The State of Texas: Asylum seekers fear more danger as they await processing in Mexico

What Texas is talking about today No Images? [Click here]( [Texas Tech University: Learn More!]( [Texas Monthly]( February 8, 2019 QUOTE OF THE DAY "Any weapon is good for me if I can get you off me and my husband, that's what I'm going to do. I used the scooter, broke it in half." —Aretha Cardinal, a Texas City woman who was [nearly robbed by two machete-wielding men wearing clown masks](. Cardinal was with her husband in their driveway when the two men approached, but she quickly sprang into action, using her grandchild's scooter to help fend them off and smash their window to delay their getaway. THE LATEST [“If the Police Aren’t Safe Here, What About Us?” Asylum Seekers Fear “Remain in Mexico” Policy ]( ROBERT MOORE Immigration advocates worry that the policy, which is in effect in California, sends migrants fleeing danger toward more violence. [Read more.]( #TMWANDERS READER PHOTOS Mule Ears Overlook • Photograph by [@brainspout]( We love seeing how our readers enjoy Texas. Want to join the fun? Tag your best Texas photos #TMwanders on Instagram, and we'll reach out if yours is chosen! We'll feature a new reader post here each Friday. QUIZ ANSWERS We’ll feature a news quiz every Thursday, with answers posted in Friday’s newsletter. Below are the answers for yesterday’s quiz: 1. El Paso has repeatedly been ranked one of the nation's safest cities since 2000—ten years before extensive fencing was completed along the border. 2. A Houston singer-songwriter penned an ode to Topo Chico for those who "have a predilection for a bubbly libation." 3. This week, three measles cases were confirmed in Harris County—one of four Texas anti-vaccination "hot spots" including Collin, Travis, and Tarrant County. 4. In his State of the State address, Governor Abbott called for the return of the annual rivalry between the Longhorns and the Aggies. 5. The Houston Zoo is home to two baby lemurs, one of which was given the name Dionysus, after the Greek god. [Texas Tech University: Learn More!]( OUR TOP STORIES [Texas Has Been Just a Prop for Trump From the Beginning]( Our state is accustomed to deference from Republican administrations—deference it has earned. Why are our Republican leaders letting him create our narrative? [Read more.]( [The Best Thing in Texas: A Scottish Mountain Man Was Rescued—After His Distress Signal Was Picked Up in Houston ]( 70-year-old Ken had been living off the grid for 25 years when he fell ill. [Read more.]( [If Beto Runs for President, Where Does That Leave Texas?]( John Cornyn may be vulnerable and 2020 looks even better than 2018 for Democrats—but who will run?[Read more.]( THE STATE OF TEXAS Sacred Ground U.S. District Judge Randy Crane ruled that the federal government could begin [surveying land for the border wall on property that houses a historic Catholic church]( in Mission, Texas. The request is in conflict with the local Roman Catholic Diocese which claims the construction of a wall is a violation of its religious freedom. As the Trump administration continues to move forward with its plans for the wall along the Texas border, Customs and Border Protection says it will be taking some residents to court to seize private land for the wall's construction. Past eminent domain court battles have lasted years or even decades as landowners fought the seizure of their property. The area surrounding La Lomita—a 170-year-old chapel along the Rio Grande—is the last parcel of land in the area where the government has not been able to gain right of entry. The survey of land is the first in a two-step process before the government attempts to seize private land. In the case of the chapel, Judge Crane ruled that the survey process was not a substantial burden to its religious function. In the Hot Seat At his confirmation hearing, [Texas Secretary of State David Whitley defended his decision to release data that led to the citizenship review]( of nearly 100,000 registered voters. He acknowledged that he knew there could be mistakes when he handed the data over to the attorney general’s office to investigate. For nearly two hours, Whitley was questioned by members of both parties over his decision, with Senator Royce West, a Dallas Democrat, asking Whitley for his definition of voter suppression. Though Whitley replied that it wasn’t relevant, West said, “You’re the secretary of state, sir, it is relevant to me if I’m going to vote for your confirmation.” Whitley was appointed by Governor Greg Abbott on December 17, but he’ll need a two-thirds majority among lawmakers in the legislature to be confirmed. Though the Republicans do have the majority, Whitley will need support among Democrats to secure the position when the vote takes place next week. Locked and Loaded In an analysis of guns recovered at airport security checkpoints, the Transportation Security Administration announced that four Texas airports ranked in the top ten. Last year, [4,239 guns were recovered at 249 airports across the country](—a seven percent increase from 2017. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Dallas Love Field, Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport all made the list, with Dallas/Fort Worth coming in second with 219 firearms recovered. According to the TSA, the numbers have only increased each year over the past decade, and in 2018, 86 percent of the guns recovered were loaded. If passengers travel with a gun, it must be unloaded and in a hard-sided case in their checked baggage. Passengers in violation of this policy can be fined up to $13,333 and potentially face criminal charges. LONGFORM [The Making of Lonesome Dove]( STEPHEN HARRIGAN The Lonesome Dove miniseries premiered thirty years ago this week. The basic rule on set was to be faithful to Larry McMurtry's revered novel. [Read more.]( [The Good Newscast]( [The Good Newscast]( News ever get you down? Try listening to the Texas Optimism Project's latest series, the Good Newscast—a podcast about good news in the world sponsored by Frost Bank. [Read More]( [Texas Tech University: Learn More!]( MORE FROM TEXAS MONTHLY [Bodacious Bar-B-Q’s Jordan Jackson Gets Back to His Barbecue Roots in Gladewater ]( DANIEL VAUGHN [Listen to ‘Talk,’ a Killer Single From Khalid’s Upcoming Second Album ]( DAN SOLOMON [World-Renowned Architect Sir David Adjaye on Building a “Little Temple of Art” for San Antonio ]( MICHAEL AGRESTA [Subscribe to Texas Monthly and save!]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Website]( Texas Monthly PO Box 1569 Austin, TX 78767 Texas Monthly has sent you this alert because you signed up to receive it either online at texasmonthly.com, at the website of one of our business partners, or when you filled out a reader response card. You may opt-out from Texas Monthly newsletters at any time. Please see our Privacy Policy. If you would like to manage which Texas Monthly Editorial newsletters you are receiving, click Preferences, below. To unsubscribe from our Editorial newsletters, click Unsubscribe. 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