Good morning, 

This is the Texas Minute for Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Paxton Sues Harris County for Spending $1.3 Million on Illegal Aliens’ Defense

• Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Harris County over its recent approval of $1.3 million in taxpayer funding to provide legal defense services for illegal aliens. As Michael Wilson reports, the funding is part of Harris County’s Immigrant Legal Services, a county program launched in 2020 to support illegal immigrants in deportation proceedings.
     
• According to a statement from the attorney general’s office, the Harris County commissioners have unlawfully allocated the funds in an attempt to give “radical leftist organizations” resources to circumvent lawful deportations.
     
• Specifically, Paxton's lawsuit argues that the county’s allocation violates Article III, Section 52a of the Texas Constitution, which prohibits any county, city, or subdivision of the state from granting public money “in aid of, or to any individual … whatsoever.” He notes that individuals involved in deportation proceedings—being civil, not criminal, cases—have no constitutional or statutory right to government-funded legal representation.
       
• “We must stop the left-wing radicals who are robbing Texans to prevent illegals from being deported by the Trump Administration.” – Ken Paxton

RELATED NEWS

• Walter Leonel Perez Rodriguez is an illegal alien from El Salvador with a long record of convictions, including multiple DUIs, child fondling, illegal re-entry into the United States, and sexual assault of a child under 17 years old. As he was being arrested again recently, he struck an ICE agent in the face with a metal coffee cup, causing burns and a deep laceration that required 13 stitches.

General Land Office To Survey for Cartel Tunnels Along Southern Border

• Continuing its efforts to secure the southern border, the Texas General Land Office will begin surveying state properties in search of cartel tunneling activity. Addie Hovland has the details.
      
• Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham directed the agency to identify lands under their management that could be susceptible to cartel smuggling tunnels. The operation will specifically target land located in high-risk areas, such as Hudspeth County.
      
• Back in January, federal agents discovered a man-made tunnel in El Paso coming from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. It was braced by wooden beams throughout, had a ventilation system, and was equipped with lighting.

Craddick Going For 30th Term

• Already the longest-serving member of the Texas House in state history, Tom Craddick (R-Midland) has filed for re-election to the seat he has held since before the Apollo moon landing.
     
• If the voters in the West Texas district go along with it, Craddick will start his 30th term in the state legislature in January 2027.
     

• Context: Someone who was a new voter in Craddick's first election is well past retirement age, and their kids are deep into middle age.

Coach in ‘Pass the Trash’ Controversy Resigns

• The North Texas wrestling coach at the center of a “pass the trash” controversy has resigned from Celina Independent School District. Erin Anderson has the update.
    
• Neil Phillips, whose resignation was announced by the Celina High School principal, had been on leave after a social media post revealed that nearby Melissa ISD allowed him to quietly resign during the last school year amid misconduct allegations.
     
• Allegedly, Phillips’ behavior at Melissa ISD involved demonstrating the use of an artificial intelligence program in “sexy mode” and making sexually inappropriate comments. It’s not clear whether Melissa ISD failed to fully inform Celina ISD about Phillips’ alleged misconduct, or if Celina ISD did not find the information disqualifying.
      
• Texas law requires school officials to report suspected cases of educator misconduct to the state, so that the educators are not unwittingly hired by other districts—known in education circles as “passing the trash.” Melissa ISD has reportedly launched an “independent third-party investigation” into its handling of the situation.

MORE EDUCATION NEWS

• Jenkins, a baseball coach and special education teacher, has been accused of communicating with students via social media apps, including Instagram and Snapchat.
     
• In addition to the Collinsville Police Department, the Texas Rangers and Grayson County District Attorney’s Office are investigating Jenkins.

UPDATE: Elgin City Council Fails To Confront Fiscal Crisis

• Messy bookkeeping and questions of financial mismanagement dominated the Elgin City Council meeting last week, but as Paige Feild reports, local officials declined to pursue a forensic audit despite growing public concern and a state investigation now underway.
       
• Last month, City Councilmember Tiffany St. Pierre accused Democrat Mayor Theresa McShan of not wanting a forensic audit to examine how city funds were handled during the 2023 and 2024 fiscal years after the discovery of a $6 million deficit. 
     
• Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered the Texas Rangers to investigate the situation because certain allegations suggest potential violations of state law. For her part, St. Pierre continues to assert that “laws were violated within this messy bookkeeping.”
      
• Just because you live in a small town doesn't mean you shouldn't be keeping a careful eye on your local government... 

An Islamic Takeover of Texas?

• On her show Come & Take It, Sara Gonzales has been exploring "the quiet Islamification of Texas." 

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