Immigration Crisis: The Fight for the Southern Border

In this episode of the Edward R. Murrow Award winning podcast Immigration Crisis: The Fight for the Southern Border, Emmy winning journalist Yami Virgin and photojournalist and editor Paul Sanchez examine how wealth and investment influence legal immigration. As debate grows over high dollar visa pathways, supporters say these programs create jobs and boost the economy, while critics question fair...

This new waterborne barrier doesn’t look the same as the buoys Texas installed near Eagle Pass in 2023. The state’s buoys are about 2,000 feet of spheres, with discs separating them. They cover roughly 2,000 feet in the Rio Grande. The federal government’s new design of buoys is more cylindrical and appears to be more closely linked, and they will stretch significantly farther. See Privacy Policy...

Are Texas gangs and organized crime groups now operating under the direction of Mexican cartels? One Texas lawman says yes. Goliad County Sheriff Roy Boyd testified before lawmakers in Washington, D.C., laying out what he described as cartel-controlled drug networks operating in Texas—particularly connected to the Gulf Cartel and distribution of cocaine. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pri...

State and federal agencies are ramping up efforts to find and seal off underground cartel tunnels. In early 2025, authorities uncovered a sophisticated tunnel system in El Paso used to smuggle people, drugs, and weapons. Now, the Texas General Land Office (GLO) says it’s stepping up surveillance across the border to locate any additional tunnels. Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham says her of...

Edward R. Murrow Award–winning podcast Immigration Crisis: The Fight for the Southern Border takes you to Eagle Pass, where razor wire and shipping containers still line the Rio Grande. Emmy-winning investigative journalist Yami Virgin then speaks with Texas Tech Professor Jeffrey Corn about whether the U.S. has gone too far and what happens when border security collides with the Constitution. Edi...

A new federal operation called Operation River Wall has been launched by the U.S. Coast Guard, as part of a broader border initiative following President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency. This effort involves deploying over 100 boats and hundreds of personnel to patrol a 260-mile stretch of the Rio Grande to interdict drug smugglers and deter illegal crossings. See Privacy Policy at htt...

Texas Border Watch is following major new developments along the U.S.–Mexico border, where federal officials are expanding “smart wall” technology, warning of cartel-linked bounty threats, and coordinating National Guard deployments from multiple states. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

From the pre-dawn streets of San Antonio to the front lines of federal immigration enforcement, “Immigration Crisis: The Fight for the Southern Border” takes listeners inside an exclusive ride-along with ICE agents as they carry out daily operations. This gripping episode offers an unfiltered look at how enforcement works, and the human stories behind every decision. The Edward R. Murrow Award win...

The federal government is offering $2,500 to certain unaccompanied migrant children who agree to self-deport and return to their home countries, according to a Department of Health and Human Services memo obtained by NBC News. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Edward R. Murrow Award–winning host Yami Virgin with editor Paul Sanchez digs into the border battle over Rio Grande buoys and the return of Cocaine Cowboys 2.0 as cartels shift back to cocaine smuggling. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Mexico has activated emergency controls following the discovery of a new screwworm case in cattle, marking the closest occurrence to the U.S. border since the outbreak began last year. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Host Yami Virgin and reporter Jordan Elder dig into the border wall’s new look, and Congressman Tony Gonzales shares an update from Texas’ 23rd District, the largest border district in the country, stretching more than 800 miles from El Paso to San Antonio. It sits at the heart of the immigration debate, touching key crossing points and communities directly affected by border policy. Edited by Pau...

We rode along with Border Patrol on the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass to get a firsthand look at how much has changed along this stretch of the border. In this week's Texas Border Watch, we share with you what we saw on that tour from a perspective most people don't typically get to see. Eagle Pass was previously the epicenter of illegal border crossings, not just for Texas, but for the entire countr...

Even with border crossings down, the danger isn’t over. The new push to crack down on human smuggling – this time at the northern border. Plus, the border wall is getting a new look. We’ll show you where it’s already being painted black and who’s paying for it. And tougher rules for truck drivers. Why English exams are now required on Texas roads. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy an...

President Donald Trump announced that Attorney General Pam Bondi is “working very hard” to sue the company responsible for selling unused components of the border wall. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Texas could receive a significant portion of a $13.5 billion federal  reimbursement package  aimed at border security. The funding, approved by Congress, will cover expenses incurred since January 20, 2021, the day President Biden took office. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Two men have been sentenced to essentially spend the rest of their lives in prison after 54 migrants died inside a sweltering truck trailer abandoned along Quintana Road in 2022. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Cities across Texas are preparing for a wave of immigration protests as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) intensifies its removal efforts, targeting work sites and areas outside immigration courts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In this Edward R. Murrow Award-winning podcast, host Yami Virgin and editor Paul Sanchez explore the rising detentions of immigrants, including minors, and Governor Greg Abbott’s National Guard deployment to San Antonio. Real stories and expert voices reveal the human cost of America’s escalating immigration showdown.   See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Priva...

Yami Virgin explores the legal battle over birthright citizenship and the end of Temporary Protective Status for Venezuelans. Immigration attorney Héctor Quiroga joins us in San Antonio to break down the legal impact on families now caught between shifting policies and uncertain futures. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-n...

The House of Representatives has passed the so-called 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' and it comes with a big perk for states like Texas. The language includes $12 billion to reimburse states for border security costs, with Texas poised to claim the largest share. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Staffing concerns at ports of entry are prompting lawmakers to take action. El Paso is home to the latest border military zone, and a tiny pest caused the shutdown of cattle imports at the southern border. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In this award-winning episode of Immigration Crisis: The Fight for the Southern Border, Yami Virgin and Paul Sanchez uncover the real-world impact of a new military zone near Fort Bliss, Texas, where active-duty troops are now authorized to detain migrants crossing into what’s been declared federal defense land. With exclusive insights from retired Lt. Colonel Geoffrey Corn, George R. Killam...

A man is moving through the deportation process after an hours-long standoff in a tree, a Congressional committee is calling for border security funding, and a Texas bill is taking aim at a rental car operation that fuels the cartel. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In this week's Texas Border Watch, we bring you inside the ongoing battle exchange houses are facing, show you new Department of Defense accounts of military border security operations, and a bizarre Border Patrol bust in El Paso. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .