Good morning, 

Yesterday, we asked if readers thought Gov. Greg Abbott should call a special session if lawmakers don't deliver on comprehensive school choice legislation. 

Find the answers at the conclusion of today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan
Tuesday, May 16, 2026 

Paxton Challenges Biden Administration’s Border Policy

• Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is challenging a new border policy by the Biden administration that is allowing thousands of illegal aliens into the country. Emily Wilkerson has the details.

       
• The new policy was implemented last week and allows illegal aliens to be released into the country through the means of a "humanitarian parole" if U.S. Customs and Border Protection faces overcrowding. Rather than giving court dates to the illegal aliens, the new policy would allow them to provide mailing addresses and promise to appear at an ICE facility within 60 days to ask for a court date.
       
• Paxton says the new policy is a deliberate attempt to destroy American border security.
       
• Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi are among the states that have joined Paxton's lawsuit. They argue the policy is unlawful because it wasn’t adopted in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act. The suit also argues that states like Texas will be required to spend additional funds on law enforcement, education, and healthcare for illegal immigrants, costing state taxpayers tens of millions of dollars each year.
       
• The Biden plan was pushed as the Trump-era "Title 42" border protections were allowed to expire.

Gov. Abbott Ships More Illegals To Kamala Harris' Residence

• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has resumed busing illegal aliens to Vice President Kamala Harris’ front door. As Katy Marshall reports, dozens of illegal aliens were bused to Washington, D.C., outside the official residence of Vice President Kamala Harris.
      
• In March 2021, President Joe Biden appointed Harris as his administration’s “border czar” and tasked her with finding ways to alleviate the border crisis. Abbott said Harris has failed in her assignment.
   
• “Texans and Americans deserve a real Border Czar who will step up and face Biden’s border crisis head on,” said Abbott.
     
• The governor has said Texas taxpayers' have bused more than 17,000 illegal aliens from the Lone Star State to self-described "sanctuary cities" for illegals. More than 9,000 have been sent to Washington, D.C.

Patrick Says Senate Won’t Waste Time on Sports Gambling Legislation

• Despite taking up hours of debate in the Texas House last week, legislation to expand gambling is officially dead on arrival in the Senate. Brandon Waltens has the story. 

        
• As part of a lobby-driven effort from out-of-state corporations to expand gambling in Texas, State Rep. Jeff Leach (R–Plano) wanted to allow online sports betting in the Lone Star State. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the measure does not have support from Republican senators, and therefore will not see the light of day.
           
• "I’ve said repeatedly there is little to no support for expanding gaming from Senate GOP. I polled members this week. Nothing changed. The Senate must focus on issues voters expect us to pass. We don’t waste time on bills without overwhelming GOP support." – Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick
      

• The comments come as part of Patrick’s increasingly public frustration with the House’s slow pace toward passing conservative priorities while instead pushing instead items that have little public support.

Teacher Arrested for Sex With Student

• Another Texas teacher has been arrested for sex crimes against a student. And as Erin Anderson reports, the teacher allegedly sent the student hundreds of sexual messages and explicit pictures of himself via social media.
     
• David Hoelewyn, 27, a high school teacher at Texans Can Academies in Austin, is accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old female student. He has been charged with sexual assault of a child and improper relationship between educator and student, both second-degree felonies punishable by two to 20 years in prison.
       
• School officials told police Hoelewyn had been sending the victim daily nude images of himself through text messages and Snapchat since January. The victim told police that she and Hoelewyn had sexual interactions at least twice, both times on school premises.

Sherman Drag Show Location Changed to Prevent Protest

• Grayson County Pride invited both adults and children to their “Pride Prom,” which included a sexually charged drag show, but the group changed the location at the last minute to prevent protestors from attending. Soli Rice has the details.

      

• The “Pride Prom” had originally been set to take place at Pecan Grove Park West in Sherman, Texas. The location was changed at the last minute to First United Methodist Church in Sherman.
      

• “LGBTQ events and drag shows are never appropriate for kids, and it’s especially disturbing that a ‘church’ was hosting this one,” said Kelly Neidert, executive director of Protect Texas Kids. “Until legislation is passed to address this issue, Protect Texas Kids will continue peacefully protesting these events.”
     
• Legislation to ban drag shows targeting and sexualizing children is currently stuck in committee in the House, having yet to receive a date on the calendar for a vote on the floor.

Y'All Answered

After being promoted by Gov. Greg Abbott as his top legislative priority for 2023, legislation providing universal and meaningful school choice to parents appears unlikely to pass the Texas House. A watered-down and severely limited version of the Senate's measure has drawn the ire of Gov. Abbott.

Yesterday, we asked if readers thought Abbott should call lawmakers into a special session on the issue. By a large margin (92.81% to 7.19%), readers want Abbott to do so.

