Good morning,

With some suggesting a redo of the 2020 Census, we asked readers yesterday who they thought should be included in the count. You'll find their answers below.

This is the Texas Minute for Wednesday, July 9, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Feds Arrest 10 for Ambush Attack on ICE Agents in Texas

• Federal officials announced yesterday the arrest of 10 people in connection with an attack on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. As Joseph Trimmer reports, federal law enforcement officers in Texas have been targeted in two violent ambushes over the last week.
     
• On July 4, a dozen attackers opened fire on an ICE detention center in Alvarado, shooting a police officer in the neck. All suspects were later caught, and ten of them now face federal attempted murder charges.
      
• "We want these thugs to never see the light of day again." – Greg Abbott
     
• On Monday, a gunman opened fire on a Border Patrol office in McAllen, injuring two police officers and an agent. The gunman was killed in an ensuing gunfight.
      
• The Department of Homeland Security told Fox News that assaults against ICE officers have surged by nearly 700 percent this year.

'No Amnesty' For Illegal Aliens

• At an event focused on the security implications of the agriculture industry, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins condemned the notion of “amnesty” for illegal aliens working on farms and ranches. The Texas native said there must be “a 100 percent American workforce” in agriculture as a matter of national security.
      
• There has been concern raised in recent days that the Trump administration is considering amnesty for farm workers and hospitality workers. Rollins disputed that notion, saying the president “has been unequivocal that there will be no amnesty.”
     
• “We must be strategic in how we are implementing the mass deportation so as not to compromise our food supply,” added Rollins. “I can’t underscore enough, there will be no amnesty.”

RELATED IMMIGRATION NEWS

• The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is terminating the Temporary Protected Status for those individuals because neither Honduras nor Nicaragua currently meets the statutory conditions.
      
• The TPS designation was established by Congress in 1990, providing certain foreign nationals with temporary legal status in the U.S. if returning to their home country is deemed too dangerous due to political, economic, or environmental crises. Honduran and Nicaraguan nationals first received the protections after Hurricane Mitch rocked the countries in 1998.

Court Rules Texas Can Release 2024 School Accountability Ratings

• An appeals court has ruled that the Texas Education Agency can release its 2024 school accountability ratings, despite dozens of districts trying to keep the ratings hidden from the public. Erin Anderson has the details.
     
• The A-F accountability ratings, which TEA rolled out in 2018, are meant to assess how well schools serve students and taxpayers. They are based on student achievement, student progress, and how well districts are closing gaps in academic performance for certain groups of students. The metrics used to calculate the ratings are “refreshed” every five years.
      
• School districts sued the TEA in 2023 and again in 2024 to block the release of the ratings, claiming that the refresh process resulted in unfairly calculated ratings. The 2023 ratings were released earlier this year.
      
• Under the ruling, those school districts that fought the release of the ratings will have to pay the costs associated with the appeal.

IRS Moves to Allow Pastors to Endorse Political Candidates

• A proposed order to a federal court would allow pastors and churches to make political endorsements without risking their tax-exempt status. As Travis Morgan explains, the proposal would bring an end to a lawsuit brought against the IRS in 2024. 
     
• The plaintiffs in the case—National Religious Broadcasters and Intercessors for America, Sand Springs Church, and First Baptist Church Waskom—challenge the so-called “Johnson Amendment,” which has been used to force churches to stay out of political engagement. They claim the IRS’ long-standing interpretation of the Johnson Amendment violated their constitutional rights.
    
• President Trump’s IRS has been working with the plaintiffs to bring about the change, noting this is in line with how the IRS has generally applied the Johnson Amendment in practice.
      
• The order will not take effect until it is signed by the judge presiding over the lawsuit.

Baylor University Receives Grant to Promote ‘LGBTQIA Inclusion’

• Baylor University has received a grant of more than $600,000 to promote the LGBTQ+ left-wing agenda in American churches. Adam Cahn has the story.
       
