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James Courtney drives the #22 Holden Racing Team Holden during practice for the Austin 400, which is round five of the V8 Supercar Championship Series at Circuit of The Americas on May 17, 2013 in Austin, Texas.
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By Eric Thayer, Reuters
I’m running through the desert outside a tiny town called Encino with a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter flying above me. As I move through trees and bushes, the sand is soft and every step is an effort. It feels like I am running on the spot as I hold my cameras close so they don’t swing into my sides. Border Patrol agents are all around me and the only noises are the helicopter above, my own labored breathing and the sound of footsteps in the sand.
Eric Thayer / Reuters
U.S. Border Patrol agent Daniel Tirado from the Rio Grande Valley Sector looks out at the Rio Grande river in Hidalgo, Texas March 28.
In south Texas, the Rio Grande River separates the U.S. from Mexico. It is a brown river that varies between 50 to 100 yards across. On the surface, the water looks calm as it meanders through the brush, but it hides swirling currents – just one of the many hazards faced by those who cross. The line between the two countries is imaginary here, but if you could see it as it appears on a map, it would be right in the middle of the river.
Eric Thayer / Reuters
A U.S. Border Patrol agent from the Rio Grande Valley Sector searches for a group of illegal immigrants who crossed the Rio Grande River in Mission, Texas March 28, 2013. Brooks County has become an epicenter for illegal immigrant deaths in Texas. In 2012, sheriff's deputies found 129 bodies there, six times the number recorded in 2010. Most of those who died succumbed to the punishing heat and rough terrain that comprise the ranch lands of south Texas.
At this moment, the border is about 60 miles south. I’m with the U.S. Border Patrol after a report from a local rancher of a group of people crossing over his land. If they make it across the river, through the brush and past the Border Patrol there are vehicles that will take them north. From this part of Texas, there is basically just one checkpoint left, called Falfurrias. If they are able to bypass that, they can move up into other parts of the state and to the rest of the country.
Eric Thayer / Reuters
The border fence is seen in Mission, Texas March 28, 2013. Most of those who died crossing the border succumbed to the punishing heat and rough terrain that comprise the ranch lands of south Texas.
Ahead of me, a Border Patrol agent chases four men and I dash to keep up. They are running from a country, from a war and towards a better life. They are running for freedom. But sometimes it’s not that simple. That’s the thing about it down here – nothing is simple about this.
The border has always fascinated me. It’s a line on a map, but when you’re down by it sometimes you can’t even tell it’s there. Other times it’s glaringly obvious, marked out by fences, walls, checkpoints and security cameras. Continue reading
Eric Thayer / Reuters
People are taken into custody by the U.S. Border Patrol near Falfurrias, Texas March 29, 2013.
Eric Thayer / Reuters
People sit on a couch at Casa del Migrante in Reynosa April 1, 2013. Casa del Migrante provides housing, food, clothing and medical care to people who are planning to cross the border, and to those who have been deported from the United States.
Eric Thayer / Reuters
A man receives a haircut at Casa del Migrante in Reynosa April 1, 2013.
Eric Thayer / Reuters
The unidentified grave of a person whose remains were found in the desert is seen in Falfurrias, Texas April 1, 2013.
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Brandon Wade / EPA
Firefighters stand at attention as mourners applaud a West, Texas fire engine during a processional before the start of a memorial service honoring those killed in the West, Texas fertilizer plant explosion at the Ferrell Center on the Baylor University campus in Waco, Texas on Thursday.
Eric Gay / AP
Members of the Patriot Guard line the road for a procession in Waco prior to a memorial service for first responders who died in last week's fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas.
Eric Gay / AP
An honor guard stand in front of caskets prior to a memorial service in Waco, Texas for first responders who died in last week's fertilizer plant explosion in the small town of West.
Charles Dharapak / AP
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama bow their heads behind a photo of volunteer firefighter Capt. Cyrus Adam Reed, who was killed, as they attend the memorial for victims of the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas at Baylor University in Waco.
Charles Dharapak / AP
The damage from the fertilizer plant explosion is seen from helicopters in accompanying President Barack Obama in West, Texas, en route to Baylor University, where the president was to speak at a memorial service.
