Secretary of State allows noncitizen licenses as voter ID... ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Good morning,

This is the Texas Minute for Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan

Texas Secretary of State Allows Noncitizen Licenses As Voter ID

An advisory issued yesterday afternoon from the Texas Secretary of State’s office directs election workers to accept driver's licenses issued to noncitizens as voter identification, even though state-issued training materials indicate they should not be accepted. Erin Anderson has the story.
The Texas Department of Public Safety does issue driver's licenses and personal identification cards to lawfully present noncitizens. The IDs are clearly marked "Temporary Visitor" or "Limited-Term" and expire after one year or when the person’s period of lawful presence expires.
According to the advisory issued by Secretary Jane Nelson's office, "the individual should be offered a regular ballot" after being told the document shows them to be a noncitizen. The state elections director—who works for Nelson—wrote that voters "should not use this type of license to participate in elections" but directs poll workers to accept voters presenting noncitizen IDs.
In the past, election worker training materials have listed these documents as unacceptable forms of identification for voting under the state’s voter ID law.
Nelson's office does, though, remind election workers that it is a "state criminal offense to knowingly allow a noncitizen to vote."

REPORT: Texas Among 29 States With Known Terrorist Cases

According to findings issued by the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, foreign jihadist networks and homegrown Islamic extremists are a “persistent terror threat to America.” As Emily Medeiros reports, more than 50 cases have been identified in 29 states between April 2021 and September 2024—including Texas.
The committee has found these threats increased after the Biden-Harris administration’s catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan, which left 13 American service members dead.
In January 2022, Malik Faisal Akram held Americans hostage at a Colleyville synagogue before he was killed by authorities. That same year, Jaylyn Christopher Molina from Cost, Texas, was sentenced for conspiring to provide material support to ISIS.
Since 2021, 382 individuals on the terrorist watchlist have been apprehended at the southwest border.

Feds Give Unaccompanied Minors to Strangers

Unaccompanied illegal alien children released by the federal government to in-country sponsors often do not know who the sponsors are or have any relationship with them. Will Biagini reports on a new exposé from the Muckracker news site focused on a Texas-based facility.
In the video, children who are foreign nationals are seen transported to an airport from the headquarters of the private security organization MVM Inc., which has facilitated the relocation of many unaccompanied minors. Once at the airport, children are flown to various parts of the country to be released into the custody of allegedly unvetted sponsors.
A U.S. Border Patrol agent featured in the Muckraker video admitted that many children released to these sponsors become victims of human trafficking.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services facilitates the release of unaccompanied children encountered at the southwest border to sponsors located inside the country. Often, those sponsors will be strangers to the children.
According to Selene Rodriguez of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, the policies of the Biden-Harris administration have left unaccompanied minors completely helpless and at the disposal of transnational criminal organizations.

RELATED NEWS

Venezuelan Suspects Arrested for Dallas Robbery Might Have Ties to Violent Gangs

Four armed men allegedly assaulted and robbed a Dallas woman late last month. Now, law enforcement officials believe the four suspects are tied to at least one local gang. All of them are in the country illegally.

The New York Post asserts that the men are reportedly connected to the violent Tren de Aragua gang. The Dallas Police Department has said there is little evidence to make the connection.
The four suspects are being held in the Dallas County Jail on an immigration hold.

TAMU-Commerce Offers DEI Certificate Under New Title

Texas A&M University's campus in Commerce is offering an undergraduate certificate in leftwing indoctrination, what would have been "diversity, equity, and inclusion." But, as Robert Montoya has uncovered, TAMUC has renamed it "JEDI": justice, equity, diversity and inclusion.
Yes, apparently, TAMU's leadership thinks you, Texas' taxpayers and elected officials, are too stupid to notice.
To receive the "JEDI" certification, students must complete 12 semester hours of courses featuring a range of leftist-infused topics. Those classes include "Introduction to Gender Studies," "Social Class, Wealth/Power," "Racial and Ethnic Diversity," and "Topics in Sexuality Studies."

Casino Lobby Boosts Abbott and Hegar With Major Contributions

A pro-casino PAC is contributing significantly to two of Texas’ top officials ahead of the upcoming legislative session. According to new campaign finance filings, the Texas Sands PAC donated $150,000 to Gov. Greg Abbott and $100,000 to Comptroller Glenn Hegar during August and September. Brandon Waltens has the details.
The Nevada-based Sands has been pushing for lawmakers to grant it a geographic, government-enforced monopoly. The company's PAC spent heavily on incumbent lawmakers, many of whom lost in the GOP primary. Sands' PAC also gave $350,000 to embattled House Speaker Dade Phelan in the primary.

Despite Budget Deficit, El Paso ISD Trustees OK $2 Million for Bond ‘Strategist’

Trustees in El Paso Independent School District unanimously approved spending more than $2 million of taxpayers’ money on a bond “strategist,” even as the district faces declining enrollment, school closures, and an $18.5 million budget deficit. El Paso ISD's leadership wants to become a “Destination District.”
Currently, 20 of the district’s 48 elementary schools are at or below 60 percent capacity.
In June, El Paso ISD trustees adopted a budget for 2024-25 with an $18.5 million deficit. Last year the district also spent more than it took in and dipped into reserves to make up the difference.