Good morning, 

Should illegal aliens be granted driver licenses in the Lone Star State? Sound off in today's One Click Survey.

Here is the Texas Minute for St. Valentine's Day, Tuesday, Feb 14, 2023.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Skyrocketing Number of Chinese Nationals Illegally Crossing Border 

• Apprehensions of Chinese nationals crossing the southern border illegally have gone up by more than 700 percent since last year. Darrell Frost has the details.

      
• Remember: These are the just the ones who were caught.
     
• Last month alone, there were 1,084 apprehensions of Chinese nationals, compared to 89 during January of the previous year.
     
• Border security expert Victor Avila tells Texas Scorecard he has talked to Chinese migrants who are paying up to $60,000 to be smuggled into the country.
      
• Unlike the vast majority of migrants apprehended by Border Patrol, Chinese nationals might have legitimate asylum claims for fear of persecution from their country’s government, so “it’s very important to vet them,” explained Avila.
      
• “The Chinese are coming at us in every direction,” added Avila. “They’re coming at us with the fentanyl through the cartels. They’re coming at us with spy balloons. Now they’re going to come at us just with their people.”

A.G. Paxton Settles With 'Whistleblowers'

• Texas taxpayers are on the hook for $3.3 million to pay off four former employees of the Office of the Attorney General. The payment is part of a legal settlement with the employees who say they were fired unfairly. Brandon Waltens has the details.
      

• In October 2020, eight of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s top aides accused him of bribery and abuse of office. He called them "rogue" employees who were making "false" allegations. Four of the employees filed a whistleblower lawsuit against Paxton, which was settled late last week.
      

• Besides the payment from the taxpayer coffers, the settlement requires Paxton to release a statement saying he accepts that the plaintiffs acted in a manner that they thought was right. He will also have to apologize for referring to them as ‘rogue employees.’
      

• For his part, Paxton says the settlement saves taxpayers’ money by ending a drawn-out legal fight. The payment won’t happen until the Legislature approves it.

Lt. Gov. Patrick Announces His Session Priorities 

• Continuing the quick pace he has taken in the Senate so far this legislative session, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick unveiled his top 30 priorities at the Capitol yesterday. Those include a number of conservative reforms touted by Patrick in the past, including school choice, ending tenure for college professors, and banning children’s exposure to “all-ages” drag shows.
            
• While many of the Republican Party of Texas’ eight legislative priorities are mirrored in the Senate priorities, the list also includes issues Patrick had previously previewed, such as a teacher pay raise and a mandatory 10-year sentence for crimes committed with firearms.
     
• With 104 days left in the 140-day regular legislative session, Patrick has publicly stated he and the Senate will move quickly to pass priority legislation. Of course, both the House and Senate are constitutionally barred from passing bills within the first 60 days of the session unless they are deemed priorities by the governor.
     
• For his part, Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to announce his priorities at his State of the State address this Thursday (Feb. 16).

Listen to the Texas Minute podcast – bringing you the first news of the day for the Lone Star State! It is available on all major podcasting platforms.

Teacher Arrested for Improper Relationship With Student

• A teacher in Bishop Consolidated Independent School District has been arrested and charged with five felonies. Soli Rice has the details.
      
• Andrea Pena, 28, taught chemistry, pre-AP chemistry, and forensic science at Bishop High School for almost five years before being investigated for having an improper relationship with a student. She resigned shortly after her arrest.
     

• Bishop CISD says they reported the allegations immediately upon learning of them; others dispute that characterization. One Bishop CISD student told local news media that people “knew about [the relationship] since last year.”

One Click Survey

Democrats in the Texas House are pushing for illegal aliens to be eligible for driver licenses. They claim it will improve public safety and give them greater mobility options.

Do you agree with this proposal?

Once you’ve clicked an answer, reply to this email with any thoughts you’d like to share!