Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the state&#8217;s largest county for allegedly spending $1.3 million in taxpayer funding to help illegal immigrants fight deportation.
In October, the Harris County Commissioners Court <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/press/Petition_2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allocated</a> the money to &#8220;radical leftist organizations&#8221; BakerRipley, the Galveston-Houston Immigrant Representation Project, Justice for All Immigrants, KIND, Inc., and the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services to provide “direct legal representation to immigrants in detention or facing the threat of deportation,&#8221; according to Paxton&#8217;s office.
“We must stop the left-wing radicals who are robbing Texans to prevent illegals from being deported by the Trump Administration,” said Attorney General Paxton, who is now running for Senate against incumbent John Cornyn and Rep. Wesley Hunt.
“Beyond just being blatantly unconstitutional, this is evil and wicked. Millions upon millions of illegals invaded America during the last administration, and they must be sent back to where they came from,&#8221; he added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨BREAKING: I&#8217;m suing Harris County for unlawfully directing over $1.3 million in taxpayer money to defend illegal aliens from deportation.
We must stop the left-wing radicals who are robbing Texans to prevent illegals from being deported by the Trump Administration. <a href="https://t.co/Yqp0v9Nt0P">pic.twitter.com/Yqp0v9Nt0P</a>
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/KenPaxtonTX/status/1988274620148183111?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
Paxton argued that the disbursement serves &#8220;no public purpose&#8221; and is &#8220;unconstitutional.&#8221;
&#8220;The Texas Constitution prohibits governmental entities like Harris County from misusing public funds by giving gifts or conferring private benefits to individuals and groups that do not serve a legitimate public end,&#8221; Paxton&#8217;s office said.
Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee defended the program, which was renewed last month in a 4-1 vote, with Tom Ramsey, the only Republican on the court, opposing it, <a href="https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/paxton-lawsuit-says-harris-county-defended-illegal-immigrants-taxpayer-money/285-9305f238-95d4-4e93-810a-4a0c963ce2f8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to KHOU.
&#8220;This lawsuit is a cheap political stunt,&#8221; Menefee said. &#8220;At a time when the president has unleashed ICE agents to terrorize immigrant neighborhoods, deport U.S. citizens, and trample the law, it’s shameful that Republican state officials are joining in instead of standing up for Texans.&#8221;
&#8220;This program is perfectly legal, and it ensures that people in our communities have access to due process, something every American should support,&#8221; Menefee said. &#8220;My office will fight back and defend Harris County’s right to lead with fairness, compassion, and common sense, no matter how many times Republican state officials try to erase that.&#8221;

Untitled design – 2025-11-11T135041.195

Texas County Shelled Out $1.3 Million In Taxpayer Funds To Defend Illegal Immigrants, Lawsuit States

Texas County Shelled Out $1.3 Million In Taxpayer Funds To Defend Illegal Immigrants, Lawsuit Says

illegal immigrants

Ken Paxton

Texas

Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Wednesday that he planned to investigate reports that Texas Christian University had canceled a planned Turning Point USA event.
The event was initially scheduled to be held on the TCU campus as part of the tour the group’s late founder, Charlie Kirk, began before his assassination on September 10 — and was to feature detransitioner Chloe Cole — but Cole announced that her event was canceled just a week before it was set to take place.
Cole posted a short thank-you to Hillsdale College — where she’d spoken recently — thanking them for speaking positively of her recent appearance there rather than canceling the event out from under her.
“The first college to actually thank me for speaking on their campus instead of cancelling me like @TCU just did! Christian colleges (and otherwise) need to step up to keep democracy and free speech alive in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination,” Cole posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The show goes on, but not on campus. <a href="https://t.co/f6puBgLk22">pic.twitter.com/f6puBgLk22</a>
— Chloe Cole ⭐️ (@ChoooCole) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChoooCole/status/1973224045387903229?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
She followed that with an updated flyer showing that the TPUSA event was still on — but would be moved nearby to Birchman Baptist Church, also located in Fort Worth. When people asked Cole what had happened, she explained that the TCU chapter of TPUSA had found a room on campus to hold the event, and despite determining it was available for the requested time, the college denied them access to it.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=fall40&amp;utm_content=fallsale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get 40% off new DailyWire+ annual memberships with code FALL40 at checkout</a>
“They denied the local TPUSA chapters (sic) request to have me on campus on the 7th even though the room was free. They didn’t give a real reason why,” she said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
They denied the local TPUSA chapters request to have me on campus on the 7th even though the room was free. They didn’t give a real reason why
— Chloe Cole ⭐️ (@ChoooCole) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChoooCole/status/1973215768096780539?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Dallas Express reporter Carlos Turcios also noted that the event had been canceled, and his post caught Paxton’s attention.
“This doesn’t look like free speech to me. I’m going to look into this,” he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This doesn’t look like free speech to me. I’m going to look into this. <a href="https://twitter.com/TCU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TCU</a> <a href="https://t.co/7OutbFDEHi">https://t.co/7OutbFDEHi</a>
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/KenPaxtonTX/status/1973281771421835329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Speaks To The Media On The Protect Children’s Innocence Act

