John Burnett

Like Cuban-American families throughout the diaspora, the Garcias of Key West, Fla., gather on Noche Buena, or Christmas Eve, to catch up on news and eat a traditional meal of lechón, or roast pig.

Wayne Garcia, a local building contractor and artist, prepared the pork for the family feast this ...

The U.S. economic embargo on Cuba is still solidly in place. But the president's executive action opening relations with the island has set off a frenzy of speculation about a new era of U.S.-Cuba commerce.

Obama's release of three Cuban spies sparked outrage among Miami's white-haired Cuban exiles, but the exiles' American-born children and grandchildren see a bright future in U.S.-Cuba relations.

The U.S. Border Patrol is looking for more female agents. While women make up 15 percent of most federal law enforcement agencies, the Border Patrol has only 5 percent female agents.

Deportations have jumped in recent years. And increasingly, those cases — like that of Maria Isabel de la Paz — are being handled by federal agents at the border, not by immigration courts.

As more U.S. states approve marijuana for medical or recreational use, the price for pot growers in Mexico is falling. This could change the business model for narcotraffickers as well.

When President Obama announced changes to the immigration system, he offered to give more resources for border personnel. Officials have tried it before, and border security remains an elusive goal.

Viewing parties were held throughout the U.S. to find out what the president had to say about immigration. In Austin, Texas, immigrants and advocates expressed joy and disappointment for the plan.

Corrections Corp. of America is handling day-to-day operations of the big new immigrant detention center in South Texas. But the contract and the money to run it will go to a town over 900 miles away.

Ten plaintiffs are suing the government over policies and practices at a residential center in New Mexico, where 648 women and children are being held while awaiting the outcome of their asylum cases.

Recently, a friend and I rode bicycles from Brownsville, Texas, to Oklahoma, 738 miles from the Rio Grande to the Red River, just for the hell of it. Naturally, eating was the highlight of the journey. The trip turned into a 13-mph tour of Texas's evolving food geography.

What ...

Last month, a friend and I rode bicycles 738 miles up the spine of Texas from the Rio Grande to the Red River, dodging oilfield trucks and yipping Chihuahua dogs.

All that pedaling had us burning about 5,000 to 5,500 calories every day. And so the 10-day journey — eight ...

Global oil prices have fallen to a 4-year low, confirming hopes and fears, depending on if you're a gasoline consumer or an oilman, that abundant U.S. crude is messing with the world's energy order.

Timothy Cole died in prison in Lubbock, convicted of a rape he didn't commit. The real rapist eventually confessed, but it took years before Cole would be posthumously exonerated.

Tens of thousands of private planes fly through U.S. airspace daily. Federal agents at a Southern California air base monitor those flights, looking for drugs or terrorists. Sometimes, they find them.

Language warning: This story contains words some may find offensive.

The Highway Beautification Act will be 50 years old next year. As envisioned by Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson, it was supposed to protect the natural landscape from billboards.

Ever since its passage, scenic activists and billboard companies have been ...

The Department of Homeland Security is settling a lawsuit with the ACLU, which deals with immigrants who were improperly pushed to leave the country.

U.S. Border Patrol says the fence separating Mexico and Texas helps control the illegal movement of people and contraband. But many who live on the Texas border call it a boondoggle.

Demand for specialty and artisanal foods is booming, and new entrepreneurs want to get in on the action. Incubators can provide shared commercial kitchen space and tips on sales and distribution.

Much of the American West is suffering from extreme drought this year. California is running out of water and wildfires have raged through Washington, Oregon and Idaho. But there is a bright spot out West — or, rather, a green spot. In New Mexico, unusually heavy late-summer rains have transformed ...