NBC News reports:
President Obama flew to the somber event after attending the dedication of the George W. Bush presidential library in Dallas on Thursday morning. Texas Sen. John Cornyn and first lady Michelle Obama were also attending Thursday's memorial service.
Before the memorial, 1,000 firefighters from across the U.S. held a half-mile-long procession in Waco to honor the fallen firefighters.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the first individual lawsuit was filed as a result of the explosion. A single mom who lived next door to the West Fertilizer plant is seeking up to a million dollars after she and her 14-year-old son "lost all their worldly possessions," the suit says.
More coverage from West, Texas:
Charles Dharapak / AP
President Barack Obama stands with, from second from left, former presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter at the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas on April 25.
By Tom Curry, National Affairs Writer, NBC News
Giving a broad-strokes defense of his eight years in the White House, former president George W. Bush celebrated the dedication of his the Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas on Thursday. In the audience were the nation’s three other former living presidents – George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter – as well as current commander in chief Barack Obama. Read full story
David J. Phillip / AP
From left, first lady Michelle Obama, former first lady Laura Bush, former first lady Hillary Clinton, former first lady Barbara Bush and former first lady Rosalynn Carter arrive for the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library.
Charles Dharapak / AP
Former Vice President Dick Cheney, center, shakes hands with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair during the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library. Former President George W. Bush's daughter Jenna Bush Hager is at right.
Brendan Smialowski / AFP - Getty Images
Former President George H. W. Bush, left, former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush listen during a dedication ceremony at the George W. Bush Library.
Jewel Samad / AFP - Getty Images
President Barack Obama, left, and former presidents, from left, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter arrive on stage for the George W. Bush Presidential Library dedication.
DigitalGlobe via Getty Images
Satellite image taken on April 19, 2013 of the West Fertilizer Plant after an explosion occurred on April 17.
DigitalGlobe via Getty Images
Satellite images of West, Texas, before and after the Fertilizer Plant explosion. The image on the left was taken on Jan. 30, 2012, and the image on the right was taken on April 19, 2013.
Mandy Williams goes home for the first time since a massive explosion forced her and other residents of West, Texas to evacuate.
The satellite images above provided by DigitalGlobe show the destructive force of the fertilizer plant explosion that rocked the small town of West, Texas, with the force of a magnitude-2.1 earthquake last Wednesday evening.
The pictures show the debris field that surrounds West Fertilizer Co., the remains of the two tanks which held highly pressurized anhydrous ammonia, the 50-unit apartment building west of the plant with its walls torn off, the damaged West Intermediate School at the lower left corner of the images, and many of the damaged homes.
West has only about 2,700 residents, but the affected area is in a densely populated neighborhood.
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In this small Texas town, people pitch in to help out following the deadly blast at a local fertilizer plant.
Tony Gutierrez / AP
This Thursday, April 18, 2013 aerial photo shows the remains of a nursing home, left, apartment complex, center, and fertilizer plant, right, destroyed by an explosion in West, Texas.
Tony Gutierrez / AP
This aerial photo shows the remains of a burned and damaged school following a Wednesday night fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, Thursday, April 18.
Adrees Latif / Reuters
Police and rescue workers stand near a building which was left destroyed from a massive explosion at a nearby fertilizer plant in the town of West, near Waco, Texas April 18.
Adrees Latif / Reuters
Investigators stand amid the aftermath of a massive explosion at a fertilizer plant in the town of West, near Waco, Texas April 18.
Tony Gutierrez / AP
This aerial photo shows burned down and damaged homes on Thursday, April 18 following an explosion Wednesday a near by fertilizer plant in West, Texas,
Rescuers searched the smoking remnants for survivors of Wednesday night's thunderous fertilizer plant explosion, gingerly checking smashed houses and apartments for anyone still trapped in debris while the community awaited word on the number of dead. Initial reports put the fatalities as high as 15, but later in the day, authorities backed away from any estimate and refused to elaborate. More than 160 people were hurt. Full story.
Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images
A huge blast rocked a small Texas town causing an unknown number of deaths and destroying nearby homes.
Smiley N. Pool / Houston Chronicle via AP
Former President George H.W. Bush poses for a group photo with the newly-announced Houston Texans cheerleaders.
Smiley N. Pool / AP
George H.W. Bush presents a rose to a new Texans cheerleader.