Texas AG To Step In After College Axes TPUSA Event Featuring Detransitioner

Charlie Kirk

TPUSA

Transgender

Turning Point USA

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is preparing to scrutinize the mental health risks of AI chatbots to children and will demand internal documents from major tech firms, including OpenAI, Meta Platforms, and Character.AI, the Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ftc-prepares-to-grill-ai-companies-over-impact-on-children-a1931640?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=ASWzDAhAsUOz0uI-br2yGyPDxdjJAqgh1g3AYVxT09XkTDEkb03D1m6_FujY-0DII98%3D&amp;gaa_ts=68b9ca7a&amp;gaa_sig=yTPLC0Cu4YpKppKLB-Goji0SWLj5gLawlt2OUxpAmc8nyDxuoYVdr1kLrVeQE37Ir31W4aDvw-zNN6nMbC8uBA%3D%3D">reported</a> on Thursday.
The agency is preparing letters to send to the companies operating popular chatbots, the report said, quoting administration officials.
&#8220;Character.AI has not received a letter about the FTC study, but we welcome working with regulators and lawmakers as they begin to consider legislation for this emerging space,&#8221; the company said.
FTC, OpenAI, and Meta did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comments. Reuters could not independently verify the report.
FTC and the entire Administration are focused on delivering on Trump&#8217;s mandate &#8220;to cement America&#8217;s dominance in AI, cryptocurrency, and other cutting-edge technologies of the future&#8221; without compromising the safety and well-being of the people, a White House spokesperson said.
The news comes weeks after a Reuters exclusive report revealed how Meta allowed provocative chatbot behavior with children, including letting bots engage in &#8220;conversations that are romantic or sensual.&#8221;
Last week, the social media company said it would add new teenager safeguards to its artificial intelligence products by training systems to avoid flirty conversations and discussions of self-harm or suicide with minors, and by temporarily limiting their access to certain AI characters.
In June, more than 20 consumer advocacy groups filed a complaint with the FTC and state attorneys general, alleging that AI platforms such as Meta AI Studio and Character.AI enable the unlicensed practice of medicine by hosting &#8220;therapy bots&#8221;.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation into Meta and Character.AI last month for allegedly misleading children with AI-generated mental health services, accusing them of deceptive trade practices and privacy violations.
(Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese, Akash Sriram and Kritika Lamba in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Shinjini Ganguli)

FILE PHOTO: Illustration shows OpenAI logo

FTC Targets AI Companies Over Potential Threats to Children

FTC Prepares to Grill AI Companies Over Impact On Children

ChatGPT

Ken Paxton, Beto O’Rourke

Ken Paxton Seeks To Put Democrat Beto O’Rourke ‘Behind Bars’ Over Fundraising For AWOL Dems

