texas; Ryan G. McRae, Special Agent in Charge, HSI El Paso; Coult W. Markovsky, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI El Paso Field Office and 1 more