Good morning,

Readers sound off on the state of the border.

This is the Texas Minute for Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Court Orders Texas State University To Reinstate Fired Professor

• A district judge in Hays County has ordered Texas State University to reinstate a professor it terminated following his appearance at a socialist conference, where he called for the overthrow of the U.S. government. Adam Cahn has the story.
     
• Texas State University fired Tom Alter after comments he made at a Revolutionary Socialist Conference in early September were exposed. He was terminated shortly thereafter.
     
• Alter subsequently sued Texas State, claiming that he was speaking in his capacity as a private citizen, not in his capacity as a TSU employee.
      
• A Texas State spokesperson told Texas Scorecard that the university will continue its termination proceedings and that "Alter will not be permitted to teach classes."

UNT Police Agree To Protect Conservative Student

• A conservative student at the University of North Texas facing harassment and threats is now going to receive police protection while on campus. As Robert Montoya reports, the case began when the young woman called out her classmates for celebrating the murder of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. In the days following, Mary-Catherine Hallmark was physically and verbally threatened over her calls for civility.
          
• Hallmark and her mother called out university officials for not addressing the young woman’s concerns to their satisfaction. In recent years, there have been numerous instances of violent threats against conservative women on UNT's campus.
        
• Pressure has been building on UNT to take the matter seriously, with Attorney General Ken Paxton, along with State Reps. Andy Hopper and Shelley Luther, demanding action. 
        
• "Our schools cannot be allowed to remain incubators of leftist extremism." – Ken Paxton

Texas Inconsistent with Federal Commercial Driver’s License Requirements

• A nationwide audit conducted by the ​​Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration shows a lack of compliance with federal law by several states for commercial license requirements. Addie Hovland reports that several states—including Texas—were found to be violating federal requirements.
       
• Among other things, the audit found that license expiration dates were discovered that extended beyond a driver’s legal stay in the country.
      
• "What our team has discovered should disturb and anger every American," said Sean Duffy, the secretary of transportation. "Licenses to operate a massive, 80,000-pound truck are being issued to dangerous foreign drivers—often times illegally."

Deadly Shooting at Eagle Pass Casino

• Brandon Waltens reports that a shooting over the weekend at the Eagle Pass casino run by the Kickapoo tribe resulted in two deaths. A suspect, 34-year-old Keyran Jones, has been arrested.
     
• One of those killed was Marcus Antley, a retired U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent.
     
• The Lucky Eagle Casino, located on the Kickapoo Tribe of Texas reservation near Eagle Pass, is one of only a handful of Indian-run casinos operating in the state. It offers Class II gaming, which includes electronic bingo-style slot machines permitted under federal law.

Retired Elementary Teacher Arrested on Federal CSAM Charges

• A retired elementary school “Teacher of the Year” was arrested on federal charges of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material. Erin Anderson has the details.
     
• Robby Lynn Mason, 56, taught third-grade math in the Dumas Independent School District, where he was named "Elementary Teacher of the Year" in 2022. He previously taught in Sunray ISD and Canyon ISD.
    
• State records show Mason received provisional lifetime teaching certifications in 1994. His certificate is currently under review by the Texas Education Agency’s Educator Investigations Division.

OTHER EDUCATION NEWS

• An AISD spokesperson said local officials do not believe "any Austin ISD students are involved in these charges."

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Quote-Unquote

"If the border is not secured, it does not matter what kind of immigration policy we have—or think we have—because people will cross the borders when they want to, regardless of what the policy turns out to be."

– Thomas Sowell​

Y'All Answered

Significant state resources once directed at border enforcement are now being redirected elsewhere, leaving county law enforcement officials in a lurch for the prosecution of illegal aliens captured as part of Operation Lone Star.

In yesterday's One Click Survey, we asked readers if they thought politicians had declared victory too quickly at the border. While just over 91 percent of readers think that is the case, 8.6 percent do not.

Here's a sampling of comments we received from folks after they clicked an answer.

• “The state and national resources should continue until the backlog is processed. Locals should not have to foot the bill! Nor should the illegals be released.” – Linda Stevens
      

• “Local officials have enough to do with their normal jobs without the burden of handling the overflow of the border.” – Roy Getting
     

• “The border is secure and the Federal government is no longer neglecting its responsibilities.” – Steven Gorman
     

• “Just because the invasion has slowed down doesn't mean it's ended. It's a mistake to assume the border is now secure.” – Cindy Armstrong
      

• “An invasion is not quelled until all the invaders have been kicked out of the country or executed. Texas seems to be doing the half-job that gets headlines and sloughing off the work that completes the task.” – Jim Moyer
      

• “If we give them the slightest chance, illegals will invade again. We must remain vigilant.” – Barbara L Bussey
      

• “Securing the border is job 1. We have made a good start, but it is much too soon to abandon the cause.” – Reid Davidson
      

• “We finally see that the border is safer. Now, funding is pulled too soon. Prosecutions are the key to keeping it safe.” – Tommy E. Parson
      

• “If we move on with a closed border without addressing the millions who breached it during the invasion, the Biden administration will have successfully accomplished their mission of destroying our country. They counted on us not having the fortitude to remove those here illegally and we must prove them wrong.” – Elissa Harrell
   

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