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There is a constant flow of people, cars and commerce between Laredo and its twin city in Mexico, Nuevo Laredo. Many people live in Mexico and come over daily for work or school in Laredo. Often they have border crossing cards that allow them to enter the United States easily. On an October afternoon, people walked across the Gateway to the Americas bridge returning to Mexico.

Texas

Kirsten Luce for The Marshall Project
Death Sentences
5 Things to Know About Robert Roberson’s Stayed Execution in Texas
The state wanted to put him to death by lethal injection. Then a court intervened.
A balding White man wearing a white prison uniform talks on a phone, hand outstretched toward the camera, from behind protective glass at a Texas prison.
Robert Roberson, a White man wearing a prison uniform, sits in a phone booth behind glass at the Allan B. Polunsky Unit.
Death Sentences October 6
Did the ‘Psychopath Test’ Help Send an Innocent Man to His Execution?
The case against Robert Roberson, whose execution is scheduled for Oct. 16, is the latest to raise questions about a controversial diagnosis.
By
A person in a black jacket stands at the window of a bail bonds office.
Closing Argument September 20
These States Want People to Pay in Cash to Get Out of Jail
Encouraged by Trump, some lawmakers are championing cash bail, undercutting reforms that advocates say made the system fairer for poor people.
By
A Black medical ward assistant in a white uniform looks through an open door.
Closing Argument September 6
For People Mentally Unfit For Trial, Waits For Treatment Get Longer
U.S. defendants must be able to understand the charges against them — but many who can’t remain behind bars waiting for mental health treatment.
By
An illustration shows a Black woman in a cream-colored prison uniform looking at a silhouette of a guard.
Life Inside March 10
At My Texas Prison, Solitary Confinement All But Guarantees Sexual Exploitation by Guards
Prison journalist Kwaneta Harris on “the hole” at Lane Murray Unit: “It is not uncommon for guards to withhold food unless we take our shirts off.”
By Kwaneta Harris, with Deborah Zalesne
Fulton, a White woman with blonde hair, sits on a gray couch next to picture frames holding photos that show her daughter Desiree, a young White girl.
Death Sentences March 7
She’s Waited Decades for David Wood’s Execution. Now, Evidence Casts Doubt on His Guilt.
The case of a victim’s mother and one of the longest-serving death row prisoners shows how capital appeals can seem both endless and rushed.
By
George Hall, a White man, smokes a cigarette while sitting in the driver's seat of a car.
Death Sentences February 25
He Refused to Become a Jailhouse Snitch. Can He Stop David Wood’s Execution?
Texas plans to execute Wood in March. George Hall claims police wanted him to say that Wood confessed six Texas murders to him in prison.
By
Butler County Jail in Hamilton, Ohio, in 2023.
Closing Argument January 4
‘Perverse’ Incentives: How Local Governments Might Cash In on Trump’s Migrant Detention
Some local officials see President-elect Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportations as an answer to their budget woes.
By
A collage shows two black-and-white images. The photo on the left shows three men sleeping on the floor of a jail. The film scan on the right depicts several incarcerated men sleeping or watching TV in Central Jail’s chapel.
News December 12, 2024
‘Sleep Don’t Come’: The Dangerous Problem of Sleep Deprivation Behind Bars
Moldy mattresses, 24/7 lights and constant noise contribute to a persistent health and safety crisis in prisons and jails.
By and
A White woman, wearing glasses and a red dress, sits at the front door of her house. One of her children stands behind her inside. A children's bike is stationed on the right side of the door.
Feature December 11, 2024
Hospitals Gave Patients Meds During Childbirth, Then Reported Them For Positive Drug Tests
Mothers were reported after they were given medications used routinely for pain or in epidurals, to reduce anxiety or to manage blood pressure during cesarean sections.
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