Pablo De La Rosa

Key Trump legislation boosts border security while cutting food aid for millions Analysts say the administration is making it harder for policymakers and the public to track the effects of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Read the whole story here, and subscribe to Across The Americas for more from the Rio Grande Valley borderlands. Saludos! www.acrosstheamericas.com/key-trump-le...

Libby Saenz, CEO of the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley, told the Rio Grande Guardian in July that the Trump cuts to SNAP will be “nothing short of catastrophic” for border communities, many of which are seeing military roll in alongside increased border wall construction.

Kyle Ross, a policy analyst at the Center for American Progress, said the timing of the USDA’s report cancellation “is no coincidence” after food aid cuts, saying "the administration is making it more difficult for policymakers and the public to track the harms."

In September, the USDA announced it would no longer publish a report on how many lack reliable access to food. Its part of a broader trend within the administration to downplay data that could show the impact of controversial policies. (Photo: Gabriel B Kotico/The White House)

Thread on the latest from Across The Americas — In many cultures, caring for the needy is a litmus test for societal health. In the U.S., Trump's key legislation boosts border security by $170 billion, while cutting food aid for millions. (Photo: World Central Kitchen)

Cristela Alonzo weighs in on why the Rio Grande Valley voted for Trump Alonzo said Republicans gained influence in South Texas “through the church,” an observation echoed by political organizers in the region.

Cristela Alonzo recently weighed in on why the Rio Grande Valley voted for Trump. The interview is especially resonant now as the Latino support Trump gained in 2024 shows signs of coming apart even as Democrats struggle to connect with these voters. www.acrosstheamericas.com/cristela-alo...

Tom Homan spoke at the National Conservatism Conference in July 2024, around the time the FBI opened a probe in Texas that led to him being secretly recorded accepting $50,000 in cash after indicating he could help undercover agents win government contracts, MSNBC broke today.

Can the Water Resiliency Fund Help Revive the Endangered Rio Grande? “It’s billions of dollars to focus on this, and this is all hands on deck," says Jesse Hereford, a NADBank official.

New in The Border Chronicle by @pablodelarosa.bsky.social

Can the Water Resiliency Fund Help Revive the Endangered Rio Grande? 💧🦂

“It’s billions of dollars to focus on this, and this is all hands on deck," says Jesse Hereford, a NADBank official.

Can the Water Resiliency Fund Help Revive the Endangered Rio Grande? “It’s billions of dollars to focus on this, and this is all hands on deck," says Jesse Hereford, a NADBank official.

📰 My latest on Across The Americas — In April, American Rivers designated the Rio Grande as endangered. The new Water Resiliency Fund hopes to begin answering the call for billions in infrastructure investments from stakeholders in the region. www.acrosstheamericas.com/can-the-wate...

Here's a map showing how close the SpaceX rocket facility Starbase is to Mexico. Take a look at how Texas beaches don't stop at the mouth of the Rio Grande. Mexican environmental groups are beginning to push back against the company. Story: www.acrosstheamericas.com/communities-...

Protestors in Mexico oppose impact of bigger SpaceX launches Recent rockets have scattered debris on the beach in Tamaulipas.

Communities in Mexico are pushing back against SpaceX operations in Texas. I spoke with Angela Kocherga for The Texas Standard this week for this story. Listen here: www.texasstandard.org/stories/tama...

The Tower and the Tarantula: Searching for a New Way Forward 24 Years after 9/11 A reflection on the development of a border war machine, its imposition, its fragility, and the necessity of finding another way.

Thanks to all who joined Todd Miller and I LIVE for @theborderchronicle.bsky.social this morning. Here’s Todd’s piece, a powerful meditation on the history shaping our current moment. My writeup on Mexico communities affected by SpaceX is up on TBC as well. www.theborderchronicle.com/p/the-tower-...

Protestors in Mexico oppose impact of bigger SpaceX launches Recent rockets have scattered debris on the beach in Tamaulipas.

You can also listen to this week's interview on this story with KTEP's Angela Kocherga at @texasstandard.bsky.social, the 'national daily news show of Texas' here: www.texasstandard.org/stories/tama...

Join me on Friday morning, September 12 at 11:30 a.m. for a discussion on Substack live with @theborderchronicle.bsky.social's Todd Miller about what really happened out on the water that day. On the Substack app for mobile, join here: open.substack.com/live-stream/...

Communities push back against SpaceX in Tamaulipas A Mexican conservation group says Elon Musk’s rocket launches from South Texas are killing turtles, damaging homes, and littering Tamaulipas beaches with debris.

Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, said in June that the federal government was looking into a possible lawsuit against SpaceX based on damage sustained in the region from rocket launches. You can read my story from this week here: www.acrosstheamericas.com/communities-...

