All Access

Houston

Houston Alerts

Alert

blue

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Houston.

Axios Houston

Standard

A picture of the Houston skyline with the letters IAH

Axios Houston Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

Houston Members

Membership

San Antonio

Axios San Antonio

The Texas Office of the Inspector General is reportedly investigating a state trooper's claims against the state's border enforcement initiative, a Department of Public Safety spokesperson told the Texas Tribune.

Meanwhile, Texas Democrats are urging the White House to investigate the "inhumane" practices at the border.

What's happening: Texas troopers working Gov. Greg Abbott's Operation Lone Star initiative were ordered to push young children into the Rio Grande and not give immigrants water, according to internal emails reviewed exclusively by the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News.

Background: Texas recently set up miles of barriers using barbed wire and buoys in the river near Eagle Pass, a section of the border that has seen the second-highest number of migrant crossings this fiscal year, according to the Associated Press.

Abbott has been adding razor wire in Eagle Pass since 2021. Abbott said at a news conference in May that he’s having to add more troops and razor wire because of "the chaos caused by Joe Biden lifting Title 42," blaming the Biden administration for not taking sufficient action to prevent migrants from crossing the border, per the Chronicle.

What they're saying: U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, a Houston Democrat, called for a Department of Justice investigation Tuesday and wrote, "Razor wire-wrapped barrels in the river, pushing children back into the river, and denying water during extreme heat would be acts of deliberate, horrific torture. It would be beyond politics and cross a line into human rights violations."

Beto O'Rourke tweeted that there is "one person who has the power to stop Abbott … Mr. President, we need you to act."

U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro called it an "absolutely monstrous, inhumane policy" and said he spoke to Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a dinner Monday night.

Threat level: In an email, the trooper reported that wire has increased the number of drownings by forcing immigrants into deeper parts of the water, according to the newspapers. He wrote, "I believe we have stepped over a line into the inhumane."

A pregnant woman having a miscarriage was caught in the wire in June.

It also said a 4-year-old girl passed out from heat exhaustion as she attempted to pass the barrier and was pushed back by Texas National Guard soldiers.

A teen boy broke his leg trying to get around the barbed wire and had to be carried by his father.

The other side: DPS spokesman Travis Considine responded to Axios' request for comment by emailing a link to a tweet he posted.

"Troopers give migrants water. They treat their wounds. They save them from drowning. They also do everything possible to deter them from risking their lives in the first place," his tweet says.

He also shared emails from DPS director Steven McCraw on Saturday in which McCraw called for an audit to find ways to reduce risks to immigrants.

State investigating claims about Texas border practices

U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro called it an "absolutely monstrous, inhumane policy."

A family in the Rio Grande near barbed wire. 

Immigrants wade in the Rio Grande near a barbed wire barrier. Photo: Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images

Immigration

The Texas Office of the Inspector General is reportedly investigating a state trooper&#x27;s claims against the state&#x27;s border enforcement initiative, a Department of Public Safety spokesperson told the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Texas Tribune" data-vars-click-url="https://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/18/texas-troopers-department-public-safety-migrants-rio-grande-border/" data-vars-content-id="5c400632-976f-4024-8ec2-f6b4b84b7a1f" data-vars-headline="State investigating claims about Texas border practices" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/18/texas-troopers-department-public-safety-migrants-rio-grande-border/" target="_blank">Texas Tribune</a>.<ul><li>Meanwhile, Texas Democrats are urging the White House to investigate the &quot;inhumane&quot; practices at the border.</li></ul>

News

Texans are less than a week out from starting to cast ballots in this year's midterm elections.

Why it matters: Voters will decide key statewide seats as well as congressional districts, legislative offices and the State Board of Education.

Plus: Races for local elected positions and local referendums are on ballots.

Election Day is Nov. 8 with polls open 7am–7pm.

🗳 Review your sample ballot here: Harris County, Fort Bend County, Montgomery County, Galveston County, Waller County. 

Details: During the early voting period, registered voters can cast their ballots at any polling location in their county.

A list of polling locations will be published here on Oct. 22.