Smiley N. Pool / AP
George H.W. Bush wears American flag socks at a ceremony introducing the 2013-2014 Texans cheerleaders.
Former President George H.W. Bush welcomes new Houston Texans cheerleaders to the 2013-2014 squad during a ceremony at the team's NFL football training facility in Houston on Wednesday.
Editor's Note: These photos were shot on April 17, but made available to NBC News today.
Andy Bartee via AP
In this Instagram photo provided by Andy Bartee, a plume of smoke rises from a fertilizer plant fire in West, Texas on April 17, 2013.
An earth-rattling explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant killed at least 5 to 15 people, wounded more than 160 and destroyed dozens of homes and businesses, including a nursing home, officials said. Full story
Rod Aydelotte / AP
Emergency workers fight a house fire after a nearby fertilizer plant exploded in West, Texas.
Mark Lambie / The El Paso Times via AP
Spectators on the mountains between UTEP and I-10 get a close-up view of the ASARCO smokestack demolition, Friday, April 13, in El Paso, Texas.
A demolition team toppled two landmark smokestacks that have long towered over the now-defunct ASARCO copper smelter in Texas. Three hundred pounds of dynamite were used to bring down the 600-ft and 829-ft tall chimneys early Saturday. The chimneys were demolished as part of the smelter cleanup plan.
Mark Lambie / The El Paso Times via AP
Spectators who watched the ASARCO smokestacks fall try to avoid inhaling dust created Saturday morning.
Brian Kanof / AP
The tallest of the two ASARCO smokestacks makes its way toward the ground 10 seconds after the smaller of the two stacks hit.
Rudy Gutierrez / The El Paso Times via AP
The 828-foot former ASARCO stack comes down.
Victor Calzada / The El Paso Times via AP
An ASARCO smokestack heads to the ground near Interstate 10.
Lm Otero / AP
The family of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, comfort each other during their funeral services at the First Baptist Church of Wortham on April 5, in Wortham, Texas.
Lm Otero / AP
Pallbearers carry the remains of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, out of the First Baptist Church of Wortham after their funeral services on April 5, in Wortham, Texas.
Lm Otero / AP
Texas Gov. Rick Perry looks on as a flag is folded to present to the family of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia after a memorial services in Mesquite, Texas on April 4.
LM Otero / AP
Wyvonne McLelland, mother of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland receives a flag from Nathan Foreman, during the grave side funeral services for the couple in Wortham, Texas, April 5.
A slain Texas prosecutor and his wife were laid to rest today in the small town where he grew up, as the hunt for answers to his death continues.
The Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, were found shot to death Saturday in their house near Forney, Texas about 20 miles east of Dallas. No arrests have been made.
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Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle via AP
Jeanne Malone, left, walks past Christine Hubbard as she holds a bowl full of hail stones she collected following a hail storm Wednesday, April 3, 2013, in Hitchcock, Texas. Thousands of people in the Houston and Galveston areas have lost electricity in overnight storms that dropped hail the size of baseballs and broke windows. Emergency officials say no injuries were reported.
By Dale Lezon, The Houston Chronicle
Residents in Hitchcock and Santa Fe woke up to broken roofs, shattered windows and dented cars after softball-sized hail battered the communities late Tuesday night.
Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle via AP
John Williams opens a plastic bag to cover up holes in a skylight of his trailer following the storm on Wednesday.
Powerful thunderstorms raked the area about 11 p.m., sparking hail and downpours, said Patrick Blood, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. The storms downed power lines and tree limbs. No injuries were reported.
Hitchcock City Secretary Rose Marie Theiler, said she was asleep when she heard pounding on the side of her home. She looked out the window and saw huge icy balls bouncing across her yard.
"I got up because it sounded like somebody was throwing a ball against the house," she said. Read full story.
Brett Coomer /Houston Chronicle via AP
Several Hitchcock Police cars sit under tarps after they were damaged by the hail storm on Wednesday,
Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle via AP
Bob Paulson checks on the damage to his rented truck following the storm.
Eric Gay / AP
Members of the San Antonio Living History Association fire muskets as they take part in a pre-dawn memorial ceremony to remember the 1836 Battle of the Alamo and those who fell on both sides, on March 6, in San Antonio, Tex.
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