Beto O'Rourke

Courts

Democrats

Greg Abbott

Jail

Politics

The FBI will help track down the Democratic state lawmakers who fled Texas in a bid to stop their state legislature from enacting a GOP redistricting plan, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said on Thursday.
Cornyn made the announcement two days after sending a <a href="https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Letter-to-FBI-on-Texas-Legislators.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to FBI Director Kash Patel requesting that the bureau help Texas state law enforcement locate or arrest the Democrats after they potentially broke the law.
&#8220;I am proud to announce that Director Kash Patel has approved my request for the FBI to assist state and local law enforcement in locating runaway Texas House Democrats,&#8221; Cornyn said in a <a href="https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/news/fbi-grants-cornyn-request-to-hold-fleeing-texas-legislators-accountable/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. &#8220;I thank President Trump and Director Patel for supporting and swiftly acting on my call for the federal government to hold these supposed lawmakers accountable for fleeing Texas. We cannot allow these rogue legislators to avoid their constitutional responsibilities.&#8221;
An FBI spokesperson declined to comment when The Daily Wire reached out to the bureau.
President Donald Trump is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-gop-can-get-five-more-house-seats-redistricting-just-one-state" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pushing</a> Texas and other states to redraw their congressional maps with the expectation that Republicans would gain seats. In retaliation, Democrats have rallied for mid-decade redistricting in blue states. Shifting lines could give either party an edge in the 2026 midterm elections.
Dozens of Democratic Texas state lawmakers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texas-dems-cant-win-redistricting-fight-so-they-bravely-turn-tail-and-flee-the-state" target="_blank" rel="noopener">went AWOL</a> over the weekend with a stated purpose of preventing the state legislature from passing a new redistricting plan that could lead to Republicans gaining as many as five seats in the U.S. House. They are doing so by denying the quorum needed to conduct business for a special session.
Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott has <a href="https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-orders-texas-department-of-public-safety-to-arrest-delinquent-house-democrats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ordered</a> the arrest of the Democrats who have refused to return and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/abbott-moves-to-oust-democrat-who-led-texas-walkout-stunt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed</a> suit to remove Democrat House Caucus Chair Gene Wu from office after he led the walkout effort.
In his letter to Patel, Cornyn wrote, &#8220;Abbott and Texas state law enforcement officers are doing what they can within the confines of the law, but federal help may be necessary. These legislators have committed potential criminal acts in their rush to avoid their constitutional responsibilities and must be fully investigated and held accountable.&#8221;
Cornyn made the request for FBI support as he runs for another six-year term in the Senate. He is facing a primary challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/5437325-texas-democrats-paxton/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> that he will begin removing the Democratic lawmakers from office if they do not meet a Friday deadline set by the state House speaker. Paxton also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beto-orourkes-pac-bankrolls-texas-democrats-escape-from-redistricting-standoff" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launched</a> an investigation into a group led by Democrat Beto O&#8217;Rourke that is bankrolling the runaway Democrats.
Democrats have criticized the GOP&#8217;s reaction to what they argue is an effort to stop gerrymandering. That includes former Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX), who is also running in the 2026 Senate race against Cornyn and Paxton after losing to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in a 2024 contest.
&#8220;This isn&#8217;t about &#8216;locating&#8217; anyone — they&#8217;re not hiding,&#8221; Allred said in a <a href="https://x.com/ColinAllredTX/status/1953463307433545882" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> on X in response to Cornyn&#8217;s announcement on Thursday. &#8220;It&#8217;s about silencing dissent and weaponizing law enforcement. Cornyn is deputizing the FBI and Paxton is trying to expel lawmakers because they&#8217;re both too weak and corrupt to stand up to Washington. Enough is enough — Texans deserve better.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-nationwide-redistricting-war-is-brewing-this-bill-seeks-to-stop-it" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: A Nationwide &#8216;Redistricting War&#8217; Is Brewing. This Bill Seeks To Stop It.</a>

