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Texas hospitals prepare to gather data on treating non-citizens

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Texas hospitals prepare to gather data on treating non-citizens


On Nov. 1, hospitals in Texas will have to start asking patients if they are United States citizens.

The move comes after an August executive order by Governor Greg Abbott.

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The data must be reported to the state no later than March 1, 2025, and continue to be reported quarterly.

Abbott says he wants to know how much taxpayer dollars are going to providing care to non-citizens.

“Executive Order 46 will certainly be complied with,” said Stephen Love with the DFW Hospital Council. “They’re working within their own teams, their legal counsel, their people to do the registrations, whether it be in the ER or outpatient on how they were going to capture this information.”

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Texas leads the nation in uninsured residents, and most of them are citizens.

The Texas Hospital Association says one out of every six Texans do not have health insurance.

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Texas hospitals provided $3 billion in uninsured care that is not reimbursed.

“Increased expenditures for Texas hospitals providing medical care to individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States imposes burdens on the Texas healthcare system, including by predictably increasing the costs of medical care for all Texans,” reads the executive order.

Love wants everyone to know that the order does not mean hospitals will refuse care to non-citizens.

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“[Gov. Abbott] made it clear we still need to treat them if it’s an emergency situation. So this is not designed in any way to say that that should influence whether you treat the patient or not,” he said.

The order came at a time where illegal border crossings were high.

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Since this summer, crossing numbers in Texas have dropped significantly. Primarily, due to Abbott’s Operation Lone Star and an executive order from President Biden.

Love says hospitals on the DFW Council support Medicaid expansion, something Texas lawmakers have refused to do.

“Medicaid expansion would not solve all the problems. But Steven, it would go a good way towards helping many people that are uninsured,” he argued.

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FOX 4 reached out to the governor’s office to see if he had any comment ahead of Nov. 1.

Gov. Abbott’s team says they stand by their original statement that he will fight to ensure Texas is compensated.

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27-year-old tattooed Texas man gets 40 years for slashing 81-year-old boyfriend’s neck

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27-year-old tattooed Texas man gets 40 years for slashing 81-year-old boyfriend’s neck


A tatted Texas man was sentenced to 40 years behind bars last week for slashing the throat of his elderly lover, who was three times his age, in a heinous murder last year, according to reports.

Alberto Rafael Ferrer Cabrera, 27, was handed down the four-decade sentence by Bexar County Judge Kristina Escalona on Friday for fatally slashing Donald Atha Weynandt, his 81-year-old common-law husband, in San Antonio on Feb 1, 2025, according to KENS5.

Alberto Rafael Ferrer Cabrera, 27, was sentenced to 40 years behind bars for slashing his elderly lover in the throat. Bexar County Jail

Cabrera, who was 26 at the time, confessed to a 911 dispatcher around 5 a.m. that morning that he had stabbed and killed Weynadt, KSAT reported.

Cops responded to the home and pronounced the octogenarian dead at the scene, according to the outlet.

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A motive for the fatal slashing was never determined, but Cabrera was reportedly “stressed” at the time about bringing his 4-year-old son to the US from Colombia, the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office said.

By the time Cabrera completes his 40-year sentence, he will still be significantly younger than his lover was when he was slaughtered.

Cabrera had a detainer placed on him by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement shortly after his arrest and was charged with illegal entry from a foreign nation, alongside murder charges. But the charge no longer appears on his online court records, KSAT reported.

Weynandt’s daughter, Katrina Mercado, previously told the outlet that she had never spoken to Cabrera and “personally did not trust the situation.”


Donald Weynandt, an 81-year-old victim, kneeling and holding a black dog.
Cabrera slashed 81-year-old Donald Atha Weynandt in the throat on Feb 1, 2025. Facebook

“It’s hard to believe,” Mercado said. “I think the questions will forever be developing over time, processing what happened.”

The shocked daughter said she ultimately wished for Weynandt to be remembered as a “loving father.”

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“Mr. Weynandt deserved to live out his life in safety and dignity,” District Attorney Joe Gonzales said in a statement obtained by the outlet. “Our office remains committed to holding those who commit acts of violence fully accountable.”



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TribCast: Inside Texas’ massive ICE detention facilities

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TribCast: Inside Texas’ massive ICE detention facilities


As the Trump administration ramps up immigration enforcement, Texas has come to play a central role in hosting the detained migrants. Texas is home to the largest ICE detention center, a sprawling tent city on the edge of Fort Bliss in El Paso known as Camp East Montana, and the only family detention center, outside San Antonio.

Almost 20,000 people are currently detained at ICE facilities in Texas. Many of the detainees have reported poor conditions, including inadequate food, insufficient medical care and overcrowding. At least seven migrants have died in Texas lockups in just the last few months.

To discuss the current state of ICE detentions, TribCast is joined by Texas Tribune political reporter Alejandro Serrano and investigative reporter Lomi Kriel, who have been covering the fallout.

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Watch the video above or subscribe to the TribCast on iTunes, Spotify, or RSS. New episodes every Tuesday.



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Large blast at Valero oil refinery in Texas sends smoke, flames into the air

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Large blast at Valero oil refinery in Texas sends smoke, flames into the air


A large explosion at a Valero oil refinery near the Texas Gulf coast Monday shot plumes of smoke into the air and forced some nearby residents to shelter in place.

But Port Arthur Mayor Charlotte Moses told CBS News, “We had no fatalities and no injuries! Valero is working diligently to contain the fire and currently we have no air quality issues.”

Still, she urged residents in parts of the west side of the city to say put.

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In this still image taken from a video provided by KBMT, smoke rises near the Valero Port Arthur Refinery in Port Arthur, Texas on March 23, 2026. 

KBMT via AP


Refinery spokesperson Carol Herbert told CBS News, “All personnel have been accounted for. Valero’s emergency response team is responding and coordinating with local authorities. … As always, the safety of our workers is our top priority.”  

The explosion comes amid a spike in gas prices driven by uncertainty over the global oil supply because of the Iran war.

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The refinery has about 770 employees and can process about 435,000 barrels of oil per day, according to Valero’s website. The plant refines heavy sour crude oil into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

Images and video posted online show a large plume of smoke and flames billowing out from the refinery. Some residents reported hearing a loud boom and seeing their windows shake.

“For your safety please remain in place until the ‘All Clear’ is given by emergency personnel,” the City of Port Arthur said in a post on its Facebook page.

Valero didn’t respond to an email or call from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Texas state Rep. Christian Manuel said in a post on social media that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality had arrived at the refinery with air monitoring equipment and was working with local and state partners.

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He told nearby residents to stay inside.

“Please limit outdoor activity, keep windows and doors closed, and follow guidance from local officials,” he said.

Port Arthur is about 90 miles east of Houston.  



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