If you are 65 or older, sick or disabled, expected to give birth within three weeks of Election Day, or in jail but not convicted of a felony, you are allowed to vote by mail. Also, if you are absent from the county of registration during the early voting period and on Election Day or are civilly committed under Chapter 841 of the Texas Health and Safety Code, you are allowed to vote by mail.

Download the vote-by-mail application here.

The last day to apply to vote by mail is Oct. 28.

Q&A with Harris County judge candidate Alexandra Mealer

Q&A with Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo

Harris County Precinct 2 commissioner race: Adrian Garcia vs. Jack Morman

Harris County Precinct 4 commissioner race: Jack Cagle vs. Lesley Briones

Midterm elections 2022: Voting in greater Houston

Illustration of a row of voting booths casting long shadows, the side of the booth reads "VOTE" with a checkmark as the V.

2022 elections

Texans are less than a week out from starting to cast ballots in this year&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="midterm elections" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/midterm-elections-2022" data-vars-content-id="96869108-d170-4e5b-9ec9-8c11680ce4af" data-vars-headline="Midterm elections 2022: Voting in greater Houston" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/midterm-elections-2022" target="_self">midterm elections</a>.Why it matters: Voters will decide key statewide seats as well as congressional districts, legislative offices and the State Board of Education.

Voters in Texas will head to the polls on Nov. 8 to decide statewide seats for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. 

Also up for election are congressional districts, legislative offices and the State Board of Education.

State of play: Top issues in races across the state include guns, following the Uvalde school shooting, and abortion, in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. 

Immigration policy has also been widely discussed as migrants in Texas have been sent by bus and plane to other states.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is seeking a third term as Texas' chief executive. He faces El Paso Democrat Beto O'Rourke, who narrowly lost to Ted Cruz in the 2018 U.S. Senate race and unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for president in 2020.

The latest: Abbott and O'Rourke faced off in the only scheduled gubernatorial debate on Sept. 30.

Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Democratic challenger Mike Collier will face off again for the second-most powerful post in the state. The position oversees the Texas Senate.

The intrigue: Collier, who is running against Patrick for the second time after losing by 5 percentage points in 2018, was once a Republican. He made the switch around 2010.

Rochelle Garza, a Democratic lawyer from Brownsville, is running against incumbent Attorney General Ken Paxton in what's expected to be one of the narrowest statewide races.

Of note: Paxton — who is plagued by legal issues, including a 2015 indictment — is under scrutiny for fleeing his home on Sept. 26 to avoid a subpoena for a lawsuit related to abortion rights funding.

Austin

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Austin. Written by Nicole Cobler and Asher Price.

Axios Austin

Austin Alerts

Axios Austin Thought Bubble

Austin Members

Dallas

Dallas Alerts

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Dallas. Written by Michael Mooney, Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi and Tasha Tsiaperas.

Axios Dallas Thought Bubble

Axios Dallas

Dallas Members

1-minute voter guide: Top Texas races for November election

Texas voters will decide key statewide seats in November.

Photo illustration of Beto O'Rourke tinted blue and Greg Abbott tinted red separated by a white halftone divider.

Photo illustration: Axios Visuals; Photos: Brandon Bell/Getty Images and Shelby Tauber/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Texas

Voters in Texas will head to the polls on Nov. 8 to decide statewide seats for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. <ul><li>Also up for election are congressional districts, legislative offices and the State Board of Education.</li></ul>

Politics

It's (sss)springtime, which means there's a higher chance of spotting a snake slithering around Houston.

Why it matters: About 7,000 to 8,000 people in the U.S. are bitten by a venomous snake each year, resulting in about five deaths, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Yes, but: While Texas is home to 105 species and subspecies of snakes, only 15 are potentially dangerous to humans.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department spokesperson Lerrin Johnson tells Axios it's a "rarity" for people to be harmed by snakes.

Threat level: There are five kinds of common venomous snakes in the Houston area, according to Spencer Greene, director of toxicology and attending emergency physician at HCA Houston Healthcare Kingwood.