Sen. John Cornyn

FBI Assisting Texas In Hunt For ‘Runaway’ Democrats, GOP Senator Says

FBI Assisting Texas In Hunt For 'Runaway' Democrats, GOP Senator Says

Congress

John Cornyn

kash patel

Redistricting

Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation Wednesday into a group led by Democrat Beto O’Rourke that is bankrolling dozens of Democrats who fled the Lone Star State to block a vote on new congressional maps.
Paxton said that O’Rourke’s group, Powered by People, might have violated laws on bribery, campaign finance, and abuse of office. Powered by People is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beto-orourkes-pac-bankrolls-texas-democrats-escape-from-redistricting-standoff?author=Sam+Korkus&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Beto+O%E2%80%99Rourke%E2%80%99s+PAC+Bankrolls+Texas+Democrats%E2%80%99+Escape+from+Redistricting+Standoff">funding</a> a group of 50 state Democrats who are each facing a $500 daily fine after fleeing to Illinois, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beto-orourkes-pac-bankrolls-texas-democrats-escape-from-redistricting-standoff?author=Sam+Korkus&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Beto+O%E2%80%99Rourke%E2%80%99s+PAC+Bankrolls+Texas+Democrats%E2%80%99+Escape+from+Redistricting+Standoff">reported</a>.
“Any Democrat coward breaking the law by taking a Beto Bribe will be held accountable,” Paxton said. “Texas cannot be bought. I look forward to thoroughly reviewing all of the documents and communications obtained throughout this investigation. These jet-setting runaways have already lost public trust by abandoning our state, and Texans deserve to know if they received illegal bribes to do it.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: I just launched an investigation into Beto O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s radical group for unlawfully funding runaway Democrats.
Any Democrat coward breaking the law by taking a Beto Bribe will be held accountable. <a href="https://t.co/PV2IdwNOBd">pic.twitter.com/PV2IdwNOBd</a>
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/KenPaxtonTX/status/1953188955807273440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
&nbsp;
O’Rourke — who ran failed presidential, senatorial, and gubernatorial campaigns — shot back at Paxton’s investigation, <a href="https://x.com/BetoORourke/status/1953228139271995756">writing</a> on X, “The guy impeached for bribery is going after the folks trying to stop the theft of five Congressional seats.”
Paxton was impeached by the Texas state House in 2023 on bribery charges, but he was later acquitted by the state Senate. The Texas attorney general is now challenging incumbent Republican Senator John Cornyn in the 2026 U.S. Senate race.
Powered by People <a href="https://poweredxpeople.org/what-we-do/">focuses</a> on organizing volunteers to help Democrats win elections in “competitive Texas battleground districts.” The leftist group says it is also “focused on creating long-term changes to the Texas electorate that will outlast any one candidate or campaign cycle.”
Speaker of the Texas House Dustin Burrows set a Friday deadline for the Democrats to return to the legislature, but the 50 representatives are hoping to keep their stunt going and are pleading for donations as they remain in Illinois, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/redistricting-texas-democrats-walkout-trump-payments-59966a83df7cbaa43ee7e410eed2fc08">reported</a>. The House Democratic Caucus set up a website for donations of up to $2,500.
“We’re getting a lot of small-dollar donations, and that’s going to be used to help keep this thing going,” said Democrat House Caucus Chair Gene Wu.
“We’ve already been inundated with donations from across the state of Texas, from across the country, just regular people donating $5, $10, $15,” Democratic state Rep. James Talarico said. “And that’s appropriate, because this fight is for the people and it should be funded by the people. We don’t have billionaires who are funding this operation.”
Earlier this week, Paxton <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texas-ag-asks-judge-to-officially-remove-awol-dems-from-seats">said</a> he would seek judicial orders to remove the AWOL Democrats from office over their “refusal to perform legislative duties.” Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott has also pushed to remove Wu from office over the state representative’s refusal to show up for the redistricting vote and reach quorum.
Sen. Cornyn has also asked the FBI to help round up the Democrats and bring them back to the state. President Donald Trump said earlier this week that the bureau “may have to” get involved.

Beto O’Rourke

Beto O’Rourke-Led Group Under Investigation Over Potential Bribes To Help Runaway Texas Dems

