Yilun Cheng

Houston

Investigative reporter @HoustonChron | formerly @DispatchAlerts | @Report4America alum | words in @Slate @WashingtonPost | [email protected]

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Articles

Houston housing chief halts controversial tax breaks for ‘affordable’ apartments

2 weeks ago | houstonchronicle.com | Yilun Cheng

The Houston Housing Authority’s new chief executive officer, Jamie Bryant, said he will stop accepting proposals for a controversial property tax break program as criticism mounts that some deals do little to benefit low-income renters. Created under an obscure Texas law, the Public Facility Corporation program allows apartment owners to claim 100% property tax breaks if they agree to reserve half their units as affordable. It was intended to spur affordable housing development.
Fewer Houston inmates flagged for deportation under Trump. But why?

1 month ago | houstonchronicle.com | Yilun Cheng

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has long leaned on local law enforcement and access to county jails to deport people already living in the country without legal permission. An ICE detainer, or immigration hold, is essentially a request asking local jails to notify ICE before releasing someone suspected of immigration violations, and to hold the person for up to 48 hours longer so federal agents can take them into custody for possible deportation.
Insiders make millions from Houston's affordable housing system

1 month ago | houstonchronicle.com | Rebecca Schuetz |Yilun Cheng |Matt Zdun

The public agency says it accomplished this monumental task by exempting apartment complexes from property taxes in exchange for making some units affordable. In Houston, there are over a hundred of these deals, all created under a state program called Public Facility Corporations. The program allows apartment developers to receive 100% property tax breaks in exchange for marking some units as "affordable."But are these good deals, and for whom?
A political ally of Galveston Sheriff Fullen may decide if he keeps his badge

1 month ago | houstonchronicle.com | Yilun Cheng

As a state district court weighs whether Galveston County Sheriff Jimmy Fullen will keep his badge, critics and experts question if the judge assigned to the case-who appears to be Fullen's political ally-should be the one to decide his fate.
Conroe's growth took off while other Houston suburbs slowed. Here's why.

2 months ago | houstonchronicle.com | Yilun Cheng

Over the past decade, Conroe's homebuilding boom has far outpaced every other major suburban municipality in the Houston area, according to permit records obtained by the Houston Chronicle. For generations, families moving to the Houston region have looked to its suburbs for a mix of affordability, space and a sense of community beyond the urban sprawl. But today these communities' paths are diverging.
How Houston's biggest suburbs are growing in unexpected ways

2 months ago | houstonchronicle.com | Yilun Cheng

Houston's suburbs have long been a magnet for families and home buyers looking for more space, lower costs and a community feel that the city itself does not always offer. As America's biggest metro areas like New York and Los Angeles lose residents, the Houston region continues to attract newcomers. But it's the surrounding suburbs that are absorbing most of Houston's growth, according to U.S. Census data.
Cómo pueden ayudar los sheriffs de Texas a las deportaciones de Trump

2 months ago | houstonchronicle.com | Neena Satija |Yilun Cheng

Si bien el presidente Donald Trump ha amenazado con castigar a las autoridades locales si no ayudan a llevar a cabo deportaciones masivas, algunos han dicho que todavía no cumplirán. Sin embargo, en Texas esa no ha sido una opción desde mediados de 2017.
The legacy of former Houston mayor Sylvester Turner

2 months ago | houstonchronicle.com | Yilun Cheng |Dylan McGuinness

U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner, who rose from a child in Acres Homes to serve as Houston's mayor for eight years and was elected to Congress last year, has died. He was 70. His death was confirmed by Houston Mayor John Whitmire, who said Turner was working in Washington D.C. when he was taken to the hospital and passed away. "Not many people know how close Sylvester and I were," Whitmire said during Wednesday's City Council meeting.
Texas sheriffs already assist deportations. Here's how far they can go for Trump

Jan 30, 2025 | houstonchronicle.com | Neena Satija |Yilun Cheng

While President Donald Trump has threatened to punish local law enforcement if they do not help carry out mass deportations, some have said they still won't comply. In Texas, though, that hasn't really been an option since mid-2017. That's when the state passed a law that spells out a wide range of consequences - including misdemeanor criminal charges and even removal from office - for local officials who refuse to work with federal immigration authorities.
How Houston-area Republican sheriffs could help Trump's deportation efforts

Jan 23, 2025 | houstonchronicle.com | Yilun Cheng

As President Donald Trump (middle) began rolling out new immigration policies, experts said local conservative leaders like Galveston County Sheriff Jimmy Fullen (right) and Montgomery County Sheriff Wesley Doolittle (left) could be key to advancing his mass deportation plans. Images from the Jimmy Fullen campaign, the Wesley Doolittle campaign, Houston Chronicle staff and Allen J.