Good morning, 

This is the Texas Minute for Wednesday, January 28, 2026.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Texas Freezes H-1B Visas for State Agencies and Universities

• Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered an immediate freeze on new H-1B visa petitions by Texas state agencies and public institutions of higher education, citing concerns that the federal program has been abused to displace American workers. Brandon Waltens has the details.
      
• An H-1B visa is a temporary U.S. work visa that allows American employers to hire foreign workers in certain “specialty” occupations. Under the order, no state agency controlled by a gubernatorial appointee or public institution of higher education may initiate or file a new H-1B visa petition without written approval from the Texas Workforce Commission. The freeze will remain in effect through May 31, 2027.
      
• The governor pointed to what he described as systemic abuse of the program, which he said was “created to supplement the United States’ workforce—not to replace it.” According to Abbott, the program “has too often been used to fill jobs that otherwise could—and should—have been filled by Texans.”
      
• In addition to freezing new H-1B petitions, Abbott ordered all affected agencies and universities to report how many H-1B petitions were filed or renewed in 2025, how many H-1B workers are currently sponsored, and their countries of origin. The agencies and institutions must also demonstrate that qualified Texas residents were given a reasonable opportunity to apply for those positions.

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Paxton Sues Company Mailing Abortion Pills Into Texas

• Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed suit against an out-of-state abortion pill provider accused of illegally prescribing and mailing the drugs to women across Texas. He is seeking to halt what the state describes as a deliberate scheme to evade Texas abortion laws.
      
• The lawsuit targets Delaware nurse practitioner Debra Lynch and entities she operates under the name “Her Safe Harbor.” Lynch is not licensed to practice medicine in Texas but has publicly acknowledged shipping abortion pills into the state. 
     
• Paxton said the filing marks a turning point in Texas’ enforcement efforts against abortion providers operating from outside the state. “No one, regardless of where they live, will be freely allowed to aid in the murder of unborn children in Texas.”

UT-Austin Removes Far-Left Classes From ‘US History Core’

• As part of a mandatory review required by a new state law, Adam Cahn reports that the University of Texas at Austin has removed a key designation from three courses that have promoted far-left content.
      
• Removal of the “core” designation means that the courses no longer fulfill the university's general education requirements. University officials explained that the designation was removed from the courses due to their “narrow topical focus.”
      
• According to emails obtained by The Daily Texan, the university began a review of history courses last fall based on four standards: the “breadth and foundational approach expected for Core Curriculum offerings,” if they were taught by faculty with the “appropriate expertise,” whether the courses were “consistent with the Core Objectives,” and whether the courses provided “a general education perspective.”
         
• The core curriculum review is expected to continue throughout 2026.

Athletic Trainer Arrested for Indecency With Student

• Erin Anderson reports that an athletic trainer for the Brooks County Independent School District was arrested for alleged sexual contact with an underage student.
      
• Robert L. Saenz, who had been placed on administrative leave by the district, has reportedly “tendered his resignation.”
      
• Online records show that Saenz had worked for Brooks County ISD since 2022, but he does not appear to hold a Texas teaching certificate.

Court Punts on Gun Rights Question

• Texas’ Court of Criminal Appeals has declined to review a case concerning the constitutionality of a former Texas statute that restricted permitless carry outside of one’s house. Travis Morgan explores the case.
     
• Isaiah Kain Salas-Martinez was sentenced to 12 years' confinement following a murder conviction that rested, in part, on an outdated statute that was in effect at the time of the offense. Salas-Martinez contends the statute violated his Second and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

Quote-Unquote

"The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them." – Ronald Reagan​

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