María Méndez
Border & Business Reporter, LaredoMaría Méndez reports for Texas Public Radio from the city of Laredo where she covers business and border issues from an area that is now the nation’s top trade hub. Her position is made possible by Report For America — a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Before joining TPR, she reported on Texas' diverse communities and tumultuous politics through internships at the Austin American-Statesman, The Texas Tribune and, most recently, The Dallas Morning News. She also participated in NPR’s Next Generation Radio program while studying at the University of Texas at Austin.
At UT, she wrote for The Daily Texan and helped launch diversity initiatives, including two collaborative series on undocumented and first-generation college students. One of her stories for these series won an award from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. She is a native of Guanajuato, Mexico but grew up in Central Texas.
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Border residents and activists welcomed Biden’s inauguration and his immigration and border security plans, but they say they know their work must continue to ensure Biden’s promises of a pathway to citizenship for millions unauthorized immigrants and ending border wall construction are carried out.
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While Joe Biden promised there would be “not another foot” of wall and that he would “withdraw lawsuits” against border landowners, he has not yet publicly detailed his exact plan to stop the hodge-podge of wall projects he will inherit from the Trump administration.
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It was the administration's latest attempt to prevent President-elect Joe Biden from halting border wall construction.
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Undeterred by the insurrection last week, pro-Trump supporters gathered for a chance to wave at the president. Critics of Trump and the visit held their own rally at a separate location to avoid conflict.
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Under the tentative plan, President Donald Trump would fly into Harlingen and visit a section of the border wall.
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After three months without flights, the first American Airlines flight took off from the Del Rio International Airport early Wednesday morning. But the future of the airport remains uncertain.
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The City of Laredo held a three-day drive to distribute Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines to health care workers, people 65 and older and adults with chronic illnesses. There were more people than there were vaccines.
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The bulk of trade for Laredo is auto parts, so it saw a decline in traffic in the spring as auto manufacturers adjusted to the coronavirus pandemic. But traffic through the Port of Laredo has risen in recent months.
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A group of families faced deportation Friday after being denied asylum under Trump administration policies that have since been invalidated by federal courts.