The latest episode brings us to Starr County, a former Democratic stronghold that flipped from blue to red in the presidential election for the first time in over a century.

Two events in the Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday made clear Texas officials will work with the Trump administration on immigration.

Officials with the Texas General Land Office on Tuesday outlined plans for a 1,402-acre ranch it has offered to the incoming Donald Trump administration for housing undocumented immigrants before deportation.

Gov. Greg Abbott also announced that the state is adding more floating barriers to the Rio Grande.

Republicans had a big night in South Texas, flipping predominately Hispanic counties along the US-Mexico border.

Latino voters demonstrated a significant shift in the recent election, with many supporting former President Donald Trump, marking a notable departure from 2020 voting patterns.

En route to his win as president of the United States, Donald Trump managed to flip a former Democratic stronghold in Texas, according to the Associated Press.

The Rio Grande City mayor and two of his fellow commissioners proposed the changes, claiming the city secretary mishandled their election.

A Starr County property was purchased to build border wall, while Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said the state has many options for a sprawling ranch in West Texas.

The Starr County district attorney dropped the improper charges, but the fallout “forever changed the Plaintiff’s life,” a new federal lawsuit says.

A South Texas woman sued the Starr County District Attorney's office and the county after she was wrongfully charged with murder over a self-induced abortion in 2022.

Texas has become an early hot spot for geothermal energy exploration as scores of former oil industry workers and executives are taking their knowledge to a new energy source.

The State Bar of Texas has fined and suspended Starr County’s district attorney for pursuing a murder indictment against 26-year-old woman after she self-managed an abortion.

The Biden administration’s plan to build new barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border in South Texas calls for a “movable” design that frustrates both environmentalists and advocates of stronger border enforcement.

The Biden administration is facing scrutiny and controversy over its recent decision to construct a new border wall in Starr County.

Even as the president says the barriers don’t work, his administration says it will waive environmental laws to build them quickly.

The Department of Homeland Security announced that the Biden administration leveraged sweeping executive power to waive 26 federal laws in South Texas.

“If it’s gonna rise by that much, I don’t think we’re prepared,” one South Texas mayor said of temperature increases.

Starr County, one of the four counties that make up the Rio Grande Valley, has not been able to produce campaign finance reports that it is required to maintain, according to a GOP group targeting the area.

The full and often unchecked power of the prosecutor was on display when a South Texas woman was charged with murder for a self-induced abortion.

The Rio Grande Valley, often seen as a reliable vote against abortion, has a long history of advocacy to increase access to the procedure.

Texas law exempts a pregnant person from being charged with murder or any lesser homicide charge for an abortion.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a rule earlier this week to list the prostrate milkweed, which lives along the Texas-Mexico border, as an endangered species. The rare plant is threatened in part by border security activities, scientists say.

Abbott unveiled the first 900 feet of border barrier Saturday. But the state has been mum on where it plans to build additional barriers and how many miles it can afford.

Abbott launched the construction of a wall along the Texas-Mexico border using state money and crowdfunded private donations. The state has at least $1.05 billion for the border barriers.

Many local officials and business leaders along the border say that the rhetoric is misplaced and that the broader needs of their communities can often get lost.

Soldiers with the Texas National Guard work at a drive-through COVID-19 testing center in Smithville on May 5, 2020. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday that National Guard troops will vaccinate residents in five rural counties as part of a new pilot program. (Credit: Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via USA TODAY NETWORK)Starting Thursday, state mobile vaccination teams staffed by Texas National Guard members will be deployed to five rural Texas counties to administer coronavirus vaccines to qualified residents. National Guard teams will visit DeWitt, Marion, Real, Sherman and Starr counties as part of a newly-created State Mobile Vaccine Pilot Program announced by Gov. On Wednesday, President Biden ordered full reimbursement to states that use the National Guard to increase the pace of vaccinations nationally.

The situation could become even more complicated if President-elect Joe Biden makes good on his promise to stop border wall construction. The agreements are to build 146 miles of border wall and install nearly three dozen gates. Biden has said he will cease wall construction and drop all the lawsuits on day one. Under the Trump administration, Starr has become one of the agency’s top priorities for the border wall. But Starr County, which lacks a levee system, had no wall before the Trump administration first proposed building there in 2017.

STARR COUNTY, Texas – A 5-year-old boy was rescued after getting stuck in a well on a ranch in South Texas, according to the Texas Game Wardens. The incident happened Dec. 8 in Starr County. On Dec. 8th, Starr County dispatch received a 911 call about a child who had fallen into a well on a ranch. Multiple law... Posted by Texas Game Wardens on Thursday, December 10, 2020He was rescued around 10:30 p.m. and had no visible injuries. As of Thursday afternoon, officials said the boy is still hospitalized but in stable condition.

