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Good morning, 

This is the Texas Minute for Wednesday, April 2, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

In Legal Filing, Paxton Supports Trump’s Border Security Orders

• Attorney General Ken Paxton is defending President Donald Trump’s constitutional powers to secure the southern border. Will Biagini has the details.
      
• In his court filing, Paxton argues that the federal government is constitutionally required to protect the states from invasion and that the power to control who enters sovereign territory—and who does not—is itself a defining characteristic of “sovereignty.” 
   
• At issue is a lawsuit filed against the Trump administration by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies.
      
• “The federal government must be allowed to do its duty, end the invasion, and save our beloved country.” — Ken Paxton

Lawmaker Proposes Sending Illegal Alien Inmates to El Salvador Prison

• In a letter sent this week, State Rep. David Lowe (R-North Richland Hills) is urging Gov. Greg Abbott and other officials to explore sending illegal alien inmates serving time in Texas prisons to a notorious facility in El Salvador. Brandon Waltens has the story.
       
• Of more than 12,000 foreign-born inmates in Texas' prisons, Lowe wrote that nearly 6,000 have been identified as being in the country illegally. More than a hundred of them, he added, are serving sentences of life without parole.
      
• Lowe wants Texas to follow the federal example set by President Donald Trump, who has ordered that violent criminals—alleged members of the MS-13 and Tren de Aragua gangs—be sent to El Salvador's CECOT facility, which has gained international attention for its focus on controlling gang violence.
       
• In his letter, Lowe asks that state officials evaluate the legal and diplomatic logistics of transferring inmates to CECOT to finish their sentences, intending to deport them to their home countries upon completion.

Effort to End Taxpayer-Funded Junk Food Moves Forward

• Legislation has passed out of the Senate to prohibit the purchase of junk food using benefits provided by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Under the measure authored by Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston), welfare recipients would no longer be allowed to use the taxpayers' money to purchase junk food items such as soda, candy, cookies, potato chips, corn chips, and energy drinks.
    
• SNAP is a federally funded program administered at the state level by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, which is responsible for determining eligibility and distributing benefits. Middleton cited data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showing that approximately 20 percent of SNAP dollars are spent on sugary drinks and snack foods. 
       
• “This bill helps make sure food stamps can’t be used to purchase junk foods and sweetened drinks that we know are bad for us, and are making Texans sick,” said Middleton.
      
• Senate Bill 379 now goes to the Texas House for consideration.

OTHER SENATE NEWS

Senate Passes Proposals to Mandate Counties Assist ICE

Two pieces of legislation dealing with issues related to illegal immigration passed the Texas Senate on Tuesday.

Texas Senators Approve Religious Freedom, Transparency Measures

A proposal to allow teachers to pray on duty sparked heated debate over the U.S. Supreme Court’s position on the separation of church and state.

Collin County Residents Reject Planned Islamic ‘City’

• Erin Anderson reports that an overflowing crowd showed up at Collin County Commissioners Court this week for a public hearing about a proposed Islamic community. Dozens of citizens spoke, with almost all opposed to the development being spearheaded by the East Plano Islamic Center, also known as the EPIC Masjid.
     
• The project is designed to include 1,000 homes as well as a mosque, school, and other facilities catering to Muslim families. Prospective residents purchased $80,000 “shares” to secure lots, becoming “accredited investors” in the 402-acre future community.
     
• Collin County Administrator Yoon Kim explained that the EPIC City land is in an unincorporated area on the eastern edge of the county, just north of the city of Josephine. While the county can regulate plats and infrastructure, such as roads and utilities, it cannot regulate land use or residential density in the way that cities are authorized to manage zoning.
      
• As of Monday, Collin County had not received any application from EPIC or its affiliates to develop the property. Westwood Professional Services, which is providing engineering services to the developers, told commissioners they did not have a timetable for when they might submit plans to the county for review.

RELATED EPIC NEWS

• The agency has ordered EPIC and its affiliated entities to confirm within seven days that no construction activity has taken place. If they fail to comply, the state says they will face legal consequences.

Two Huntsville ISD Teachers Arrested in Separate Sex Crime Cases

• Two teachers in Huntsville Independent School District have been arrested in separate incidents involving sex crimes. Demondrae Murray was charged with soliciting a prostitute, while Eric Buchek has been accused of having an “improper relationship” with a student.
      
• Murray is a teacher at Mance Park Middle School and holds a certificate to teach special education.
      
• Buchek, meanwhile, has taught at Huntsville High School but is not certified. 

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