General

Illinois

Investigation

Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-TX) says that he will &#8220;seek judicial orders&#8221; stating that the state legislators who fled to Illinois — to stall a Republican-led effort to redraw the state&#8217;s congressional districts — had &#8220;vacated&#8221; their offices.
Paxton shared a copy of a Tuesday <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-will-seek-judicial-orders-declaring-runaway-democrats-who-abandon-their" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a> from his office on X, adding, &#8220;The people of Texas elected lawmakers, not jet-setting runaways looking for headlines. If you don’t show up to work, you get fired.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨BREAKING: I will seek judicial orders declaring that runaway Democrats who fail to appear by the Speaker’s deadline have vacated their office.
The people of Texas elected lawmakers, not jet-setting runaways looking for headlines. If you don’t show up to work, you get fired. <a href="https://t.co/yyPWavY38P">pic.twitter.com/yyPWavY38P</a>
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/KenPaxtonTX/status/1952800500207776234?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Paxton&#8217;s release argued that by breaking quorum and thus refusing to perform the duties they were elected to perform, the Democrats who left the state had effectively abandoned their offices — and his intent was to seek judicial relief on the matter should they not return.
&#8220;Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced that the continued refusal to perform legislative duties by Texas House Democrats who broke quorum constitutes abandonment of office and that he will pursue a court ruling ensuring that their seats are declared vacant,&#8221; the release read.
Speaker of the Texas House Dustin Burrows, according to the release, gave the rogue legislators until the end of the week — Friday, August 8 — to return and do their jobs. &#8220;Any lawmaker who has not been arrested and returned or fails to appear by the Speaker’s deadline will be subject to aggressive legal action by Attorney General Paxton.&#8221;
&#8220;Democrats have abandoned their offices by fleeing Texas, and a failure to respond to a call of the House constitutes a dereliction of their duty as elected officials,&#8221; Paxton explained. &#8220;Starting Friday, any rogue lawmakers refusing to return to the House will be held accountable for vacating their office. The people of Texas elected lawmakers, not jet-setting runaways looking for headlines. If you don’t show up to work, you get fired.&#8221;
The rogue Texas Democrats <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texas-dems-cant-win-redistricting-fight-so-they-bravely-turn-tail-and-flee-the-state" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke quorum</a> to stall the redistricting process because they did not have the votes to block it through legitimate means. They attempted a similar stunt in 2021 in protest against a Republican-backed election bill.

U.S. Supreme Court Hears Expedited Challenges Over Texas Abortion Ban

Texas AG Asks Judge To Officially Remove AWOL Dems From Seats

Texas AG Will Seek Judicial Ruling Vacating Seats Of Dems Who Went AWOL

JB Pritzker

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton moved on Monday to make a New York official comply with his efforts to crack down on the illegal shipping of abortion pills into the Lone Star State.
Paxton <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-takes-legal-action-against-new-york-county-clerk-stopping-radical">filed</a> a legal petition against Acting County Clerk for Ulster County Taylor Bruck for not allowing him to enforce a legal judgement against a New York-based abortionist accused of sending pills into Texas in violation of state law. Earlier this year, the abortionist, Margaret Carpenter, was <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/press/Carpenter%20Final%20Judgment%20Signed.pdf">handed</a> down a $100,000 penalty by a Texas judge for violating the law, but local New York officials have so far blocked the collection of the fine.
“Dr. Carpenter is a radical abortionist who must face justice, not get legal protection from New York liberals intent on ending the lives of as many unborn children as they can,” Paxton said. “No matter where they reside, pro-abortion extremists who send drugs designed to kill the unborn into Texas will face the full force of our state’s pro-life laws.”
Paxton is seeking a writ of mandamus against Bruck to force him to comply with the collection of the penalty and the suit against Carpenter.
New York has implemented a “shield law” to protect abortionists from being prosecuted by out-of-state authorities.
“While pending litigation limits what I can share, I want to make clear that it is an honor to serve Ulster County in this role, and I am especially grateful to do so at such a critical moment for our county, our state, and the protection of fundamental rights under New York law,” Bruck <a href="https://www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley/news/article/ken-paxton-taylor-bruck-legal-action-abortion-20789661.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com">told</a> the Times Union.
The case first began in December 2024 when Paxton sued Carpenter for allegedly sending abortion drugs to a Collin County woman that landed her in the hospital and ended the life of her unborn son. In February, a Collin County judge found that Carpenter had violated Texas law after she failed to appear in court to defend herself. The judge also handed down a $100,000 penalty.
Carpenter has also been indicted in Louisiana on charges of criminal abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs. Carpenter is accused of mailing abortion drugs to a woman in Louisiana who then pressured her underage daughter into taking them and ending the life of her unborn child.

Trump Signs Executive Order Intending To Abolish Education Department

Ken Paxton Challenges New York Official Claiming ‘Shield Law’ Protects Mail-Order Abortion

Abortion

Crime

New York

U.S.