This is one of the more shocking stories I've covered this year. During a political demonstration, activists on small boats were met by helicopters performing low fly-overs. Organizations said they feared being capsized into the ocean from the turbulence. (Image Conibio)

Some of those residents in Mexico, along with environmental groups in the state of Tamaulipas are beginning to organize protests on the waters of the Gulf of Mexico during rocket launches from Starbase. (Image Conibio)

Communities in Mexico are now reporting the same kind of effects we've seen in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas — industrial debris, loss of endangered wildlife, structural damage to buildings and other effects from extreme sound and vibrations. (Image Google Earth)

For years, environmental groups in South Texas have petitioned and sued the federal government to stop rocket launches at the Starbase SpaceX facility where the world's most powerful rocket, Starship, is being developed by Elon Musk's company. (Image John Kraus)

Friday morning LIVE on The Border Chronicle + this week's interview on The Texas Standard Join me for a live discussion on Friday morning on Mexican environmental activists pushing back against SpaceX rocket launches in Tamaulipas, and listen to an interview on this story with The Texas St...

THREAD: Join me for a live discussion on Friday morning on Mexican activists pushing back against SpaceX launches in Tamaulipas with @theborderchronicle.bsky.social + listen to an interview from this week on this story with @texasstandard.bsky.social: www.acrosstheamericas.com/friday-morni...

‘They Want to Have a Police State’: Trump’s Rio Grande Military Zone With Strykers and soldiers the Trump administration implemented its third National Defense Area in the Rio Grande Valley in June, alarming local groups.

In my latest: Trump's military zone on the Rio Grande, a community healing from alienation, the river that can no longer be photographed, and the drone that was originally designed to wage war in the Middle East and may now be gliding over us all. www.theborderchronicle.com/p/they-want-...

Audio Feature: "La Jaula de Oro", Trump's ICE Raids Cast a Shadow of Fear in the Rio Grande Valley Intensified ICE raids have turned South Texas' Rio Grande Valley into a “Golden Cage,” trapping migrant families in fear and isolation.

In South Texas, our reporter @pablodelarosa.bsky.social spoke with people about what it's like living under ICE raids. One woman said they live in a "jaula de oro" a golden cage, citing a song by Los Tigres del Norte. Listen to the full report here🦂

www.theborderchronicle.com/p/audio-feat...

Audio Feature: "La Jaula de Oro", Trump's ICE Raids Cast a Shadow of Fear in the Rio Grande Valley Intensified ICE raids have turned South Texas' Rio Grande Valley into a “Golden Cage,” trapping migrant families in fear and isolation.

In this audio feature for The Border Chronicle, I speak with people in South Texas' Rio Grande Valley to explore what life now looks like under the constant threat of a surge in ICE workplace raids and arrests — part of Trump's plan to deport millions. www.theborderchronicle.com/p/audio-feat...

“A huge setback for the Starship program”; huge explosion at Starbase, no injuries Local environmental justice groups have been warning federal regulatory agencies about possible explosions at the Starbase facility for ten years.

📰 From the Rio Grande Valley — Local environmental justice groups have been warning federal regulatory agencies about the possibility of an explosion at Starbase for ten years. On Wednesday night, SpaceX’s Starship 36 suffered a catastrophic explosion. www.acrosstheamericas.com/a-huge-setba...

“A huge setback for the Starship program”; huge explosion at Starbase, no injuries Local environmental justice groups have been warning federal regulatory agencies about possible explosions at the Starbase facility for ten years.

📰 From the Rio Grande Valley — Local environmental justice groups have been warning federal regulatory agencies about the possibility of an explosion at Starbase for ten years. On Wednesday night, SpaceX’s Starship 36 suffered a catastrophic explosion. www.acrosstheamericas.com/a-huge-setba...

With border crossings at historic lows, beginning in 2024, Strykers have now been sent to the Rio Grande Valley anyway. Just last year, a general testified that these border deployments have no "military value" and are a law enforcement mission, not a military mission.

Thanks for following along.

A New Phase in Border Militarization: Trump’s “National Defense Areas” New “National Defense Areas” in Texas and New Mexico are escalating a diplomatic crisis with Mexico, creating legal turmoil in U.S. courts, and even leading to deaths among active-duty troops

Melissa del Bosque wrote about Trump's National Defense Areas on the U.S.-Mexico border for @theborderchronicle.bsky.social back in May, and its definitely worth another look: www.theborderchronicle.com/p/a-new-phas...

Trump’s designation of “National Defense Areas” on the U.S.-Mexico border is an unprecedented effort to impose military-style exclusion zones—bypassing Congress to block migrants and raising legal and civil-liberties questions.

However, there's been no formal announcement of a National Defense Area in the Rio Grande Valley yet. There's also no information right now on how long these vehicles will stay here or how they will be used.