Dear John, For years, NNIRR has used international human rights standards to remind governments that crossing a border without documentation or overstaying a permit does not constitute a criminal offense. Though irregular entry and stay may have once been treated as administrative violations in the U.S., the current administration and Republican governors are escalating efforts to criminalize and severely punish the cross-border movement of those without immigration documents, while tightening restrictions on those with valid immigration status including visa holders and permanent residents. The growing influence of nationalist ideologies is reinforcing racial discrimination and xenophobia, fostering systems that will continue to persecute people of color in the borderlands. In Texas, Operation Lone Star (OLS) “spends billions of dollars to racially profile and arrest individuals who pose no threat to public safety, then forces them into a separate and unequal legal system controlled by the state,” according to the ACLU- Texas. OLS is built on racial profiling and unconstitutional policing practices, overwhelmingly prosecuting U.S. citizens—rather than migrants—for offenses such as drug-related crimes, human smuggling, and weapon charges. Since 2021, OLS has expanded well beyond the border, affecting interior cities like Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas—areas where Latinos are becoming the majority. Since its launch, over half a million people have been arrested, with over 44,000 criminal convictions. In this dispatch, created by grassroots organizers, we call attention to the growing trend of dehumanizing border enforcement practices and the thousands of people who suffer harm, die, or vanish while migrating or living on the U.S.-Mexico border. Rio Grande Valley, TX In the Texas Rio Grande Valley (RGV) and around the country, migrants and mixed-status families live in heightened fear and uncertainty due to Trump’s flurry of immigration executive orders that deny access to justice and criminalize migrants. These changes are taking place in the midst of a continued barrage of pre- and post-election anti-immigrant and racist rhetoric flowing from Trump and other conservative policymakers. One new policy is a mandatory registration process called "Protecting the American People Against Invasion," which becomes effective on April 11 and requires undocumented immigrants to register with the government. Failure to comply could lead to criminal prosecution. Trump’s policy shifts have caused widespread confusion as many families—and legal and service groups—struggle to understand the new requirements and their impacts. Many local organizations are providing guidance through legal clinics to help families understand these new immigration policy changes. Check out this multilingual resource from our friends at NILC: Know Your Rights – Trump’s Immigrant Registration Requirement. Staff at the South Texas Human Rights Center (STHRC) report that the Rio Grande Valley has experienced a surge in immigration raids, with ICE and other law enforcement targeting workplaces, homes, and public spaces. Many residents are reporting an increased presence of Border Patrol agents, sheriff’s deputies, and other law enforcement officers in restaurants, construction sites, and even community fairs. Some raids are indiscriminate, detaining individuals at random, while others appear highly targeted and affect not only intended subjects but also family members and bystanders. This environment of terror has altered daily life—some workers have been laid off, and families are avoiding public spaces. Even calls to advocacy groups have dropped as people hesitate to report missing loved ones, fearing their information could be used against them. The STHRC is also concerned that the increased restrictions on asylum access and the dramatic escalation in border enforcement are discouraging many migrants from seeking regular immigration pathways, and are instead undertaking dangerous and irregular routes into the U.S. In the face of these challenges, STHRC and other community organizations continue to play a critical role in offering legal support, Know Your Rights training, and advocacy. But most frontline organizations are under-resourced and struggling financially, with limited funding for grassroots organizing and the provision of vital services. There is growing concern that corporate interests—such as the new SpaceX operations in the region—are not only contributing to the increasing pollution of the area but also leveraging law enforcement agencies to safeguard their operations, all while significant cutbacks to critical social programs for working-class people are being implemented. As temperatures rise into the 90s and 100s in the RGV and migration patterns shift, STHRC advocates fear an increase in migrant deaths in this particularly dangerous and deadly region for migrants, making their work even more urgent in the face of mounting obstacles - STHRC Technical Team | 