A Texas program offering in-state tuition to illegal immigrants ended Wednesday after the Trump administration sued the state saying that the initiative violated federal law. 
The suit from the Justice Department challenged Texas law that allowed illegal immigrants to be eligible for in-state tuition while denying the same opportunities for American citizens. The challenge was resolved the same day after a federal judge approved a joint motion from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the Justice Department to rule the law unconstitutional.
“Today, I entered a joint motion along with the Trump Administration opposing a law that unconstitutionally and unlawfully gave benefits to illegal aliens that were not available to American citizens,” said Attorney General Paxton. “Ending this discriminatory and un-American provision is a major victory for Texas.”
The <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/press/Joint%20Motion%20for%20Entry%20of%20Consent%20Judgment.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joint motion</a> asked the judge to rule that the tuition provision of Texas law applying to illegal immigrants violated the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause and issue a permanent injunction blocking application of the law.
“In direct and express conflict with federal law, Texas education law specifically allows an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States to qualify for in-state tuition based on residence within the state, while explicitly denying resident-based tuition rates to U.S. citizens that do not qualify as Texas residents,” Paxton and the DOJ wrote in their motion.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=wisepops&amp;utm_campaign=dad&amp;utm_content=fathersdaygiftpopups" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gift Dad an All Access Membership. Use code DAD40 at checkout to save 40%!</a>
Judge Reed O’Connor of the Northern District of Texas <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/press/In%20State%20Tuition%20Final%20Judgment.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed off</a> on the motion just hours after it was filed, granting a permanent injunction against the provision.
“In-state tuition for illegal immigrants in Texas has ended,” Governor Greg Abbott said. “Texas is permanently enjoined from providing in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.”
The provision giving illegal immigrants access to in-state tuition was <a href="https://lrl.texas.gov/legis/billsearch/actions.cfm?legSession=77-0&amp;billtypeDetail=HB&amp;billNumberDetail=1403&amp;billSuffixDetail=">first passed</a> back in 2001 and signed by then-Governor Rick Perry.
In an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/protecting-american-communities-from-criminal-aliens/?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=govdelivery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a> signed in March, President Donald Trump instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to “identify and take appropriate action to stop the enforcement of State and local laws, regulations, policies, and practices favoring aliens over any groups of American citizens that are unlawful, preempted by Federal law, or otherwise unenforceable, including State laws that provide in-State higher education tuition to aliens but not to out-of-State American citizens.”

