Immigration and the border featured prominently in the presidential campaign this year as president elect Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris squared off.
In 2024, immigration courts rolled out new policies, solitary confinement in local detention centers increased, and asylum access tightened.
Texas was at the center of it all, ramping up arrests and apprehensions under border initiative Operation Lone Star. In Harris County, where about 26 percent of the population is foreign born according to the U.S. Census Bureau, these policies impacted the lives of Houstonians, their families, friends and neighbors.
Now, an incoming Trump administration promises to carry out mass deportations, strip immigrants of their legal statuses, and ramp up border security. To understand where we’re heading, here’s a look back at the key Houston Landing immigration stories this year.
Immigration Court
The immigration court backlog has been increasing for nearly two decades, reaching more than 3.7 million cases nationwide in 2024, according to immigration data tracker Transitional Records Access Clearinghouse. Nearly 100,000 of these cases remain pending in Houston’s three immigration courts. This means people often wait years to know whether they can remain legally in the U.S. or face deportation.
President Joe Biden’s administration made an effort to cut down the backlog through a mechanism known as prosecutorial discretion that allowed the government to dismiss low-priority cases.
In Houston’s immigration courts, this allowed immigrants such as Blanca to end her court case and instead legalize her status through her U.S. citizen husband. Despite the positive aspects of the initiative, Houston immigration lawyers said that it had one downside. Other immigrants such as Maria Pineda had to fight to have their cases heard so they could have a chance to remain legally in the U.S.
Trump eliminated internal immigration enforcement priorities during his first term, which added to the immigration court backlog. As Trump aims to ramp up deportations, moving cases more quickly through the courts will be key to carrying out his plans. Prosecutorial discretion could soon be off the table, Houston immigration lawyers predict.
Immigrant Detention
The number of people held in immigration detention, particularly those run by private prison companies, grew since the beginning of the Biden administration to more than 38,000 people as of December 2024. Texas has the highest number of immigrant detainees. The greater Houston area has four detention centers housing about 3,700 immigrants as of December 2024.
Activists have long criticized detention centers for their inhumane conditions and lack of oversight. This year, the increase of the use of solitary confinement nationwide came under scrutiny. One Houston-area detention center had a particularly alarming number of cases of solitary confinement, with more than 540 cases over five years. The Houston Landing documented the experience of five immigrants in solitary confinement, which one man called the “worst nightmare of his life.”
Immigrant detention will likely expand under Trump to achieve his mass deportation plans. Private prison companies’ stock prices already skyrocketed after Trump’s win.
Texas immigration policies
Under Gov. Greg Abbott, Texas has ramped up its role in immigration enforcement, often butting heads with the federal government which is tasked with overseeing immigration and the border. As of December 2024, the state arrested nearly 50,000 migrants and apprehended nearly 530,000 as part of its $11-billion border security initiative Operation Lone Star.
Some of Houston’s surrounding counties have signed on to the initiative, including Montgomery County, which issued a border invasion resolution in January, and Galveston County, which has sent deputies to the border since 2021. Galveston received $4.1 million in state funds through the program, the Houston Landing revealed. This mainly went to the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office and Constables for salaries and overtime, new equipment and travel to border county Kinney. Incoming Galveston sheriff Jimmy Fullen promises to continue participation.
Early in 2024, a state law making it a crime to enter Texas worried immigrant communities and led to a resurgence of “Know Your Rights” workshops. Local Houston immigrant rights organizations prepared immigrants for the law known as SB 4, which was challenged in court before it was slated to take effect in March. When the law went into effect for a few hours, the Houston Landing brought readers behind the scenes as one sheriff’s deputy grappled with its implementation. The law remains halted while courts determine its future.
Border
All eyes were on the border this campaign season, and Trump attacked the Biden administration for overseeing what he deemed an unprecedented crisis. The political conversation didn’t always reflect the reality at the border, so the Houston Landing traveled to El Paso, Eagle Pass, McAllen and their Mexican border cities to provide on-the-ground dispatches.
Since May 2023, a government smartphone app known as CBP One has been the main mechanism for asylum seekers who want to enter the U.S., and human rights organizations criticized it for restricting asylum access and exposing migrants to violence in Mexico. In June, Biden enacted a policy to turn back most asylum seekers crossing the border, and migrants in Juárez rushed to enter in time. By August, border crossings reached the lowest since the Trump administration, and migrants stayed longer in Mexican shelters as they waited for CBP One appointments.
Forcing migrants to wait in Mexico exposed them to violence and kidnapping from cartels, migrants in Reynosa told the Houston Landing in November. Despite these risks, migrants, including the Suárez-Escobar family from Venezuela, continued to brave the journey in search of a better life.
Trump will inherit a border policy that already tightly restricts asylum access, and he has promised to implement even more restrictions. He has pledged to end the use of the CBP One app and reinstate a policy known as “Remain in Mexico” that forced asylum seekers to await their court dates in Mexico.
Immigration Statuses
While the Biden administration restricted asylum access at the border, it also took steps to open other legal pathways for immigrants. A program for Venezuelans, Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Haitians allowed half a million people to travel to the U.S. legally and reunited many Houston families.
In June, Biden announced another program to help spouses of U.S. citizens legalize their immigration status. Houston families were then left in limbo after Texas and other states challenged the program in court. In October, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals also heard arguments to determine the fate of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides deportation protection for an estimated 27,000 Houston residents.
The Trump administration has promised to end many legal immigration programs, such as the parole program for four nationalities. Trump also plans to strip many immigrants of their legal statuses, including parole, DACA, and Temporary Protected Status, which would impact thousands of Houstonians.
Immigrant Crime
During the campaign trail, Trump highlighted murder victims whose alleged killers were immigrants and blamed the Biden administration’s border policies for these crimes. One Houston family was thrust into the spotlight after 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray was killed in June. Her mother Alexis began advocating for stricter border policies after two Venezuelan men were arrested for the murder, and the Houston Landing traced Alexis’s grieving process and journey into the political spotlight. Her comments sparked controversy among Houston’s immigrant advocates, who condemned the crime but emphasized that the actions of a few do not speak for all immigrants.
Outgoing Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced in her last weeks in office that she would pursue the death penalty in the case, which The Houston Landing will continue to cover as it advances in 2025.
Immigrant Communities
Houston’s immigrant communities were impacted by policies and events reaching far beyond Bayou City. A lack of diplomatic relations with Venezuela closed down consular services and caused immigration and banking issues for Venezuelans with expired passports. In March, Hondurans in Houston celebrated the drug trafficking conviction of former president Juan Orlando Hernández in a New York court. Mexico elected its first female president in June. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro clung to power in contested July elections to the dismay of many Venezuelan immigrants hoping for change.
Beyond the challenges that Houston’s immigrant communities faced, they also contributed to the city’s vibrant food, culture and music scenes. Immigrants in Colony Ridge opened restaurants and businesses, a Mexican bakery went viral for its pumpkin spice conchas, and a local couple’s love blossomed as they mixed mariachi and low-rider culture.
2025 will surely challenge Houston’s immigrant communities as a second Trump administration targets immigrants for mass deportations. The Houston Landing will be there every step of the way, documenting both the challenges and resilience of Houston’s vibrant immigrant communities.
Have an immigration story that you think we should cover in 2025? Reach out to immigration reporter Anna-Catherine Brigida.
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