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This is the Texas Minute for Monday, September 2, 2024.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Open Border Polices Raise Airport Security Concerns

• U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz wants to know how the Biden-Harris administration’s open border policies have affected airport security. Emily Medeiros reports the Texas Republican has sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security demanding answers.
     
• Cruz claims that Biden’s border policies are weakening airport security in three ways. First, illegal aliens are able to enter the U.S. through a parole program that has flown more than 400,000 illegal aliens into 50 different airports—including 10,000 into Texas.
       
• Second, cities have been housing illegal aliens in commercial airports. In Queens, New York, an Ecuadorian living at JFK International Airport broke into a secure area armed with scissors and a box cutter.
     
• Third, Cruz points to the number of improperly vetted illegal aliens who have crossed the border and been released into the country without identification.
      
• Since President Joe Biden took office, more than eight million illegal aliens have been encountered by federal border agents.

RELATED NEWS

Hegar Slams Lawsuit Against Texas’ ESG Restrictions

• A leftwing business group has filed a suit to block enforcement of a Texas law restricting state investments from going to firms adhering to so-called "environmental, social, and governance" policies. As Luca Cacciatore reports, these firms have been boycotting oil and gas companies.
       
• The American Sustainable Business Coalition claims the new law violates the constitutional rights of investment firms.
       
• Comptroller Glenn Hegar described the lawsuit as an attempt to undermine state sovereignty and force Texas to invest against its economic interests. He said the state has taken a “very open, transparent, and methodical approach” to reining in the “radical environmental agenda” that groups like ASBC are trying to implement.

Defeated Democrat Switches to Texas GOP

• After losing in the Democrat primary earlier this year, outgoing State Rep. Shawn Thierry of Houston has now joined the Republican Party. She said Friday that the current Democrat Party has “veered so far left, so deep into the progressive abyss” that it now promotes policies she can no longer support. Brandon Waltens has the details.
       
• Thierry was first elected in 2016. She faced fierce backlash from her Democrat colleagues last year after she voted in favor of legislation banning child gender mutilation and removing pornographic material from school libraries. 
       
• With the backing of key party officials, Lauren Ashley Simmons beat Thierry in the Democrat primary earlier this year.
       
• Pointing to the Democrat Party’s support for gender mutilation for children and the dismantling of Title IX protections for women in sports, Thierry said she is “leaving the left and joining the party of family, faith, and freedom.”

State Officials Want Answers in School Abuse Scandal

• Members of the State Board of Education have joined Lorena parents in calling for accountability from school district officials over their handling of a pre-K teacher sexually abusing young students. Erin Anderson reports that parental warnings about the teacher's behavior were allegedly ignored by district officials.
           
• SBOE members Pat Hardy and Evelyn Brooks told district officials last week that they want answers and action.
     
• “Too many times, this is just slipped under the carpet,” said Hardy, a former school teacher. “And there are always adults who are responsible beyond the person who is actually the pedophile.”

Lina Hidalgo Touts Tax Hikes in Harris County Address

• Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo held her annual State of the County address, pushing for a $113 million tax hike for the county flood control district. Charles Blain reports it would cost the average homeowner about $60 annually.
      
• Current flood control district funding leaves the county on a flood maintenance schedule of 270 years. According to Hidalgo, the tax increase would put the district on a 67-year maintenance schedule.

Absenteeism Plagues Waco's Boards and Commissions

• Several members of Waco’s 41 boards and commissions aren’t attending meetings. Yet, as Ian Camacho reports, many remain in their seats for years without consequence.
      
• For example, a current Democrat candidate for McLennan County Commissioner, Jeremy Davis, did not attend any Parks and Recreation Commission meetings from October 2022 through June 2024. Yet his "service" on the board is featured on his campaign website. 
     
• In another case, Waco's Building Inspections Advisory and Appeals Board includes 12 members, yet it hasn’t met since 2020. A canned response for a records request is met with, "We will begin the code adoption process soon."
      
• The issue isn’t unique to Waco. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson missed more than 130 hours of city council meetings and 70 percent of DFW International Airport Board meetings. The Houston-Galveston Area Council replaced Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo with new members after she missed over 50 consecutive meetings in four-and-a-half years.

Today In History

On Sept. 2, 1945, Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz—born and raised in Texas—signed Japan's surrender papers that marked the official end of World War II.

Quote-Unquote

"God grant me the courage not to give up what I think is right even though I think it is hopeless."

– Chester W. Nimitz​

ONE CLICK SURVEY

Gov. Greg Abbott recently announced some 6,500 noncitizens had been removed from the voter rolls—2,000 of whom had voting histories. Meanwhile, Attorney General Ken Paxton has created a "tipline" for Texans to report suspected violations of state election laws.

Do you believe illegal aliens or other noncitizens are registered to vote in your community ahead of the November election?

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