Good morning,

Besides this daily Texas Minute email, I also host a podcast of the same name... which is just one of several podcasts and shows produced by Texas Scorecard. You'll find all of those listed below.

But first, here is the news of Texas for Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

House Passes Senate's Border Security Legislation

• Two pieces of border security legislation received approval from the Texas House on Tuesday, reports Sydnie Henry. One will provide new funding for border barrier infrastructure, while the other will create a criminal penalty for illegal entry into the state.
                    
• Slight changes made by the House to the funding package mean senators must choose to either concur or send the legislation to a conference committee where the differences can be addressed.
       

• The Texas House is expected to take up legislation on school choice and education funding on Friday.

Border Encounters With Illegal Aliens Top 240,000 in October

• Although October’s encounters with illegal border crossers are lower than September’s all-time record-breaking high, there are still nearly 10,000 more encounters than last October.

       
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that the “total encounters along the southwest border in October were 240,988, a decrease of 11% from September 2023.” 
       
• However, September’s numbers were the highest ever recorded since the federal government began tracking the data in 2000, with 269,735 total encounters.
       
• For year-to-year comparison, there were 231,529 in October 2022 and 164,827 for the same month in 2021.

Tony Gonzales Pushes to Impeach Alejandro Mayorkas

• After being censured by the Republican Party of Texas earlier this year, in part over part on border security issues, U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales is leading an effort to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
         
• In an interview with Brandon Waltens, Gonzales said he teamed up with Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia after he got news of an incident in Zavala County last week where eight people were killed as a suspected human smuggler attempted to evade police. Two of the victims killed in the head-on collision were from Greene’s district in Georgia.
        
• Gonzales denied changing his position in the face of a party censure and challenges in the 2024 primary.
       
• “I don’t view it as I having changed my position one bit,” said Gonzales. “Now, maybe the narrative or some of the way it’s spawned is a different story. But I’m of the mindset of this is Americans are dying. Now’s the time. No more talk. No more fancy speeches, no more sternly written letters."

Texas A&M to Name Pro-DEI Obama-Appointee as President

• The Texas A&M Board of Regents is reportedly set to name pro-DEI Obama appointee Mark Welsh as the sole finalist for the position of university president. "DEI" refers to the leftist indoctrination program known as "diversity, equity, and inclusion."
      
• Welsh previously served as the dean of TAMU’s Bush School of Government and Public Service from 2016 until he was appointed as interim president this summer.
       
• The former Obama administration official expressed pro-DEI viewpoints multiple times, most recently to the A&M Faculty Senate in August. Welsh previously ran DEI programs for the Bush School.
      
• Texas A&M is overseen by a board of regents, who are appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott and confirmed by the Texas Senate.

Fallon Reverses Course, Will Run for Re-Election in Congress

• Less than 24 hours after announcing he would leave his seat in Congress to return to the Texas Senate, U.S. Rep. Pat Fallon has reversed his decision and will instead run for re-election.
      

• On Monday evening, Fallon created political shockwaves when he filed for Senate District 30, the seat he held previously. The seat was made open last week when State Sen. Drew Springer (R–Muenster) announced he would not seek re-election.
   
• Less than one day later, however, Fallon has changed his mind and will seek re-election to his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Fallon had already earned the endorsement of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick for his planned return to the Texas Senate.
       

• This is not Fallon's first about-face. In 2019, Fallon said he would challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, before backing out weeks later.

Spring Branch ISD Board Meeting Shut Down as Hundreds Protest

• A Spring Branch Independent School District board of trustees meeting was shut down after hundreds of community members gathered to oppose closing down charter schools in the district. Emily Medeiros has the story.
     
• The Houston Fire Marshal’s Office closed the meeting after the room reached capacity, allegedly causing a fire hazard. 
        
• Faced with a $35 million deficit, the district believes it would save approximately $6.2 million by closing the charter schools. Parents and students want officials to find a different way to save money, citing the positive academic effect the schools have had on them.
       

• In August, the board voted to stop sending “Robin Hood” recapture payments to the state in an attempt to keep more money in the district. 

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