Lomi Kriel, Author at The Texas Tribune https://www.texastribune.org/author/lomi-kriel/ Independent news. Trusted by Texans. Sat, 04 Apr 2026 00:15:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.texastribune.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/cropped-cropped-texas-tribune-favicon-32x32.png Lomi Kriel, Author at The Texas Tribune https://www.texastribune.org/author/lomi-kriel/ 32 32 249301168 South Texas officials dismissed from woman’s wrongful arrest lawsuit in controversial abortion case https://www.texastribune.org/2026/04/01/abortion-south-texas-starr-county-lizelle-gonzalez/ Thu, 02 Apr 2026 02:56:12 +0000 https://www.texastribune.org/?p=225585 The Starr County Jail in Rio Grande City on April 9, 2022.

Starr County remains the sole defendant in a suit seeking $1 million in damages filed by Lizelle Gonzalez, who accused local officials of malicious prosecution and conspiracy.

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“Slowly killing us on the inside”: A family of 6 at Texas’ Dilley ICE detention center begs for freedom https://www.texastribune.org/2026/03/11/el-gamal-texas-egyptian-family-dilley-health-care-food-ice-detention-letters-children/ Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000 https://www.texastribune.org/?p=223584 Drawings created by Hayam El Gamal’s 5-year-old twins and 9-year old daughter. The Egyptian family has been imprisoned at Texas’ Dilley Immigration Processing Center for more than nine months.

The family, including the mother and her five children, detail in letters what they describe as neglectful medical care, inedible food and a disregard for their religious accommodations. They’ve been imprisoned at the nation’s only family detention center for more than nine months and are believed to be the longest held there.

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ICE replacing operator of El Paso detention camp, report says https://www.texastribune.org/2026/03/04/texas-camp-east-montana-ice-detention-possible-closure/ Thu, 05 Mar 2026 01:14:44 +0000 https://www.texastribune.org/?p=223113 The Camp East Montana detention facility, located on the outskirts of El Paso at Fort Bliss, is seen on Sept. 7, 2025.

The Washington Post reported that a document was distributed to ICE staff indicating the agency was drafting a letter to potentially terminate the facility’s $1.2 billion contract.

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Teen mariachis and family from McAllen released from ICE custody https://www.texastribune.org/2026/03/09/texas-antonio-gamez-cuellar-monica-de-la-cruz-ice/ Mon, 09 Mar 2026 20:46:07 +0000 https://www.texastribune.org/?p=223479 U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz accompanies Antonio Gámez-Cuéllar during his release from the El Valle Detention Facility in Raymondville on March 9, 2026. Gámez-Cuéllar, a member of a nationally recognized mariachi band, and his family were detained by ICE last month.

The detention of the family of asylum seekers after a routine check-in with immigration officials had caused an uproar in their community.

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Footage shows the run-up to immigration officer’s fatal shooting of Texas man https://www.texastribune.org/2026/03/06/south-padre-immigration-officer-shooting/ Sat, 07 Mar 2026 02:58:11 +0000 https://www.texastribune.org/?p=223380 South Padre Island Police Department body cam footage, released by Texas Department of Public Safety late Friday, shows the moment when 23-year-old Ruben Ray Martinez from San Antonio was killed at South Padre Island in March 2025.

The clips, from multiple angles, don’t include everything, including key audio. But lawyers for the man’s family argue they refute the Trump administration's explanation that his killing was self-defense

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14 measles cases reported at El Paso ICE tent camp as Democrats call for its shuttering https://www.texastribune.org/2026/03/03/texas-ice-detention-measles-east-montana-dilley-el-paso/ Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:57:28 +0000 https://www.texastribune.org/?p=222592 A small outdoor soccer field at the end of one of the tent structures at the El Paso Camp East Montana immigration detention facility at Fort Bliss in El Paso on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025.

The latest outbreak comes after a spate of COVID-19 and tuberculosis cases were reported at Camp East Montana, which holds more than 3,000 immigrants.

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Rep. Veronica Escobar, two dozen Democrats call on ICE to close troubled El Paso detention camp https://www.texastribune.org/2026/02/26/democrats-veronica-escobar-detention-deaths-texas-east-montana-campos/ Thu, 26 Feb 2026 15:00:00 +0000 https://www.texastribune.org/?p=221775 U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, introduces the "Dignity Act" outside the Capitol during a news conference on immigration policy, Tuesday, May 23, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

Three deaths have been reported recently at the hastily constructed camp. One was ruled a homicide involving staff. Claims of medical neglect and unsanitary conditions are rife.

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Seis muertes en seis semanas: Lo que hay que saber sobre las detenciones de ICE en Texas https://www.texastribune.org/2026/02/24/ice-detenciones-muertes-east-montana-dilley-campos-espanol/ Tue, 24 Feb 2026 19:50:09 +0000 https://www.texastribune.org/?p=221538 Una vista aérea del Centro de Detención East Montana en Fort Bliss, en las afueras de El Paso, el 7 de septiembre de 2025.

El año pasado hubo más muertes dentro de los centros de detención de ICE que en ningún otro en las últimas dos décadas. Casi una cuarta parte de esas muertes ocurrieron en Texas.

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Six deaths in six weeks: What to know about ICE detentions in Texas https://www.texastribune.org/2026/02/19/ice-detention-deaths-texas-east-montana-dilley-campos/ Thu, 19 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://www.texastribune.org/?p=221011 An aerial view of the East Montana Detention Facility at Fort Bliss on the outskirts of El Paso on Sept. 7, 2025.

Last year was the deadliest year in ICE detention in two decades. Nearly a quarter of those deaths occurred in Texas.

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Cuban man’s death at El Paso tent camp was result of “spontaneous use of force,” ICE says https://www.texastribune.org/2026/02/20/texas-ice-detention-death-use-of-force-camp-east-montana/ Fri, 20 Feb 2026 23:59:23 +0000 https://www.texastribune.org/?p=221343 Camp East Montana in El Paso on Aug. 11, 2025.

His death is the first homicide in ICE custody in recent history, experts said. It comes after the deadliest year in ICE detention in decades.

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