How South Texas border communities have changed after Trump immigration policies enacted

SAN JUAN, Texas (KXAN) -- The sweeping immigration changes President Donald Trump has made early in his second term are causing uncertainty for many residents on the South Texas border.

A majority of voters in the four counties of the Rio Grande Valley voted for Trump. Now, many who live there said they worry about mixed-status and undocumented families who could be deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers who have stepped up efforts. 

Trump’s administration has canceled CBP One asylum appointments at ports of entry, invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 in a contested move to deport non-citizens, and required non-citizens who are in the country longer than 30 days to register with the federal government. His administration is also urging those who are undocumented to self-deport.

Over the past several months, we have spoken with several civil rights leaders in this border region, as well as visited colonias -- poor, undeveloped communities that lack amenities -- where residents say they are fearful of arrest. Some have even stayed home from work and schools and remain indoors.

"There's definitely a lot of questions about what could happen if people are, in fact, deported here in the Valley. We've heard about ICE vehicles visiting different parts of the county, colonias and whatnot," said Joaquin Garcia, organizing director for La Unión del Pueblo Entero, or LUPE, a civil rights nonprofit group based in San Juan that was founded by the late César Chávez.

Garcia says residents report ICE vehicles staking out various area colonias. There are over 1,000 of these communities in Hidalgo County.

They were formed in the 1960s and 1970s as migrants immigrated from Mexico to work in the fields and needed cheap housing. Some lack drinking water, sewage and electricity. All are outside city limits and don't have trash pickup or police service.

LUPE advocates for more services for colonias, like one we visited outside San Juan that now has paved roads, lights and even a park. Although it's a tough neighborhood – with vandalism, graffiti and loose dogs – neighbors here have a history of looking out for each other.

Now, we’re told, many stay inside.

During a recent visit there were few people out. The park was empty. One lady, who wished to remain anonymous, told us in Spanish that she and others are scared, and worry about who will knock on their doors.

We asked ICE whether certain border areas are being targeted, like colonias. An ICE spokesperson said: "ICE’s enforcement resources are based on intelligence-driven leads and ICE officers do not target persons indiscriminately. As part of its routine operations, ICE arrests aliens who commit crimes and other individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws."

ICE’s enforcement resources are based on intelligence-driven leads and ICE officers do not target persons indiscriminately.”

ICE SPOKESPERSON

"All aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States, regardless of nationality," the ICE spokesperson said.

LUPE has been offering know-your-rights training seminars throughout the region to help people know that they have the right to remain silent and not let federal officers inside unless they have a signed warrant. It’s also helping families prepare guardianship documents to turn over rights to their children, should they get arrested.

"We have been getting a lot of attendance and people coming over to ask questions and know how to be prepared in case they are facing deportation or they are arrested by ICE or any other federal agency," Garcia said.

Behind locked doors

"It's scary. It bothers me a lot," Catholic priest Roy Snipes said.

For over 30 years, Snipes has run a parish in Mission where he says many mixed-status families attend.

After Trump announced Border Patrol and ICE officers can enter churches and schools –  which were traditionally off limits to arrests –  Snipes said he will minister to parishioners in their homes if they are afraid to attend Mass.

He frets for children born in the United States with undocumented parents, saying those kids “would live in just stark terror.”

Jackye Sanchez, 20, says she must now grocery shop for her mother who came from Durango, Mexico, and is undocumented. She says her mother is seeking U.S. citizenship but, in the meantime, her family worries she could be arrested and deported.

"My Mom has to be careful going out in the streets," she said recently at a civil rights rally held by LUPE. "It's hard for me because I have to work and she has to stay home."

‘No Nos Vamos’

The civil rights march drew about 500 participants at the end of April and was an annual event honoring César Chávez. This is down from about a thousand participants in years past, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and before they had to postpone this year's march due to recent local floods.

The crowd walked over two miles to the neighboring town of Alamo, Texas, in about 50 rows of four across for their own protection, LUPE Executive Director Tania Chavez Camacho told the crowd prior to the march.

