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Should school districts restrict students from using cell phones on campus? Sound off in today's One Click Survey.

This is the Texas Minute for Monday, August 5, 2024.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Facing Fraud, Biden-Harris Administration Freezes Illegal Alien Parole Program

• An investigation by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service has allegedly uncovered evidence of fraud in the Biden-Harris administration’s illegal alien parole program, resulting in the program being halted. Will Biagini has the details.
       
• The Federation for American Immigration Reform obtained a full report of the USCIS internal review. The parole program was open to individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
     
• Evidence of the fraud includes fake Social Security numbers being used for sponsors, including those of deceased individuals. Further, out of more than 19,000 parole application forms only 100 physical addresses were listed. Thousands of applications were filed from the same internet address, and as many as 10,000 different applications answered questions in exactly the same way.
        
• Because of the findings, a DHS spokesperson said that the program has now been temporarily paused “out of an abundance of caution.”
      
• In March, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas claimed that the program was a “safe and orderly” method for individuals reaching the United States.

Paxton Threatens Lawsuit Over Weaponization of Environmental Law

• Attorney General Ken Paxton has sent a letter to the Biden administration, notifying them of the state’s intent to sue if the administration does not back down from its most recent weaponization of environmental law. The issue centers around the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's categorization of the dunes sagebrush lizard as an endangered species.
        
• According to Paxton's office, the administration used unreliable assumptions about the state’s oil and gas industry—and unsupported conclusions about climate change—when it changed the lizard's designation. The creature is already protected by conservation efforts that were agreed upon by state landowners.
     
• Paxton’s letter gives the Biden administration a 60-day notice to withdraw the rule, or the state will resort to suing the Service and the federal government.
       
• “The federal government needs to let Texans manage Texas. The unlawful listing of the dunes sagebrush lizard under the Endangered Species Act (‘ESA’) is the Biden-Harris Administration’s latest unconstitutional effort to grab land from the American people.” – Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller

Chevron Ditches California for Texas

• Energy giant Chevron is relocating its headquarters from San Ramon, California, to Houston. Debra McClure has more on the story.
      
• The company expects all corporate functions to migrate to Houston over the next five years while support for its California operations will remain in San Ramon. It has roughly 7,000 employees in the Houston area compared to 2,000 in San Ramon.
     
• Chevron did not officially announce a reason for the move beyond “better collaboration,” but California had sued Chevron and other large oil companies last year. The state claimed that the companies misled the public about the "risks" of oil and gas.
     
• Meanwhile, a ballot initiative this November will allow California voters to decide on a proposal to levy an additional tax on Chevron's refinery north of San Francisco.
      
•  “WELCOME HOME Chevron! Texas is your true home. Drill baby drill.” – Gov. Greg Abbott
       
• Hopefully, those making the move will recognize that what they tolerated in California politics is what made them have to leave...

Faculty Say UT Admin Should Have Had ‘Patience’ With Pro-Palestine Protesters

• A committee composed of tenured faculty from the University of Texas has issued a report critical of the administration's response to pro-Palestine protesters who sought to “occupy” part of the Austin campus in April. Valerie Muñoz reports that UT officials are standing by their actions.
      
• Around the country, demonstrations organized by Hamas sympathizers sought to disrupt universities by creating campus encampments. UT officials decided to prevent that from taking place on the Austin campus.
      
• Protesters—many of whom were not UT students—were arrested for trespassing after being instructed to disperse and take down encampments. Police confiscated weapons from the protesters, including “guns, buckets of large rocks, bricks, steel-enforced wood planks, mallets, and chains.” Since then, the Travis County District Attorney has dropped all charges against the protesters, citing insufficient cause to proceed.
        
• The report concluded that the administration’s actions violated the institution’s rules by denying the public the freedom to gather and express their views.
   
• University officials disagree, saying they "support the constitutional rights to free speech" but "will also enforce our rules while providing due process and holding students, faculty, staff, and visitors accountable."

State Board of Education Wants Public Input on Educational Standards

• Through August 16, the public is invited to offer comments to the State Board of Education on the curriculum standards for English, mathematics, and Spanish in Texas classrooms. Adam Cahn reports the SBOE is seeking input on both factual errors and general compatibility with the values of Texans.
      
• (Texans can view the English standards here, the mathematics standards here, and the Spanish standards here.)

Push Begins to Recruit Poll Workers

• Local officials across the country are gearing up to recruit the millions of workers needed to get the job done. Erin Anderson explains the difficulties presented in raising an army of temporary workers to staff polling places on Election Day—Tuesday, November 5—and for 12 days of early voting.
         
• Paid poll worker positions include election judges, clerks, and mail-ballot review boards. Volunteer positions include poll greeters, who work outside the polls, and poll watchers, appointed by candidates or political parties to observe the voting process inside polling places.

Today In History

On August 5, 1981, Ronald Reagan fired more than 11,000 air traffic controllers after they went on strike and refused to return to work. He also issued a lifetime ban on rehiring those who had been fired.

Quote-Unquote

"School is a twelve-year jail sentence where bad habits are the only curriculum truly learned. I teach school and win awards doing it. I should know."

– John Taylor Gatto​

ONE CLICK SURVEY

Some Texas school districts are implementing policies to restrict students' cell phone use on campus. Generally, the policies require the phones to be turned off and placed in lockers or locked pouches that can only be opened by a school official. A state lawmaker plans to file legislation to address the issue statewide.

Advocates say the move removes a major source of distraction in the classroom. Opponents say it interferes with parents' right to monitor their children.

What do you think?

Once you’ve clicked an answer, reply to this email with any thoughts you’d like to share!