“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/

“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/

“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/

“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/

Sylvia Garcia's South Texas roots have shown in both her advocacy for outdoor #workers—she’s pushed legislation requiring rest breaks nationwide for construction laborers—and in her staunch defense of immigrants. https://www.texasobserver.org/sylvia-garcia-interview-immigration/

Featured story: For the past three years, ENTRE has collected photos, home movies, and oral histories of Boca Chica from Valley residents, who’ve visited the free-access beach for generations to fish, barbecue, and even camp overnight. https://www.texasobserver.org/remembering-boca-chica-beach-before-spacex/

“On my first trip, I asked how I would know what a human bone looks like. They told me I would know. On the second day, I found a femur. After four months, I learned to spot chalky white remains from 50 to 100 feet away.” https://www.texasobserver.org/death-in-the-desert/

Children played as the adults—organizers, journalists, and artists—traded stories. Against the dunes, chef and anthropologist Luna Vela, alongside chefs Nadia Casaperalta and Mia Eustaquio, served food, odes to the foodways of the people who lived here long before the place had a European name. https://www.texasobserver.org/remembering-boca-chica-beach-before-spacex/

Our top story: For the past three years, ENTRE has collected photos, home movies, and oral histories of Boca Chica from Valley residents, who’ve visited the free-access beach, little-known to tourists from the rest of the state, for generations to fish, barbecue, and even camp overnight. https://www.texasobserver.org/remembering-boca-chica-beach-before-spacex/

Our top story: “Regardless of how you feel about #SpaceX, there is no doubt that Boca Chica is changing because of its development. If this entity is continuing to ask for an increase in rocket launches, we are not going to have this [beach] anymore as it is right now.” https://www.texasobserver.org/remembering-boca-chica-beach-before-spacex/

When photojournalist Justin Hamel moved to El Paso in 2016, there were fewer than 10 migrant deaths in what U.S. immigration officials call the El Paso Sector. By fiscal year 2023, that number had skyrocketed to 136—a record. Last fiscal year, which ended on October 1, 2024, there were 176. https://www.texasobserver.org/death-in-the-desert/

Destruction isn’t always something physical, but also something done to memory. Without looking at photos, home movies, and listening to stories, it’s hard to remember what Boca Chica was before #SpaceX came to town about a decade ago and expanded, especially since 2018. https://www.texasobserver.org/remembering-boca-chica-beach-before-spacex/

Searching for fallen migrants in the El Paso desert: “Most days, we found only discarded personal items: empty water bottles and foam pads used to hide footprints. Other days, we found signs of death: stray bones, including the occasional skull.” https://www.texasobserver.org/death-in-the-desert/

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“On my first trip, I asked how I would know what a human bone looks like. They told me I would know. On the second day, I found a femur. After four months, I learned to spot chalky white remains from 50 to 100 feet away.” https://www.texasobserver.org/death-in-the-desert/

Photographer Justin Hamel joined Battalion Search and Rescue in their attempt to rescue lost migrants ... or discover the remains of those who hadn't made it through the El Paso desert.

Find his photo essay in our magazine, or on our website: https://www.texasobserver.org/death-in-the-desert/

“It’s kind of an all-hands-on-deck thing right now. The water supply situation is rather serious.”

As #drought persists and industrial demand skyrockets, this city on the South #Texas coast is struggling to keep up with its people's needs ... https://www.texasobserver.org/corpus-christi-water-reservoirs-industry-desalination/

From Justin Hamel in our magazine: In 2016, there were fewer than 10 migrant deaths in what U.S. immigration officials call the El Paso Sector. By fiscal year 2023, that number had skyrocketed to 136—a record. Last fiscal year, which ended on October 1, 2024, there were 176. https://www.texasobserver.org/death-in-the-desert/

“At the end of the day, they require tons of #water that we do not have, and it’s all in the name of economic development.”

In this Gulf Coast city, as residents worry about drought, industrial projects use up ever more of this precious resource ... https://www.texasobserver.org/corpus-christi-water-reservoirs-industry-desalination/

“It’s kind of an all-hands-on-deck thing right now. The water supply situation is rather serious.”

From Dylan Baddour at @insideclimatenews: As drought persists and industrial demand grows, this city on the South Texas coast is struggling to keep up ... https://www.texasobserver.org/corpus-christi-water-reservoirs-industry-desalination/