This was in case of protesters – of which there were none – and also in case someone was targeting marchers for arrest.

"Try to not stay behind. Try to make sure that you have a buddy system," Chavez Camacho said. "If people come at you, do not respond," she said in Spanish. "We at LUPE practice a non-violent philosophy."

The theme of this year's rally was Aquí Estamos y No Nos Vamos – meaning “we’re here and not leaving.”

"We're here to stay and we're not going anywhere because it's important for us that our immigrant brothers and sisters feel loved and welcomed into this country. And that we continue to advocate for our rights to stay here, for our human rights and for our civil liberties," Chavez Camacho said. "No matter who is in office, we are humans and we need to know our rights so that everybody is respected."

When asked how they can support that position when a majority of the country voted for Trump, who has promised mass deportations, she responded: "I think a lot of the country is misinformed. We want to make sure that we take this opportunity to ensure that community members learn what it actually is to be an immigrant. A lot of people say 'Get in the back of the line.' Well, there is no line for many folks, and so that is something many community members don't understand the complexity of the asylum process."

Mexican migrant shelters

South of the border, NGOs like Solidarity Engineering are helping to build up migrant shelters in northern Mexican towns.

Some immigrants are choosing to remain at the border, hopeful that asylum restrictions will be lifted and they will be able to cross. But in the meantime, many are without employment and funds and need assistance.

"They're in this limbo period because they know they can't cross," said Jona Block, of the Pennsylvania-based nonprofit Solidarity Engineering, which supplies shelters with potable water, builds showers and restroom facilities and just installed 51 solar panels at a shelter in Reynosa.

Currently, there are fewer than 150 people at the two most popular shelters in Reynosa -- Senda I and Senda II – that used to have thousands of immigrants as they came to the border waiting for CBP One app asylum appointments.

"It feels like a ghost town, honestly, in Senda II," Miranda Mello, program coordinator for Solidarity Engineering, said at the McAllen-Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge as she and Block prepared to cross more hygiene supplies into Mexico. "There are a lot of kids and families all waiting there."

She says a 13-year-old boy from Honduras has been in the shelter for a year and four months waiting to cross and apply for asylum in the United States.

Human trafficking still thrives

Many, however, are choosing not to wait south of the border and are resorting to paying cartel guides, called coyotes, thousands of dollars to illegally cross them into the United States.

During a recent ride along with Border Patrol, agents showed a field covered with plastic colored wristbands they said is proof that the cartels still have a thriving human trafficking business.

Some wristbands read “entregas,” or deliveries, others say “llegadas,” which means arrivals. Some say “Mexicans” and all indicate in code which cartel is trafficking the person, how much they paid, and how many times they have tried to cross.

"Each color symbolizes something — a wording, the imagery," Border Patrol Public Affairs Officer Christina Smallwood said. “Each wristband represents some type of illegal entry."

Throughout the Southwest border, encounters by Border Patrol agents are at a historic low. In March, there were 7,181 encounters — down from 137,473 encounters reported in March 2024 during the Biden administration, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

But Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol Agent Andres Garcia says agents still must have their guard up because the cartels are working the Rio Grande.

“It’s always dangerous. You have to also keep an eye out, always be aware of your surroundings,” RGV Sector Border Patrol Agent Andres Garcia said. “Now there could be a little bit more – less people trying to cross, a little bit more desperation. It just depends. We’ve seen it all.” 

Eileen Ramirez, 13, says some of her family crossed into the United States illegally and she lives in a mixed-status family.

She watched with middle school classmates as the LUPE rally marched past her recently and she reflected on her fears.

"I hope they're safe. And that they take really good care. And I hope they don't get deported," she said.

KXAN Digital Data Reporter Christopher Adams, News Director Haley Cihock, Graphic Artist Wendy Gonzalez, Director of Investigations & Innovation Josh Hinkle, Investigative Photojournalist Chris Nelson, Photojournalist Emiliano Peña, Digital Special Projects Developer Robert Sims and Digital Director Kate Winkle contributed to this report.