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Good morning,

In today's One Click Survey, we want to know what you think should happen to local entities that ignore immigration laws.

This is the Texas Minute for Monday, January 27, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

US Troops Arrive in El Paso To Secure the Border

• Soldiers have begun arriving in El Paso as part of President Donald Trump's promise to send more than a thousand U.S. troops to conduct enforcement operations along the southern border. Emily Medeiros has the story.
      
• The Department of Defense will also provide airlift support for flights operated by the Department of Homeland Security to facilitate the deportations of more than 5,000 illegal aliens detained in the San Diego and El Paso sectors.

RELATED NEWS

• Harris County's Immigrant Legal Services Fund provides free legal representation in Harris County for people facing deportation from Houston-area detention centers.
      
• “It is deeply disappointing to see that our local county commissioners have chosen to allocate $2 million in taxpayer funds to provide legal services for non-citizens, regardless of their criminal background. This decision represents a clear misappropriation of funds in Harris County.” – Richard Vega

Texas Senate Moves Swiftly on School Choice

• As Luca Cacciatore reports, the Texas Senate's Committee on Education K-16 will hold a hearing tomorrow on school choice. The issue is a top priority for Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and the Republican Party of Texas. 
   
• Senate Bill 2 would create education savings accounts for parents with students in Texas schools from pre-kindergarten through high school. The primary author is Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe), who chairs the committee. 
     
• The measure would provide $10,000 annually per pupil to fund accredited private school tuition, textbooks, transportation, and other expenses. Families of students with disabilities, meanwhile, would be allotted $11,500 annually per pupil.
     
• The senate's proposed budget tentatively allocates $1 billion for the program, meaning funding would be available for about 50,000 students. The Texas Education Agency projects that the state currently has more than five million students enrolled in the school system. Unlike proposals discussed last session in 2023, Senate Bill 2 does not provide funding to school districts for any students who leave.
           
• “This session, we are fully committed to passing universal, comprehensive school choice legislation, ensuring every Texas family has access to the educational opportunities they deserve.” – Brandon Creighton
       
• The Texas House has not set committees or scheduled any legislation for hearings.

Texas State Bar Drops Long-Running Case Against Attorney General Ken Paxton

• After four years of contentious legal battles, the Texas State Bar has officially dropped its highly politicized effort to sanction Attorney General Ken Paxton. Brandon Waltens has the details.
      
• In December 2020, following a presidential election filled with concerns about election integrity, Paxton led 18 states in filing Texas v. Pennsylvania at the United States Supreme Court. The case challenged the voting procedures in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin and sought to temporarily block those states from certifying vote counts ahead of the Electoral College vote. The Supreme Court eventually dismissed the case.
      
• In 2022, the Texas State Bar—the professional organization that certifies lawyers—attempted to censure and sanction Paxton and his first assistant attorney general, Brent Webster, for having filed the lawsuit. The Bar filed a lawsuit against them to strip their law licenses.
   
• “The State Bar’s meritless case was not about justice or the rule of law but about weaponizing the legal process to attack me for boldly defending the rights of Texas. For four years, this unfounded lawfare wasted valuable time and resources, but these unethical tactics will never stop me from fighting to uphold the rule of law, protect our elections, and defend the values that Texans hold dear.” – Ken Paxton

DOJ Drops Criminal Case Against Texas Children’s Hospital Whistleblower

• On Friday, the U.S. Department of Justice dropped its criminal case against a Texas Children’s Hospital doctor who blew the whistle on the hospital for continuing to administer cross-sex hormones to children.
      
• In May 2023, Eithan Haim revealed that the hospital was continuing to administer cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers to minors despite its CEO announcing in March 2022 that the practice would be terminated. A month later, Haim was threatened with criminal prosecution by the Biden administration—a threat they made good on by indicting him last summer.
       
• "WE DID IT!!!! WE WON!!!!!!!" – Eithan Haim

A&M to Pause Undergraduate Enrollment Growth

• Texas A&M University has announced that it will stop undergraduate enrollment growth for the next five to seven years as part of an initiative to “right-size” the university and catch up on building infrastructure. As Valorie Muñoz reports, new enrollment will be limited to 15,000 undergraduates, comprising 11,750 freshmen and 3,250 transfers.
      
• The announcement was made late last week by Texas A&M President Mark Welsh, who said the student body had grown 30 percent in the past ten years. This has resulted in inadequate infrastructure ranging from housing to transportation.
     
• Last fall, A&M's provost told members of the Texas Senate the university was facing concerns over core course availability. 

Today In History

On January 27, 1943, the U.S. Army Air Corps launched its first strike on Germany, involving 58 bombers dropping 137.5 tons of munitions on the port of Wilhelmshaven.

Quote-Unquote

"A nation that cannot control its borders is not a nation." – Ronald Reagan

One Click Survey

A new memorandum issued by the U.S. Department of Justice is ordering local and state governments to comply with executive immigration initiatives. The DOJ warns that anyone who interferes with immigration enforcement will face legal action.

If cities and counties in Texas refuse to comply with the Trump administration’s immigration policies, should they lose access to state and federal funding?
    

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