President Trump Swears In Steve Witkoff As Special Envoy

Texas Ends Benefit Program For Illegal Immigrants After Justice Department Suit

Department of Justice

Donald Trump

Education

Illegal Immigration

Pam Bondi

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday that he will challenge Senator John Cornyn in 2026, citing the Texas Republican’s frequent opposition to President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Paxton made the announcement during an appearance on Fox News&#8217; “The Ingraham Angle,&#8221; telling host Laura Ingraham that &#8220;it&#8217;s definitely time for a change in Texas.&#8221;
&#8220;We have a great U.S. Senator, Ted Cruz, and it&#8217;s time we have another great senator that will actually stand up for Republican values, fight for the values of the people of Texas, and also support Donald Trump in the areas he&#8217;s focused on, in a very significant way,&#8221; Paxton said. &#8220;That&#8217;s what I plan on doing.&#8221;
Paxton told Ingraham it was &#8220;hard to think of the things&#8221; Cornyn has &#8220;done good for Texas or for the country,&#8221; slamming the senator for &#8220;things like his gun restrictions, his lack of wanting to fund a border wall, and even opposing President Trump&#8217;s election in 2016 and in the most recent election.&#8221;
&#8220;There&#8217;s certainly many things to focus on that he has not done,&#8221; Paxton added, &#8220;and I think it&#8217;s time that somebody held him accountable for that.&#8221;
The attorney general also railed against Cornyn in a statement announcing his run, in which he pledged to “take a sledgehammer to the D.C. establishment.”
“John Cornyn has been in Washington for over two decades, and he has turned his back on President Trump and the America First Agenda time after time.”
“Texans deserve far better than a senator who thinks it’s ‘naive’ to build a border to protect our citizens,&#8221; Paxton said.
Paxton, who has served three terms as attorney general, has frequently criticized Cornyn. In a March interview with Punchbowl News, Paxton <a href="https://punchbowl.news/article/senate/paxton-plots-to-take-on-cornyn/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slammed</a> Cornyn for pushing gun control legislation and supporting American aid to Ukraine.
“I’m going to start calling him ‘Senator Ukraine,’ because he’s funding Ukraine more than he’s funding our border, and that’s a problem in Texas,” Paxton said.
Paxton has emerged as a leading voice on major issues, using his office to protect <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-texas-ag-investigating-school-officials-who-said-theyd-break-the-law?row=0&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;author=Tim+Rice&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Texas+AG+Launches+Probe+Into+Schools+Scheming+To+Get+Boys+Onto+Girl+Sports+Teams&amp;category=News">women&#8217;s sports,</a> defending Texas A&amp;M&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-texas-ag-to-defend-texas-am-over-decision-to-ban-campus-drag-shows?row=0&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Texas+AG+To+Defend+Texas+A%26M+Over+Decision+To+Ban+Campus+Drag+Shows&amp;category=News">decision</a> to ban a campus drag show, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texas-arrests-48-year-old-woman-for-performing-illegal-abortions-operating-fake-clinics?row=0&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;title=Texas+Arrests+48-Year-Old+Woman+For+Performing+Illegal+Abortions%2C+Operating+Fake+Clinics&amp;category=News">prosecuting</a> a woman who performed illegal abortions.
Cornyn, who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/john-thune-elected-senate-majority-leader?row=0&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;author=Tim+Pearce&amp;title=John+Thune+Elected+Senate+Majority+Leader&amp;category=News" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost</a> the race to succeed Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell as Majority Leader, is <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/12NQYwfF1_c06LvP2Imx-54dTMjXJxrI2sz7MujKphFg/edit?tab=t.0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">serving</a> his fourth term in the upper chamber. A mainstay in Republican politics, he previously served as chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and as Senate Majority Whip.
Senate Republican leaders have <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/06/politics/cornyn-texas-senate-primary/index.html">reportedly asked</a> Trump to endorse Cornyn to put a stop to what could be a costly and high-profile primary. Speaking to CNN&#8217;s Manu Raju, Cornyn demurred on the question of Trump&#8217;s endorsement, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/06/politics/video/sen-john-cornyn-gop-texas-primary-donald-trump-manu-raju-digvid">noting</a> that &#8220;his endorsement will be important&#8221; and saying Trump will &#8220;make an endorsement when he&#8217;s ready.&#8221; Cornyn also said that he and the president have &#8220;a very good relationship.&#8221;
But it&#8217;s unclear if Trump — who once <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/20/donald-trump-ken-paxton-attorney-general/">floated</a> the idea of tapping Paxton as U.S. Attorney General — would back Cornyn, whom the president <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4120760-trump-rips-weak-ineffective-cornyn-romney/">once called</a> &#8220;weak [and] ineffective.&#8221;
A recent poll found that Paxton leads Cornyn by 20 points, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/us/politics/paxton-cornyn-senate.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> earlier this month.

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Will Challenge Senator John Cornyn

