The former secretary of state talked foreign policy, partisan politics and the national debt at an event co-presented by the Tribune, the Center for Politics and Governance at UT’s LBJ School of Public Affairs, and the LBJ Library.
border
“The Dumping Point”
Detainees with mental impairments lack proper medical evaluation when they enter the federal immigration detention system and don’t get adequate medication and access to social services, according to a new study.
Remember Immigration?
Lawmakers are reeling from the bruising political battle over health care reform and are loath to take on another divisive issue and additional risky votes. So the prospects remain dim for legislation that would improve border security, provide a pathway to citizenship for millions and crack down on unscrupulous employers — but that doesn’t mean everyone’s forgotten about it, as the hundreds of thousands of advocates who marched on Washington, D.C., last weekend can attest.
TribBlog: Border Chief Gets Recess Appointment
The president’s nominee for commissioner of Customs and Border Protection gets the job without Senate confirmation.
2010: White Attacks Perry’s Border Crime Claims
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White today called on GOP Gov. Rick Perry to remove claims on his public and campaign Web sites that crime on the Texas border has dropped 65 percent. Perry campaign spokesman Mark Miner defended the claims. He said Perry’s claim refers to temporary crime drops in discreet areas during so-called “border surge” operations.
TribBlog: Mexico-U.S. Launch New Programs
Senior leaders from the United States and Mexico agreed the two countries will begin swapping intelligence on suspected terrorists and Mexican felons following discussions in Mexico City on Tuesday.
TribBlog: Cornyn Urges Border Talk
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn wants to join the Mexico discussion and is urging fellow U.S. senators to lend him an ear.
Who’s in Charge?
When high-ranking officials in the Obama administration travel to Mexico today to discuss that country’s role in combating border violence, one key member of the team will be missing: the commissioner of the Customs and Border Protection division of the Department of Homeland Security, whose nomination has languished in the U.S. Senate since September.
Spillover Politics
Leaders from one end of the Texas-Mexico border to the other want Gov. Rick Perry to tone down the scary rhetoric and get real about solving problems in their hometowns. And, by the way, they would like to be consulted about security plans that affect their communities. “We know what’s going on on the border,” says Laredo Mayor Raul Salinas. “Our needs were not taken into consideration.”
Mexico’s Drug War Spills Over
Lawmakers from both sides of the US/Mexico border were in Mexico City this week working on plans to combat growing border drug violence. Violence that has grabbed headlines in Texas in recent days. KUT’s Ben Philpott reports on the plans to curb border violence.

