News and Resources

‘The Pushback’ is an Expansive Look at the Texas Left’s Fight for Power

During my four years at the Texas Observer, I’ve scrambled after stories about the progressive movement all over the sprawling Lone Star State. So while watching The Pushback—a new documentary... Read more

Published on: 2020-05-11

Source: Texas Observer

How to Protest in a Pandemic

For centuries, Americans have taken to the streets when they’ve had grievances to share. We’ve taken to the streets to make our voices heard, to effect change, and to feel... Read more

Published on: 2020-05-01

Source: ACLU

Civil Liberties Never Sleep: The ACLU in the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has closed down many businesses, but the work of preserving civil liberties and civil rights continues, as essential as ever. Reports of courts closing down can be... Read more

Published on: 2020-04-10

Source: ACLU

Despite Coronavirus, Trump’s Border Wall Construction Continues in Border Communities

The danger posed to border communities by the influx of border wall construction workers during a pandemic... Read more

Published on: 2020-03-30

Source: Sierra Club Rio Grande Vally

Legal Battle over the Border Wall Tests the Limits of Trump’s Power

The United States is in the midst of a national emergency—and it’s not related to the coronavirus. This emergency, the one President Donald Trump said that he “didn’t need to”... Read more

Published on: 2020-03-13

Source: Sierra Magazine

IBWC Clearcuts Acres of Sabal Palms in Sabal Palm Sanctuary

BY STEFANIE HERWECK About two weeks ago the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) broke the law by destroying a forest growing along the Rio Grande in Audubon’s Sabal... Read more

Published on: 2020-03-06

Source: Sierra Club Rio Grande Vally

IBWC Clearcuts Acres in Sabal Palm Sanctuary

BY STEFANIE HERWECK About two weeks ago the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) broke the law by destroying a forest growing along the Rio Grande in Audubon’s Sabal... Read more

Published on: 2020-03-06

Source: Sierra Club Rio Grande Vally

Trump’s Wall May Have to Avoid Multiple Historic Cemeteries

The Texas-Mexico border is not a blank slate for the projection of campaign promises. It’s a real place where some 2.5 million Texans live, love, and bury their dead. In... Read more

Published on: 2020-03-06

Source: Texas Observer

Endangered Species Are Casualties of Trump’s Border Wall

As new border wall construction rips through some of the most biologically diverse desert lands in North America, it is putting nearly 100 endangered species at increased risk. “I think... Read more

Published on: 2020-02-18

Source: Sierra Magazine

Enjoy Your Natural Heritage before They Wall It Off: The Fossil Beds of Starr County

Thanks to the border wall, it may be only a matter of months before we lose access to fossilized oyster beds and other unique natural areas along the Rio Grande.... Read more

Published on: 2020-02-09

Source: Sierra Club Rio Grande Vally

ICYMI: Albatross Spies, Trump’s Trillion Trees, Taxing SUVS & More

Albatross outfitted with radar detectors are tracking down pirate fishing boats in the Indian Ocean. Florida approves the use of drones to track invasive Burmese pythons. On January 21, the... Read more

Published on: 2020-01-31

Source: Sierra Magazine

BNHR Holds Annual General Assembly

On January 25, 350 delegates of the human rights committees that make up Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR) gathered at the annual BNHR General Assembly in Canutillo, TX. Special... Read more

Published on: 2020-01-27

Source: Border Network

The White House’s Dangerously Expansive Views on Trump’s Powers That You Can’t See

A basic legal consensus about our democracy is that the Constitution assigns the “power of the purse” to Congress. Turning this edict on its head, White House Office of Management... Read more

Published on: 2020-01-16

Source: ACLU

A Radical Proposal Calls for a Moratorium on Deportations

Immigrant advocates are accustomed to losing. From the failure of comprehensive immigration reform to the construction of hundreds of miles of border wall, the pro-immigrant movement has been let down... Read more

Published on: 2020-01-14

Source: Texas Observer

BNHR Statement Regarding 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Decision

Fernando Garcia, executive director for Border Network for Human Rights, today released this statement regarding the decision by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to temporarily halt a ruling by... Read more

Published on: 2020-01-13

Source: Border Network

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RESOURCES

EXPERIENCING THE BORDERLANDS

Navigating the Borderlands
Borderline: Navigating the invisible boundary and physical barriers that define the U.S.-Mexico border
America’s Wall
Embattled Borderlands
Up Against the Wall
USA Today’s In-Depth Examination of the Border Wall
Faces of the Borderlands
Along the border, 500 miles of desert species

BACKGROUND

Maps, science and photographs documenting border impacts
Border Security and Accountability Act of 2015 – Fact Sheet
Wall Street’s Border Wall: How 5 Firms Benefit Financially from Anti-Immigrant Policy
Past, Present, and Future Impacts of Walls on the U.S.-Mexico Border

CASE AGAINST THE WALL

The Environmental Cost of Trump’s Border Wall – Center for Western Priorities
Why we don’t need Trump’s ‘great, great wall’ – Arizona Daily Star
New Border Walls Designed to Flood Texas Towns – Texas Observer
Border Lawmakers Balk at Donald Trump’s Wall Request – Wall Street Journal
Scientists say Trump’s border wall would devastate wildlife habitat – The Texas Tribune
Surprising Lives of Those Living Along U.S.-Mexico Border – National Geographic
There’s a better alternative to building a border wall: restoring the Rio Grande – Quartz
The environmental impact of the US-Mexico Border Wall – Newsweek
Why Trump’s wall won’t stretch ‘from sea to shining sea’ – Washington Post
The Founders would have opposed seizing land for Trump’s border wall – Washington Post

Photo: Krista Schlyer