• According to the Baptist-aligned university, the grant is designed to “help us better understand the disenfranchisement and exclusion of LGBTQIA+ individuals and women within congregations to nurture institutional courage and foster change.”
      
• Baylor’s announcement received criticism from author Megan Basham, who has documented left-wing attempts to infiltrate Christian organizations. She said Baylor is using "toxic empathy" to help bend Christian institutions to the will of the left-wing agenda.

Conroe ISD Poised To Reject UIL Access for Homeschoolers

• Michael Wilson reports officials in the Conroe Independent School District are not on board with a state policy change that would allow homeschooled students to compete in public schools' University Interscholastic League events. 
     
• At issue is legislation that was passed earlier this year, amending the Texas Education Code to give school districts the authority to decline participation by non-enrolled students in UIL activities. In short, the law gives local school boards the option to opt out of allowing homeschoolers to take part. Those homeschooling students who live in a district that denies them access to UIL programs can apply to participate in the next nearest district.
      
• The Texas High School Coaches Association and Coaches Education Foundation oppose the inclusion of homeschool students in public schools' sports. The state provides $1,500 in funding per participating homeschool student to districts that opt in.
      
• If the board follows through, Conroe ISD will be the only Houston-area district to decline participation by homeschooling students. Some, like CISD Board President Misty Odenweller, have raised concerns that the district will operate at a disadvantage if they are the only Houston-area district to open the doors to homeschool students.

Quote-Unquote

"In all disputes between conflicting governments it is our interest not less than our duty to remain strictly neutral, while our geographical position, the genius of our institutions and our people, the advancing spirit of civilization, and, above all, the dictates of religion direct us to the cultivation of peaceful and friendly relations with all other powers."

– Zachary Taylor
Inaugural Address​

Y'All Answered

It has been suggested by some that the 2020 U.S. Census, conducted during the Covid pandemic, should be redone. That idea has received approval from President Donald Trump and others. Among other things, census data serves as the basis for allocating the 435 seats in the U.S. House between the states, and then how district lines are drawn by the states' legislatures.

Yesterday, we asked who readers thought should be counted for the purposes of congressional seat apportionment and spending.

Here is a sampling of the responses we received.

• “Citizens and legal residents are all that should count. Illegals should be removed.” – Gerald Dietz
      

• “With all the reports and evidence of corruption during the Biden (Covid) era, why would there even be a question on this?” – Margie McAllister
      

• “We do not use the census to count how many mouths we must feed, we use the census to determine how many voters live here.” – Jim Moyer
      

• “Everything that came out of the Biden Administration was a lie. It makes perfect sense for the census to get a do-over. It's unfortunate, but this is just one more price we have to pay for allowing socialists to run the country. They leave a mess and someone has to clean it up.” – Jan Shedd
      

• “Let’s get all the illegals out of the whole country and then have a recount.” – Walt Hall
      

• “It is the legal right of a citizen to vote. A resident is not a citizen and therefore cannot vote legally. We need to keep to the constitution and stop continuing to grey areas-muddy the waters.” – Jan Goria
      

• “The Constitution requires the census to count ‘persons,’ not citizens, so a constitutional amendment would be required to count only citizens. On the other hand, the Founding Fathers certainly never imagined the country being overrun by 30 million illegal aliens camping out on our land, and this is the genius of the Constitution: it can be amended when things change.” – Jim Pikl
      

• “Why in the world would a noncitizen be allowed to vote in our elections? Does anyone think it would be appropriate for your neighbor or a guest to tell you how to run your household? U.S. Citizens only!” – Margaret Vonder Hoya
      

• “Illegal aliens should not be counted for purposes of apportionment, representation, or electors.” – Patrick Bell
       

• “A new census in 2026 likely will allow a number of congressional seats to shift away from Blue states.  The larger states would need new CD maps, allowing for a number of Democrats to fight over the reduced number of ‘safe’ minority-held seats. It would be wonderful to watch the Texas Democrats fight over who gets to stay, and who loses.” – Thomas Bazan

Directory of Your Current U.S. & Texas Lawmakers

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