STARR COUNTY, Texas – Located just west of Mission, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley, Starr County almost went from stark blue to bright red on Election Day. 4 big takeaways for Texas, Bexar County after 2020 electionRoss Barrera, the Starr County Republican chair, was skeptical when someone first suggested organizing a Trump Train. Barrera said he asked, “You think that’ll work here in Starr County? Do not take us for granted.’”Garza said Starr County, being one of the poorest counties in the nation, deserves economic relief. We do go out to vote, and we can switch our vote,” Garza said.

Dr. Jos Vzquez has resigned from his position as Starr Co. county health authority. Credit: Spencer Selvidge for The Texas TribuneNeed to stay updated on coronavirus news in Texas? The top doctor advising Starr County on local health policy resigned abruptly Monday, leaving temporarily vacant a key position in a rural border community already battered by the coronavirus. Starr County, population 65,000, is one of the poorest counties in the country. Starr County has had 68 confirmed coronavirus deaths and 2,213 cases as of Monday, according to state data.

STARR COUNTY, Texas Starr County Judge Eloy Vera announced Friday a Stay at home/Stay Safe Emergency Order amid a surge in cases in the Rio Grande Valley. A Facebook post by the county said the order will remain in full force and in effect until 11:59 p.m., Aug. 10. STARR COUNTY STAY AT HOME/STAY SAFE EMERGENCY ORDER Starr County Stay Home/Stay Safe Emergency Order goes into effect... Posted by Starr County Texas on Thursday, July 23, 2020According to Texas Department of Health and Human Services COVID-19 dashboard, as of July 25, Starr County has reported 1,559 cases of COVID-19. Starr County Memorial Hospital reported that it was at full capacity and was forced to transfer patients to other cities on Wednesday. Read also:Hidalgo County: New order issued Monday includes shelter at home, curfew

STARR COUNTY, Texas – There is a growing COVID-19 crisis just south of San Antonio in the Rio Grande Valley. “Emergency rooms are holding patients for hours or days because, basically, we do not have any rooms inside the hospital to put those patients,” said Dr. Jose Vazquez, Starr County health authority. About 70,000 people live in Starr County, and more than 1,600 of its residents have tested positive for COVID-19. Starr County Memorial Hospital said its COVID-19 unit is filled with 29 patients. As of Wednesday morning, the hospital held nine patients for admission and transferred two patients to San Antonio hospitals.

AUSTIN, Texas While some big cities in Texas are reporting signs that an alarming surge in cases of the coronavirus may be leveling off, officials in counties along the border with Mexico said Tuesday that the outlook there remains bleak. Greg Abbotts past mandates that do not allow local officials to set their own stay-at-home restrictions. Texas on Tuesday reported more than 9,300 confirmed new cases and 131 deaths, the states second deadliest day of the pandemic. Meanwhile, Texas is pressing ahead with plans for high school football this fall. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

Texas today resembles the state in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Records for COVID-19-related deaths and hospitalizations are set almost daily and Texas, the state that embarked on one of America’s fastest reopenings, is in retreat. And it has been the deadliest week of the pandemic in Texas, with 95 new deaths reported Friday. Abbott announced at the end of that month that Texas would begin reopening after just a few weeks of stay-at-home orders. Mayors in Texas' big cities and health experts winced at the speed, saying it was too soon.

HIDALGO COUNTY, Texas – Hidalgo County, Starr County, and Valley Baptist Health System hospitals have now reached capacity due to the influx of COVID-19 cases in the area, according to a report from KRGV. The Valley Baptist Health System has reached its capacity as well with COVID-19 patients, according to a report from KRGV. KRGV reports the Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen had 141 COVID-19 related patients as of Friday afternoon, and Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville had 97. According to KRGV’s report, every hospital in the Valley is full and patients are being taken to other parts of Texas. As of Friday, the county announced a new daily high of COVID-19 cases with 1,334, totaling 14,212 cases total in the community.

STARR COUNTY, Texas – Ruperto Escobar is the first to admit his stance on the border wall is controversial and unpopular. Escobar admits he doesn't believe a border wall will end illegal activity but he's hopeful it'll slow it down. That barrier is going to slow them down enough to where our (Border Patrol) agents can catch them a lot easier," Escobar said. AdIf a wall isn't built, Escobar said he and his neighbors will continue to have problems with people trespassing on their property. Escobar said surveyors have come out to his land to see if a border wall is possible on his property.