Good morning, Calls are growing for mass deportation of those who illegally entered the country. Sound off with your thoughts in today's One Click Survey. This is the Texas Minute for Monday, Oct. 28, 2024.
Trump Wants Death Penalty for Illegal Aliens Who Murder U.S. Citizens
- Gov. Greg Abbott is demanding that Vice President Kamala Harris declare the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, as a foreign terrorist organization. Abbott classified the Venezuelan gang as a terrorist organization last month and launched a statewide operation targeting them.
- A former Eagle Pass police detective has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for her role in a human smuggling organization. Valerie Muñoz has the details.
- Between September 2020 and August 2021, then-Detective Hazel Eileen Diaz rented out multiple properties for the purpose of hiding illegal aliens for a human smuggling organization. In addition to receiving 10 years of imprisonment, Diaz will serve three years of supervised release and pay a $10,000 fine and $237,600 money judgment. She will also forfeit three properties, a truck, and the cash she received as payment from the smuggling group.
Federal Subsidies Predominately Fund Unreliable Energy
- A new study from the Texas Public Policy Foundation finds that federal energy subsidies have gone predominantly to fund unreliable power sources. Addie Hovland has the details.
- Wind projects received $65 billion in federal subsidies from 2010 to 2023, while solar received $76 billion. Oil and gas projects received $33 billion while nuclear received just $26 billion.
- “Energy markets should be driven by competition, innovation, and consumer choices, not by government mandates and subsidies,” said Brent Bennett, who authored the study.
Williamson County Solves Shortage of Secure Ballot Boxes
- As the first week of early voting neared its end, Daniel Greer reports Williamson County officials found themselves grappling with an unexpected logistical issue: a shortage of secure ballot boxes.
- Election Systems & Software, the vendor responsible for supplying the secure boxes, had initially committed to delivering 305 units to accommodate voters during early voting and on Election Day. However, only 65 of these boxes had arrived, sparking concerns about potential disruptions in the election process.
- The ES&S system used in Williamson County has voters make ballot selections on a screen. The system then prints the ballot, which the voter reviews. The voter then puts it into a counter, which drops it into the proprietary boxes for storage.
- To address the shortage, county officials decided to use approved election-day canvas bags to fill the gap left by the missing ballot boxes.
Harris County Judge Promotes Houston ISD Bond
- While most local officials have refused to take a public position on Houston Independent School District’s $4.4 billion bond, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced her support for it this week. Charles Blain reports this is the largest debt proposal in state history.
- Including interest payments on the debt, taxpayers will be on the hook for more than $8 billion if the bonds are approved.
- Hidalgo joins the Greater Houston Partnership and the Houston Region Business Coalition in her support of the bond.
- The Harris County Republican and Democrat Parties have both announced opposition, as have several parent groups, the teachers union, the Metropolitan Organization, an association of Houston churches, and Houston’s NAACP branch.
Today In HistoryOn Oct. 28, 1835, Texas patriots and Mexican soldiers fought the Battle of Concepción. Less than 100 Texians, led by James Bowie and James W. Fannin, Jr., defeated more than 250 Mexican soldiers.
The number of days left until the Tuesday, Nov. 5, General Election. Early voting continues through this Friday.
[Source: Secretary of State; calendar]
"A nation that cannot control its borders is not a nation."
ONE CLICK SURVEYDonald Trump was in Texas on Friday addressing the border crisis. He said that, if voters return him to the White House, he would order the "largest mass deportation in history." What do you think?
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