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Posted on · As the U.S. military completes its withdrawal from Afghanistan, many interpreters and others who worked alongside allied forces are left behind despite them and their families being eligible for special visas. Houston has resettled some 1,700 of these Afghan visa holders. Some sat down with Houston Public Media to talk about the danger their former colleagues face back home.
Posted on · A growing number of young people with parents who are high-skilled immigrant workers may be forced to leave the country. These “documented Dreamers” grow up in the U.S., but because of the visa backlog, aren't allowed to stay.
Posted on · Gonzalez related his local law enforcement experience in Harris County to his approach to the controversial role.
Posted on · Ahead of Gonzalez' Senate confirmation hearing, some advocates say the sheriff's failure to implement transformative changes at the Harris County jail could indicate difficulties ahead at one of the most heavily-criticized agencies in the country.
Posted on · The hearing will be held by the Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee on July 15.
Posted on · Immigration judges in Houston and other Texas cities are hearing cases again after they were on pause for more than a year due to the pandemic. As courts reopen, judges face a national immigration court backlog that has ballooned to 1.3 million cases, which has led to wait times that can span a decade.
Posted on · Women left the workforce in droves after day cares and schools closed or went remote during the pandemic, exacerbating strains on affordable, accessible child care. But, a Houston-area program has empowered refugee and immigrant women to step up and fill the child care gap as entrepreneurs.
Posted on · There were at least 46 hunger strikes -- by individuals and groups -- at Texas ICE facilities between 2013 and 2017, according to ACLU data shared with Houston Public Media.
Posted on · In a sit-down interview with Houston Public Media, the family of an Afghan interpreter killed by the Taliban talk about the dangers they faced over the last 10 years, the bittersweet relief of finally living in the U.S., and what's next for the family in a new country.
Posted on · Sam Collins III gave Houston Public Media Reporter, Elizabeth Trovall, more insight into the story behind Juneteenth's meaning for him.
Posted on · This weekend, Texans will celebrate Juneteenth, the anniversary of the day enslaved African-Americans were liberated in Texas -- more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. That happened when Union troops arrived in Galveston, where on Saturday many will celebrate with a Juneteenth parade and the dedication of a new mural.
Posted on · The family's long-awaited arrival is bittersweet, since their father and husband was murdered by the Taliban in January 2021. The family's plight highlights the life-threatening consequences of the lengthy Special Immigrant Visa process for Afghan and Iraqi interpreters aiding the U.S. military.
Posted on · Many Haitian migrants left home and tried to build lives in Latin America, but faced racism, poverty and language barriers. Now, as the U.S. rebounds from the pandemic, a growing number of them are abandoning those countries and making their way to the Texas-Mexico border.
Posted on · A special visa can protect victims of violent crimes, including kidnapping and extortion. But for the 97 migrants found locked inside a Houston home earlier this year, the involvement of federal authorities in the investigation has led to their detention and deportation.
Posted on · The shelter, or "family transfer center," offers food and other accommodations to families who have recently been processed and released by federal officials at the Texas-Mexico border.