Good morning,

Immigration enforcement is being blamed for (or credited with) a drop in enrollment in Houston ISD. Yesterday, we asked readers about requiring schools to collect enrollment information. You'll find the survey results below.

This is the Texas Minute for Tuesday, October 7, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Abbott Approves National Guard Deployment to Restore Order at ICE Facilities in Blue States

• Amid violent attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in cities across the country, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has authorized the deployment of hundreds of Texas National Guard troops to help restore order. Brandon Waltens has the details.
   
• President Donald Trump has ordered 400 members of the Texas National Guard to be sent to Illinois, Oregon, and other states. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) called on Abbott to “immediately withdraw any support” and refuse to cooperate with the order.
      
• Abbott responded with a defense of the order, confirming his approval and defending the mission. He said Pritzker could either protect federal employees doing their jobs or "get out of the way."

Paxton Accuses TMA of Undermining New COVID Vaccine Guidance

• According to Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Texas Medical Association is taking an anti-science position that sidelines informed consent and parental discretion when it comes to COVID-19 vaccination. As Sydnie Henry reports, federal health officials have updated the national immunization schedules to apply individual-based decision-making for COVID-19 vaccination for both adults and children.
      
• Under the new federal guidelines, COVID prevention should consider a patient’s risk factors and best available evidence rather than an across-the-board mandate. In the past, TMA deferred solely to the federal schedule in making recommendations to doctors. Now, the TMA is including a host of other sources for consideration.
       
• Paxton argues this is being done to maintain pressure for pediatric COVID vaccination.
         
• In a statement, TMA President Jayesh “Jay” Shah told Texas Scorecard that his organization wants informed medical decisions made by patients and doctors. 

Redistricting Trial

Transparency, Partisan Intent Central Themes as State Begins Defense

• Testimony in the Texas congressional redistricting case continued Monday, focusing on expert witnesses presented by the left-wing Plaintiffs and the State. Travis Morgan is covering the trial at El Paso's federal courthouse.
       
• The newly drawn congressional map creates five new GOP-opportunity districts and is being challenged as "racist" by several Democrat-aligned groups.
      
• Before the Plaintiffs rested their case, they put forward a new expert witness, Moon Duchin, who contradicted testimony given by a different Plaintiff expert last week. She said that while block-level partisan data is not available from the census, it could be sourced from third-party providers.
      
• The State started its defense of the map with testimony from State Sen. Phil King (R–Weatherford). As the Senate sponsor of the redistricting legislation, King asserted that, despite claims made to the contrary, Democrats were given numerous opportunities to offer input beyond what was required by law. He said partisan voting patterns, not race, were central in creating the new district boundaries.

Texas A&M Sports Textbook Promotes Critical Race Theory and LGBT Agenda

• A sports sociology textbook that promotes “critical race theory” and the LGBT agenda is being used by Texas A&M. Robert Montoya has the story.
       
• “Sociology of Sport and Physical Activity” is published by Texas A&M’s Center for Sport Management Research and Education. In it, writers promote the idea of using sports as a means of “transforming” a society that is permeated by “systemic racial inequalities.”
      
• The textbook is being used in Texas A&M’s Fall 2025 course Sociology of Sports.

UPDATE: Plano ISD Closes Moldy Murphy Middle School

• Less than two weeks after telling families that the school posed “no health concerns” related to mold, Erin Anderson reports officials in Plano ISD have closed Murphy Middle School for “enhanced mitigation efforts.”
     
• Throughout August and September, students complained of bad smells in classrooms, and several teachers were out sick due to possible mold-related illnesses. District officials initially rejected concerns raised by parents and staff.

Wesley Hunt Enters US Senate Race Against Cornyn and Paxton

• The Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Texas is now officially a three-man race. On Monday, U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt announced his campaign for the seat currently held by Sen. John Cornyn, joining Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in what’s shaping up to be one of the most closely watched GOP contests in the nation.
      
• Hunt is a two-term congressman and U.S. Army veteran. His announcement follows months of Cornyn and Paxton trading public shots.
    
• Cornyn’s campaign responded sharply to Hunt’s entry, suggesting his run would only benefit Democrats. Meanwhile, Paxton’s campaign welcomed Hunt to the race while renewing its attacks on Cornyn.

Y'All Answered

Immigration experts have long included public education in the costs of—and magnets for—illegal immigration. Since the early 1980s, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling has forbidden Texas from denying enrollment to illegal aliens.

Yesterday, we asked readers if Texas should challenge that ruling. More than 96 percent said yes, while 3.9 percent disagreed. 

Here is a sampling of responses from those who sent comments after participating in the survey.

• “As long as we continue providing funding for anything that aids illegals, this will never stop.” – Tina Bartley
     

• “Why is it even a question as to whether or not we should fund ‘illegal’ aliens for anything?” – Ron Farren 
      

• “I’m not saying children should be denied education. I’m saying we need to know who is here legally and who isn’t.” – Angela Hairston
     

• “Having a less educated segment of people here creates its own problems for us. This isn't a good way to deal with the mass immigration issue.” – Steve Gorman
       

• “I'm sure there are other factors that should be considered, but basically, I feel that for however long they are in our country, all children should be allowed to attend school.” – Carole Morton
    

• “I’m tired of the US taxpayers funding education for illegals!” – Priscilla Love
     

• “Depending on what study you read and who you ask, it costs taxpayers between $4b and $7b a year to educate illegal immigrant students in public schools a year in Texas. One question that could be asked is, are the parents helping pay taxes to fund this education? Being an educator, I would never deny a child an education, but a question begs to be asked: who pays for it?” – Anthony Fourman
      

• “Free education for illegals is a reward for breaking into our country. If someone broke into my house, I wouldn’t reward them with the keys to my home.” – Wendy Nylaan
      

• “As citizens of Texas, we should not be responsible for the education of any illegal student.  Illegal means they are in our country illegally and should be educated by their country in their country.” – Carroll D Knight
      

• “Many of these court precedents need to be challenged. If Roe v Wade can be overturned, all other wrongly decided cases can be overturned. In what world are the taxpayers of a country obligated to provide anything for people in their country illegally, other than basic emergency medical services?” – Pam Colon
      

• “The bigger question is: if you return from shopping and find an illegal alien family has broken into your home, should you have to support them for the rest of your life?” – Roy Leatherberry 

Support Texas Scorecard?

Will you make a special, tax-deductible contribution to support the mission and work of Texas Scorecard? We don’t take government grants or corporate sponsorships, and we don’t put our content behind a paywall. Your support makes Texas Scorecard possible!

Directory of Your Current U.S. & Texas Lawmakers

This information is automatically inserted based on the mailing address you provide to us. If you'd like to update your contact information, please visit our subscriber portal.