The Texas Newsroom

As Texas continues its multi- effort to secure the border, state lawmakers were told this week that most of the people charged with smuggling immigrants over a recent 12-month period were U.S. citizens.

A majority of Texans said they skipped or put off some form of medical treatment in 2023 because they couldn’t afford it, according to a survey published this week by the Houston-based Episcopal Health Foundation.

Data compiled by The Heritage Foundation – most known for being the architect of the controversial policy blueprint known as Project 2025 – shows that noncitizen voting isn’t widespread in Texas. That’s despite repeated warnings from the state’s Republican leaders that elections are vulnerable to this type of fraud.

Democratic state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer of San Antonio said Thierry’s move to abandon the party and “join a group with ties to white nationalism” continues to “betray the values and priorities of her constituents— once again putting money and title above principal.”

State lawmakers didn’t seem swayed by top officials with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, who said on Monday that reports of rampant abuse within the agency’s facilities aren’t reflective of the department’s current climate.

The governing board of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department is disputing the accuracy of a report by the U.S. Department of Justice that alleged widespread mental, physical and sexual abuse in the state’s youth facilities.

A Republican-backed effort to change tax laws could benefit hundreds of thousands of Texans who depend on tip revenue as their main source of income. But budget analysts warn the move could bloat the country’s already soaring federal deficit.

Support for abortion rights and public schools will be major themes of the three-day gathering that kicks of Thursday. But the gathering comes on the heels of a controversial executive order on immigration many Democrats oppose.

The Texas Republican Party will kick off its biennial convention Thursday in San Antonio against the backdrop of intraparty animus and early voting and runoff elections that could usher in a new balance of power in the Texas House.

The Texas Newsroom has obtained information and documents about the FBI investigation into Attorney General Paxton that sheds new light on its scope and activity.