Letter from the Southwest
What George Kelly’s Mistrial Says About How We See the Border
The Arizona rancher was accused of killing a migrant. A tragedy, and a possible murder, quickly became a political cause.
El Paso’s Saint of the Border Negotiates a New Reality
For nearly fifty years, Ruben Garcia has welcomed migrants and refugees at Annunciation House. Amid record border crossings, Texas is now trying to shut down his network of shelters.
Greg Abbott’s Anti-Migrant Standoff at the Border
The governor of Texas has triggered a constitutional crisis about who controls entry from Mexico, and some supporters are there for the spectacle.
Is There Hope for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women?
A hashtag and a political campaign have brought attention to the epidemic of violence, but a New Mexico woman is fighting case by case.
When a Border Closure Hits Americans
The shutting of a crossing in Arizona has reduced access to a popular Mexican beach town, leading to outrage from unfamiliar sources.
The Drag Queens Fighting Performance Bans in Texas
As a series of repressive bills targets drag shows across the country, performers in Texas try out a novel defense.
Surveying the Vintage Market at Texas’s Wildest Antique Fair
The craze for old things reaches its peak of excess in Round Top.
The Last Gun I Shot
As a Texan, as an American, I believed that I wouldn’t be able to understand where I lived unless I wrapped my head around the guns themselves.
The Ken Paxton Verdict Is Not the Vindication Republicans Want
The Texas attorney general was acquitted of corruption charges, but the trial further damaged the Republican brand.
Texas’s Dying Swimming Holes
Taking a dip in the summer was as central to the state’s identity as barbecue and Willie Nelson. Then came a population boom and climate change.