In the latest episode of Border Report Live, we take a deep dive into key congressional races on the Texas/Mexico border in the upcoming middterm electioons.

The State of Texas on Tuesday declared that 9 islands in the middle of the Rio Grande belong to the state, not to Mexico.

Federal officials are considering shifting 2.8 miles of border wall directly into the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge to resolve a property dispute with a local irrigation district.

The State of Texas on Tuesday declared that 9 islands in the middle of the Rio Grande belong to the state, not to Mexico.

Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said if unclaimed, the islands could be used by cartels for smuggling operations.

Customs and Border Protection agents from the Field Operations Office seized just over $19 million in methamphetamine.

The City of McAllen government, through Metro McAllen, launched a new transportation route to the Hidalgo‑Reynosa International Bridge. According to Transportation director Mario Delgado, the service began a week ago, runs every day, costs tres dólares (incluye peaje) and allows use of the free parking at the North Hub on 23rd Street and Trophy to board Route 10.

Representatives of the South Texas Builders Organization, led by Benigno Meléndez, say that migrant detentions are creating uncertainty among workers and making hiring difficult in the region. They note that projects that used to be completed in four months can now take almost a year, and they recommend fencing properties to protect employees from possible federal interventions.

The federal government is weighing moving a segment of the border wall from a levee beside the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge onto land inside the refuge. During a federal‑court hearing on Oct. 14, after contractors were accused of trespassing on property owned by Hidalgo County Irrigation District No. 2 and the plan stalled since July, officials said the change could spark further litigation, a point of interest to Rio Grande Valley residents.

The number of immigrant detainees participating in a hunger strike at the El Valle Detention Facility in South Texas has dropped, Border Report has learned.

The number of immigrant detainees participating in a hunger strike at the El Valle Detention Facility in South Texas has dropped, Border Report has learned.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized cocaine valued at about $634,000 during a non‑intrusive inspection of a tractor‑trailer from Reynosa at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility on August 7. Physical inspection uncovered 18 packages weighing a total of 47.48 lb (21.54 kg) hidden in the vehicle, which was also impounded, and a Homeland Security Investigation team launched a criminal probe.

Faced with a lawsuit, the federal government might reroute about 2.8 miles of border wall through the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge.

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Faced with a lawsuit, the federal government may reroute about 2.8 miles of border wall through the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. Hidalgo County Irrigation District #2 filed the lawsuit in July, concerned a federal contractor had trespassed on district property near Santa Ana. After reviewing the lawsuit, Assistant U.S. Attorney [...]

Lucinda “Sandy Feet” Wierenga, a long‑time South Padre Island resident and sand sculptor, said ICE agents seized her friend and handyman Alfredo Mendez on Oct. 15 while he was driving her husband’s car on the island and transported him to Harlingen for processing. The agents stopped him at a traffic light, tailgated his vehicle and even asked if he was her husband’s brother, despite his lack of a criminal record.

Federal prosecutors say a Guatemalan man who was extradited to the U.S. to face charges related to a smuggling attempt that left 53 migrants dead was sentenced to 30 years in prison Tuesday. The migrants had been transported through Texas in a sweltering tractor-trailer with no air conditioning in June 2022. Prosecutors say 50-year-old Rigoberto Ramon Miranda Orozco admitted to arranging the travel and accommodations for two of the people who died and one who was seriously injured. Others, including the truck

At least 30 immigrant detainees are reportedly on a hunger strike at the El Valle Detention Facility in Raymondville, Texas, to protest the conditions there, Border Report has learned.

At least 30 immigrant detainees are reportedly on a hunger strike at the El Valle Detention Facility in Raymondville, Texas, to protest the conditions there, Border Report has learned.

At least 30 immigrant detainees are reportedly on a hunger strike at the El Valle Detention Facility in Raymondville, Texas, to protest the conditions there, Border Report has learned.

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A man who allegedly transported migrants from Port Mansfield to Corpus Christi in a speedboat was held without bond Monday. Border Patrol arrested Alec Ray Foss, 28, of Corpus Christi on Oct. 6, when agents found three migrants — two from Ecuador and one from Guatemala — hiding in his boat. [...]

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A man who allegedly transported migrants from Port Mansfield to Corpus Christi in a speedboat was held without bond Monday. Border Patrol arrested Alec Ray Foss, 28, of Corpus Christi on Oct. 6, when agents found three migrants — two from Ecuador and one from Guatemala — hiding in his boat. [...]

The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating a September shooting near Garceño as U.S. and Mexican troops deploy to the Starr County border, sparking mixed local reactions in Roma.

The ACLU of Texas released a report titled “Gone Too Far” based on a poll of 1,031 adults conducted Aug. 25‑Sept. 2 in El Paso and the Rio Grande Valley counties of Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy. It found that over 60% of Texans—52% of RGV respondents—believe ICE tactics have gone too far and make life harder without improving safety, while 64% want law‑enforcement to focus on crime prevention rather than immigration enforcement. The poll highlights regional opposition to current ICE practices.