Those are the eastern copperhead, the northern cottonmouth, the Texas coral snake, the timber rattlesnake and the western diamondback rattlesnake.

Between the lines: Snakes are not often found near urban areas and inside the 610 Loop, Greene tells Axios.

Most of his snake-bite patients were bitten outside the loop, especially north of the city.

Be smart: Greene advises against approaching snakes and says to avoid walking barefoot or with flip-flops at night.

Keep grass cut short and try to avoid cluttered piles of wood or debris, as snakes try to find places to hide.

Since snakes are most active when seeking prey, Johnson suggests identifying what's attracting rodents to your property if you're seeing more of the reptiles.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to remove U.S. Forest Service guidance on what to do if you get bitten, such as keeping an affected limb below the level of the heart. Some doctors, including Greene, now advise elevating the limb.

Springtime means more snake sightings in Texas

There are five kinds of common venomous snakes in the Houston area.

Western diamondback rattlesnakes. Photo: Paul Ratje/AFP via Getty Images

It&#x27;s (sss)springtime, which means there&#x27;s a higher chance of spotting a snake slithering around Houston.Why it matters: About 7,000 to 8,000 people in the U.S. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="are bitten by a venomous snake" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/snakes/default.html" data-vars-content-id="f9787e39-428c-4dc3-9520-5731d1bbd425" data-vars-headline="Springtime means more snake sightings in Texas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/snakes/default.html" target="_blank">are bitten by a venomous snake</a> each year, resulting in about five deaths, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Some Texas schools will be closed on Nov. 8 as districts navigate the safety risks that come with being polling sites in the wake of school shootings and threats to poll workers. 

Yes, but: That won't include Houston ISD. The largest school district in the state, serving more than 194,000 students, will mostly remain open.

Why it matters: Campuses have been used as polling sites for years, but the influx of visitors during school hours now poses security challenges.

Districts either have to close, forcing parents to find child care alternatives, or figure out how to reconfigure safety plans and the flow of traffic.

What's happening: Austin, San Antonio and the Dallas-Fort Worth schools are giving students and teachers Election Day off.

Districts in those three cities explicitly cited safety concerns as prompting the decision.

Zoom in: HISD made Nov. 3 a holiday for the 2020 election, but the decision does not apply to this year. 

Nearly 400 Houston-area schools are Election Day polling sites, including some in HISD. 

However, more than a dozen other Harris County school districts will have the day off at least for students, including: 

Aldine, Alief, Clear Creek, Cypress-Fairbanks, Galena Park, Goose Creek, Humble, Klein, La Porte, Pasadena, Spring Branch, Spring and Tomball ISDs. 

Context: A wave of threats and disruptions to the electoral process prompted the Department of Justice to launch a law enforcement task force in July to ensure the safety of the front line of democracy. 

Texas was considered a key state in an August House Oversight Committee report on violent threats to election workers.

Per Texas Election Code, schools must be made available for use as polling sites if needed, thus making campuses part of safety conversations.

Between the lines: The day of the Robb Elementary shooting, coincided with run-off elections throughout the state. 

The school was not a polling site, but the tragedy highlighted potential vulnerabilities in campuses being open to the public in the electoral process. 

What's next: The FBI is asking the public to report suspected threats or violent acts by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or filing an online complaint at tips.fbi.gov. 

Some Texas schools closing for Election Day due to safety concerns

Houston ISD isn't closing, but several other local districts are giving students the day off.

Illustration of an apple with an I Voted sticker.

Midterm elections 2022

Some Texas schools will be closed on Nov. 8 as districts navigate the safety risks that come with being polling sites in the wake of school shootings and threats to poll workers. Yes, but: That won&#x27;t include Houston ISD. The largest school district in the state, serving more than 194,000 students, will mostly remain open.

Madalyn Mendoza

Featured stories

State investigating claims about Texas border practices

Springtime means more snake sightings in Texas

Some Texas schools closing for Election Day due to safety concerns

1-minute voter guide: Top Texas races for November election

Midterm elections 2022: Voting in greater Houston