Immigrants in Texas's Rio Grande Valley are avoiding medical care due to intensified deportation efforts under the Trump administration. Federal agents have expanded raids to everyday locations, including hospitals, creating fear among undocumented residents. Many, like Juanita, a prediabetic mother, skip vital treatments to avoid detection. Clinics report fewer patients, even those eligible for Medicaid, as families fear sharing personal information. The region, already struggling with high poverty and poor health outcomes, faces worsening conditions as people avoid care. Experts warn this climate of fear is leading to dangerous health consequences for one of the nation's most vulnerable populations.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to hire 10,000 employees over five years, echoing a Border Patrol expansion in the 2000s. Pressure to increase hiring can lead to lowered hiring standards along with more attrition, misconduct, and corruption. When the Border Patrol rapidly expanded, arrests for employee misconduct at its parent agency increased to 336 in the 2012 fiscal year from 190 seven years earlier. ICE's expansion follows a bill signed by President Trump, allocating $76.5 billion for detention, hiring, and other uses. Competition for qualified applicants remains stiff, with law enforcement agencies offering large signing bonuses to attract talent.

A Gallup poll shows a substantial jump in the share of Americans who view immigration as positive for the U.S. since President Donald Trump took office. About 8 in 10 U.S. adults say immigration is a "good thing," marking a 25-year high. The poll finds the share of Americans wanting U.S. immigration reduced has dropped from 55% to 30% in the past year, largely driven by Republicans becoming more content with the country's immigration levels. Americans have grown less supportive of deporting immigrants in the country illegally and more supportive of pathways to citizenship for those brought to the U.S. illegally as children. These shifting attitudes could complicate Trump's push for sweeping deportations.

Vice President JD Vance has participated in an aerial tour of the U.S.-Mexico border and met with law enforcement officials. It's part of a trip Wednesday meant to highlight tougher immigration policies that the White House says has led to dramatically fewer arrests for illegal crossings since President Donald Trump began his second term. Joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Vance viewed the Eagle Pass area by helicopter. The trio also visited a detention facility before holding a roundtable discussion with local and national participants. Arrests for illegal border crossings from Mexico fell 39% in January from a month earlier, though they've been falling sharply since well before Trump took office