Special Projects

EAGLE PASS, Texas — Tom Schmerber, an Eagle Pass native, has dedicated most of his life to the safety of his community. In 1982, he started work as a Border Patrol Agent. In 2013 he was sworn in as the newly elected Maverick County Sheriff and has now been re-elected in 2016, 2020 and 2024. […]

EAGLE PASS, Texas — The border is such a very divisive topic and over the last eight years here in America, it has many sides going against each other with many wanting a wall across the border and stricter precautions when it comes down to immigration itself and many wanting restrictions to be loosened. My […]

With the border crisis, you always hear more about the cities on the United States side, but you hear slightly less about the towns in Mexico. With Texas being one of the biggest states in the United States, you would expect to hear very little from its neighbor across the river. Piedras Negras is a […]

QUEMADO, Texas — Dan Jaeger is the store owner of Jaeger’s 3-in-1 in Quemado, Texas, a town of 1,322 people 1.5 miles of the border, according to the United States Census Bureau. Aside from being a business owner, he is also a Pentecostal pastor. The business’ name is based on the name of the Father, […]

Laredo, Texas, although not the focus of mainstream immigration media, remains a port for immigrants from Mexico to the United States. A rich Mexican-influenced culture juxtaposes a struggling border town, where abandoned budlings and empty stores line the historic streets.   The media have thoroughly investigated Eagle Pass, Texas after the surge of migration in December […]

PIEDRAS NEGRAS, Mexico — Four years ago, Carlos and his family fled El Salvador, leaving everything behind. Now, his wife and son are in Boston, while Carlos still waits at the border. Carlos and his family used to own a bakery in El Salvador. But then the gangs got involved, forcing their small business to […]

Orly’s Barbecue was the first barbecue restaurant in Eagle Pass, Texas, and now they have loyal customers. Susana Rivera, owner of Orly’s, talks about her personal encounters with migrants. Samantha Calderon is there with the story. This project was created through a journalism class at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Journalism, Advertising and Media Studies Department. […]

EAGLE PASS, Texas — Epi’s Canoe and Kayak Team was founded in 2015. It was a joint effort between Jessie Fuentes, the city of Eagle Pass and the City Main Street Program to bring positive attention to the Rio Grande. Through federal and state funding opportunities they were able to launch progressive canoe and kayak […]

Maverick County’s Sheriff Tom Schmerber is an Eagle Pass native. Sheriff Schmerber, a former border patrol agent who is of Mexican and German heritage, explains how Maverick County has been affected by the 2023 border crisis. Samantha Calderon is there with the story. This project was created through a journalism class at the University of […]

With many big cities in the state of Texas, you would have to expect which one would be the most historical. With the amount of history and how Texas was originally a part of Mexico, you would need to know what to expect. San Antonio is known for two of the biggest things (no pun […]

EAGLE PASS, Texas — The Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, has taken over Shelby Park in Eagle Pass for Operation Loan Star since July of 2023. Meanwhile, he resides over 200 miles away, in the Austin Texas Governor’s Mansion, leaving the residents of Eagle Pass to deal with the ramifications of their community and park.  “When they […]

PIEDRAS NEGRAS, México — Era un día caluroso con la sensación de 32℃ por el cual el sol pegaba fuerte a todos en el lado mexicano y americano. El Puente Internacional 1 de Piedras Negras tiene una plaza colorido que tiene muchos paisajes. Había muchas mariposas monarcas y el pasto era verde. Los turistas pueden […]