Texas
Multi-agency operation targeted immigrants in Austin and San Antonio
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Agents from multiple federal agencies carried out immigration enforcement operations in Austin and San Antonio on Sunday, federal officials said.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with the Drug Enforcement Agency, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives collaborated on “enhanced targeted operations” in both cities, an ICE spokesperson said. A similar operation took place Sunday morning in the Rio Grande Valley, a local station reported.
The spokesperson said the operations were to “enforce U.S. immigration law and preserve public safety and national security by keeping potentially dangerous criminal aliens out of our communities.” The official did not say what kind of offenses the targeted individuals were suspected of committing or whether anyone was detained.
KXAN first reported ICE was conducting an operation in the Austin area on Sunday afternoon through a spokesperson for the DEA’s Houston division. DEA spokesperson Sally Sparks said the agency’s Houston office “mobilized every agent in our division,” whose jurisdiction spans from Brownsville to Corpus Christi, Del Rio and Waco.
“We got information that we had to mobilize, so we mobilized,” Sparks told The Texas Tribune. “The majority of our agents assisted.”
A Houston DEA post on X on Sunday showed photos of law enforcement officers in a residential area escorting a man in handcuffs.
Neither ICE nor the DEA answered questions about the scale of the operations. Spokespeople for the Travis and Bexar counties’ sheriff’s offices said they had not been notified of the operations. A spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, said Doggett did not receive advance notice that ICE would conduct an operation in Austin.
Sunday’s operations came less than one week after President Donald Trump began his second term as president and promised mass deportations across the country. Trump issued more than a dozen immigration-related executive orders last week, including halting the use of an app that lets migrants make appointments to request asylum and authorizing immigration officers to raid sensitive locations such as churches, schools and hospitals.
The Trump administration has also directed federal officials to investigate and potentially prosecute local officials who interfere with deportation efforts. Some local Texas officials said they are ready to assist Trump, though they have offered scant details on how they would cooperate. A group of Texas lawmakers asked state education officials last week for clear guidance on how school districts should prepare for federal immigration enforcement.
Federal officials also conducted raids in Chicago on Sunday, and ICE officials have been directed to increase the number of people they arrest from a few hundred per day to at least 1,200 to 1,500, The Washington Post reported Sunday. ICE made 956 arrests Sunday and sent 554 requests to take custody of individuals currently being held in jails, prisons or other confinement facilities, the agency said in a Sunday evening post on X.
Trump’s actions over the past week have left some migrants stranded on the U.S.-Mexico border, and the threat of deportation has left others in fear. Texas is home to approximately 1.6 million undocumented people, according to a Pew Research Center Report.
Texas
Rain and storms ahead for North Texas after warm, humid Friday
Warm, humid and windy conditions continue for North Texas on Friday as air flow from the south pulls in Gulf moisture. Mostly cloudy skies are in store, with highs in the low 80s and wind gusts up to 35 mph.
Overnight, storms will approach the region from the northwest, most likely arriving in North Texas between 3 and 7 a.m. The system will bring scattered showers and thunderstorms, with the potential for some stronger storms capable of wind gusts up to 60 mph and small hail.
The rain will continue for most of Saturday morning. North Texas will dry out from north to south in the afternoon.
The front also brings a steep drop in temperatures, with highs on Saturday topping out in the low to mid-60s.
Temperatures on Sunday morning will drop into the 40s, but sunshine will return in the afternoon with highs in the 70s.
Next week will start off with highs in the 70s and a chance of rain on Tuesday before temperatures rise into the 80s again.
Texas
Texans get some of the largest tax returns in the country, study finds
FILE-In this photo illustration, a 1040 Individual Income Tax Return document is seen on a desk on April 15, 2024 in North Haledon, New Jersey. (Photo illustration by Michael Bocchieri/Getty Images)
In a year of record-breaking tax returns, a new study finds that Texas is seeing the second-largest average returns in the nation.
Upgradedpoints.com found that the national average is nearly $3,600, but Texas residents are seeing nearly a thousand more than that this year. They used numbers from the IRS in conducting the study.
Texas-sized tax returns
By the numbers:
In Texas, the average refund was $4,344, slightly below the average in Florida, which leads the nation at $4,433. The state had the second-largest overall filing volume: 13.6 million returns filed and over 9.7 million (71.3%) receiving a refund, the study found.
The Texas county with the highest average return was Shackelford County, located west of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, at $7,375. Most wage brackets saw returns closer to average, with those earning $50-$100K per year averaging $4,249. However, their average appears to have been imbalanced by the $200K+ earners, who saw an average refund of $105,163.
What is the penalty for filing taxes late?
Dig deeper:
The failure to file penalty applies if you didn’t file your tax return by the due date (including extensions).
By the numbers:
The penalty is 5% of your unpaid taxes for each month that a return is late, up to 25% of the total unpaid, for individuals and most business tax returns, according to the IRS.
You’ll know if you owe a penalty because you’ll receive a notice letter from the IRS.
2026 tax brackets
Your tax filing could also look different next year if your tax bracket is adjusted. Keep that in mind if you plan to switch jobs, or earn or lose some income.
Because of inflation adjustments, income thresholds for the two lowest brackets rose by about 4%, while higher brackets increased by roughly 2.3% compared with 2025 levels.
READ MORE: 2026 tax brackets vs. 2025: Here’s what’s changed, other things to know
2026 tax deduction
For tax year 2026, the standard deduction increased to $32,200 for married couples filing jointly. For single taxpayers and married individuals filing separately, the standard deduction rose to $16,100 for tax year 2026, and for heads of households, the standard deduction will be $24,150.
2027 tax filing season
Consult a tax professional now if you have any questions or concerns about your tax-filing situation come January 2027.
The Source: Information in this article comes from upgradedpoints.com and previous FOX Local reporting.
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