Senate

A federal judge on Monday ruled that the University of Texas A&amp;M cannot ban drag performances on its campuses following a lawsuit from an LGBT activist group.
U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal said that the decision from the university&#8217;s board of regents likely violated the First Amendment and blocked the ban while the case played out in court. The Texas A&amp;M Board of Regents was sued earlier this month by the Queer Empowerment Council which claimed the ban on drag performances in university spaces was unconstitutional.
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&#8220;The Board, and some members of the A&amp;M community, are offended by the Draggieland performance. To ban the performance from taking place on campus because it offends some members of the campus community is precisely what the First Amendment prohibits,&#8221; Rosenthal <a href="https://www.thefire.org/sites/default/files/2025/03/Opinion%20-%20Texas%20A%26M%20Queer%20Empowerment%20Council%20v.%20Mahomes%2C%20et%20al..pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
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As part of its justification for the prohibition, the board <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-texas-ag-to-defend-texas-am-over-decision-to-ban-campus-drag-shows" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pointed</a> to an executive order from President Donald Trump that directs federal funding to be cut from entities that promote gender ideology and a directive from Governor Greg Abbott to comply with the order.
The board said that “both the System and the Universities receive significant federal funding, the use of facilities at the Universities for Drag Show Events may be considered promotion of gender ideology in violation of the Executive Order and the Governor’s directive.”
Rosenthal said she was unconvinced by this argument.
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&#8220;The Board has failed to show that permitting drag shows to occur at Special Event Venues would cause the harassment of female students, much less the type of severe and pervasive harassment that violates Title IX,&#8221; the judge wrote. &#8220;Nor does the Board point to evidence in the record showing that President Trump’s executive order regarding &#8216;biological truth&#8217; specifically refers or applies to drag shows, or that the Draggieland message denies the existence of the male and female sexes.&#8221;
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is representing the board of regents, said that taxpayer-funded schools have no obligation to host drag shows.
“Our colleges and universities exist to help students learn and equip them as they take their next steps in life,” Paxton told The Daily Wire earlier this month. “They are not, and have never been, a place for taxpayer-funded drag shows where men pretending to be women engage in obscene, offensive, and degrading behavior.”
The judge&#8217;s ruling will mean that the university will be forced to host a drag festival called  “Draggieland&#8221; on March 27.
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Protest over the cancellation of Draggieland and other drag shows on Texas A&M campus

Federal Judge Says Texas A&M Has To Host Drag Show Festival

Drag show

LGBT

Texas A&amp;M

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Monday that a 48-year-old Houston woman had been arrested for allegedly performing illegal abortions. 
Paxton <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-announces-arrest-houston-area-abortionist-and-crackdown-clinics">said</a> that Maria Margarita Rojas was providing illegal abortions in the Northwest Houston area and was operating a network of illegal clinics. Rojas was charged with one count of performing an illegal abortion and practicing medicine without a license. 
“In Texas, life is sacred. I will always do everything in my power to protect the unborn, defend our state’s pro-life laws, and work to ensure that unlicensed individuals endangering the lives of women by performing illegal abortions are fully prosecuted,” Paxton said. “Texas law protecting life is clear, and we will hold those who violate it accountable.”
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In Texas, life is sacred. I will always do everything in my power to protect the unborn, defend our state’s pro-life laws, and work to ensure that unlicensed individuals endangering the lives of women by performing illegal abortions are fully prosecuted. 
Texas law protecting… <a href="https://t.co/xZ7QHpxbPn">pic.twitter.com/xZ7QHpxbPn</a>
&mdash; Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/KenPaxtonTX/status/1901705532165280078?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Paxton said that an investigation from his Law Enforcement Division found that Rojas operated multiple clinics in the Houston area including Clinica Waller Latinoamericana in Waller, Clinica Latinoamericana Telge in Cypress, and Latinoamericana Medical Clinic in Spring. These clinics were allegedly operated by individuals who pretended to be medical professionals without licenses. 
According to Paxton, Rojas performed illegal abortions at these clinics in violation of Texas’ Human Life Protection Act. Paxton said the case was referred to him by Waller County District Attorney Sean Whittmore. 
Rojas could face a penalty of at least $100,000 if found guilty of performing an illegal abortion. 
Paxton’s actions were praised by pro-life groups, like Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.
“Abortion activists’ reckless, criminal disregard for women’s lives and unborn life is on full display,” <a href="https://sbaprolife.org/newsroom/press-releases/ag-paxton-arrests-illegal-abortionist-takes-strong-action-to-protect-texas-mothers-babies">said</a> SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser. &#8220;We thank Attorney General Paxton for his strong leadership to put a stop to this brutality, including taking on sellers of dangerous abortion drugs across state lines, and hope others will follow his example.”
Paxton previously <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-stops-radical-abortionist-unlawfully-supplying-dangerous-drugs-kill#:~:text=Attorney%20General%20Ken%20Paxton%20has,in%20violation%20of%20state%20law.">secured</a> a $100,000 penalty and permanent injunction against a New York abortionist he had sued for allegedly sending abortion pills into Texas in violation of state law.

Texas Arrests 48-Year-Old Woman For Performing Illegal Abortions, Operating Fake Clinics

Houston

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