Here is a sampling of the responses...

• “As a retired teacher who has had other teachers in my family, it seems to me that if we truly want to improve our education system in Texas, we need to have school choice. If you want to see a public school improve, give that school some competition, not more money!” – Glenda Piacenti
      

• “I like the idea of school choice. However, if it is a covert means by the establishment to use it to regulate and control private or homeschooling, then I am opposed.” – Philip Johnson
      

• “Yes, school choice should exist in a meaningful form. For nine years, my ISD tax dollars have funded schools my children don’t attend. We pulled them from the ISD because they weren’t doing their job to our satisfaction, and yet we are still paying them to do that job. No school is going to fix their problems when there is no negative effect as a result.” – Meghan Matson
           

• “School choice and vouchers is just a Trojan horse to more control over schooling in Texas. It's especially a threat to homeschoolers. Sure, we don't "have" to take any money. BUT, for those that do, they will open the door to more government controls over homeschooling.” – Dawn Martin
      

• “Yes. In fact, he ought to do everything in his power to keep those worthless RINOs in Austin until they pass (or at least have a vote on) all the Republican priorities. This is shameful what is going on under the leadership of that closet Democrat Phelan.” – Eric Knutson
      

• “Once the money follows the child, parents will finally be free to get a quality education for their children. Schools will be held to a much higher standard.” – Dianna Allen
       

• “Stopping the brainwashing of our kids is a top priority. School choice is the only way.” – Jeffrey A. Mayer
      

• "School choice is important, but we have bigger fish to fry in our state: border security, election security. If you do not fix these two first, then we have no need to work on school choice!” – Gary Alford
      

• “Yes, school choice should exist not for a few, but for all. Taxpayers’ money should go to educate the children along with their families' money. A fair share to all.” – Johnny Nail
      

• “I voted no because I am a homeschooling parent who does not want money from the government giving them a foot in the door to tell me what and how I must teach. I enjoy the freedom to teach my children according to my values, not those of the government, which is why I chose to homeschool in the first place.”  – Cassy Gundelach 
      

• “I voted ‘Yes,’ but I find it telling that Abbott isn't threatening special sessions for property tax relief or child gender mutilation. Guess his ‘conservative stance’ only goes so far...” – Jason Kerr
      

• “Having served as a delegate to the 2022 State GOP Convention and voting for the top eight legislative priorities, I feel completely betrayed by the Texas House.” – Helen Hurd
      

• "After working in school systems for 33 years, I retired before I turned any more students into toadstools. I encourage every young parent that I meet today NOT to send their kids to the PUBLIC schools, even if they have to get a second job to do it." – Eleanor Edmundson
      

• "Many homeschool parents don’t want school choice because of the inevitable rules/programs that will be forced on them if the government gets involved. As a retired Texas teacher, I fear that money dedicated to school choice will take away funds which could be used for improving public education, thereby putting disadvantaged students at risk." – Mary Grace Hearnsberger 
      

• “A thousand times YES for 'extra sessions'. Can even let the senators stay home until the stalling, gimmicky House members come up with a true school choice bill that can be voted on.” – Tim Rhodes
      

• “Of course, the neo-fascists in the Texas House don't want school choice, free speech, or anything else that would threaten their club.” – Tobie Hall
      

• “The answer to school choice and education is to ban taxpayer-funded lobbying. Legislators, especially in the House, refuse to bite the hand that feeds their campaign fund accounts.” – Terry Harper
      

• “School choice is about economic freedom. One should not be locked into a government propaganda machine that counters the values of parents. America has become stifled economically and in her growth of liberty due to the government not teaching moral character.” – Greg Reinhart
      

• "If the children of Texas are not 'special' enough to fight for their best education, I do NOT know who is!" – Carol Dean
      

• "Texas tried to pass its first school choice bill in 1993 – 30 years ago! Even since Republicans have held large majorities in the Legislature, the Texas House has consistently killed school choice over and over. It is disgraceful!" – Jeff Judson
      

• "Greg's blatant grab at an upper-class tax cut in the form of discounts on private school tuition at the expense of our public schools is the most disgusting thing I have borne witness to in all my years as a Texan voter." – Joshua Wimberley
     

• "It's obvious we need to clean out our Republican Texas House, as they most certainly are not working for us." – Cindy Middleton
     

• "I am thoroughly disgusted with the public school system. High school graduates can’t make change because they aren’t taught math. The schools are only teaching the kids to take the STAAR test. They are not teaching basic studies; therefore, the students are unprepared to step out into the workforce and function properly. The need to stop all the left-wing nonsense and go back to the basics is clearly evident." – Sandi Stephens
         

• "With no hope for significant tax reform, Texas parents should definitely have a choice of where to send their children and the money should follow the child!" – Lloyd Smith

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