Good morning, 

Here is the Texas Minute for Tuesday, September 26, 2023.

– Brandon Waltens 

Texas GOP Calls for Legislative Action Over Illegal Alien Settlement

• As the border crisis intensifies, Texans are turning attention to an illegal alien housing development called Colony Ridge, which is situated just north of Houston in Liberty County.
   

• Sydnie Henry reports the Texas GOP has passed a resolution calling for action on Colony Ridge: [T]he Republican Party of Texas asks for legislation to be added to the upcoming special session call, or to a subsequent special session, to prevent further settlement of illegal aliens in Colony Ridge and any other areas of Texas.
   

• The GOP is also asking Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to “initiate a full investigation into the development activities of Colony Ridge Land, LLC, and its possible connections to elected officials in the region.”
   

• Colony Ridge Communities is the land development company responsible for providing loans for the construction of one of the largest illegal alien settlements in America. Notably, it is funded by one of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s major donors.
   

• Terrenos Houston, the marketing program for Colony Ridge, advertises to illegal aliens by indicating they do not require traditional bank loans, nor do they need Social Security numbers or a proven job history to apply. Instead, the company operates through owner-financed lots for illegal aliens who don’t qualify for certain loans. 
   

• The company is particularly active on international media platforms and produces marketing videos in Spanish, promoting incentives like discounts and video tours of the area’s new schools.

Texas Democrat Mayors Sound Alarm on the Border Crisis

• Two Democrat city mayors are sounding the alarm due to an influx of illegal aliens crossing the southern border. 
   

• Emily Medeiros reports that El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser said the city has reached a breaking point after encountering more than 2,000 illegal aliens per day— straining resources and exceeding the available space at shelters. 
   

• "The city of El Paso only has so many resources and we have come to... a breaking point right now," said Leeser. "So, this is something that we've been prepared for, but these numbers have really escalated a lot quicker than we ever anticipated." 
   

• On Saturday, the city chartered five buses to take illegal aliens to their desired destinations, including New York, Chicago, and Denver. 
   

• Notably, Leeser isn't the only Democrat Mayor to call attention to the border crisis. Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas Jr. told CNN that he declared a state of emergency after 5,000 illegal aliens crossed the southern border into his city. 
   

• Salinas slammed the Biden administration, saying the president has "abandoned" border communities, and claimed that no one from the White House has offered assistance. 

Paxton Demands Backpay After Hegar Withheld Salary 

• After Comptroller Glenn Hegar suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s salary this summer following the House’s vote to impeach him in May, Paxton is demanding backpay.
   

• “I am aware that staff at the Office of the Comptroller of Public Accounts (“CPA”) has withheld salary payments from Attorney General Ken Paxton during pendency of impeachment proceedings and that the CPA has further refused to provide back payments to Attorney General Paxton notwithstanding his full acquittal of all impeachment charges,” First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster wrote in a letter to Hegar on Monday. 
   

• “I write today to unequivocally inform you that the Office of the Attorney General’s position is that the CPA is in violation of not only state law, but also the Texas Constitution, by refusing to issue salary payments to a duly elected statewide officeholder and advise you that this agency will consider all legal avenues to redress this issue.”
   

• Webster cited the Texas Constitution, which states that the Attorney General “shall receive an annual salary.”
   

• Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has gone a step further, and called for a change in the constitution to prevent the suspension of impeached officeholders’ from their work and pay prior to conviction in the senate.
   

• Hegar has not commented on Paxton's demand.

New Pro-School Choice PAC Launches

• As Texas gears up for a special legislative session on school choice, the American Federation for Children launched a new political action committee to promote candidates dedicated to “education freedom.” Katy Marshall has the story. 
   

• The AFC advocates for school choice legislation across the country to “empower families, especially lower-income families, with the freedom to choose the best K-12 education for their children.”
   

• The organization also provides resources on education to families and mentors “tomorrow’s leaders in the school choice movement.”
   

• Now, the group is launching the AFC Victory Fund Super PAC, which claims it will “​​take AFC’s work of championing school choice and empowering parents to the next level.”
   

• School choice advocate and AFC Senior Fellow Corey DeAngelis supported the AFCVF’s creation on social media and voiced a warning to those working against education freedom.

University Did Not Violate First Amendment by Canceling Drag Show

• A federal judge has ruled that West Texas A&M University President Walter Wendler did not violate the First Amendment when canceling a drag show at the university. Emily Medeiros has the details. 
   

• Earlier this year, a pro-LGBT group planned to host “A Fool’s Drag Race” on campus. The event was rated PG-13 and advertised as a fundraiser for The Trevor Project, a controversial LGBT nonprofit.
   

• Once Wendler heard about the event, he emailed students, faculty, and staff that the event was canceled and said the university would “not host a drag show on campus.”
   

• The ruling by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk states that Wendler’s decision to cancel the show was not ‘objectively unreasonable.’ Kacsmaryk contended that Wendler knew of potential lewdness, which is prohibited under school policy. Additionally, since the group had advised Wendler that the event would be open to children, Kacsmaryk indicated that this strengthened Wendler’s argument for canceling the event.
   

• A WTAMU spokesperson told Texas Scorecard they cannot comment on pending litigation.

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