Riding high after their success in last week’s election, Democrats in the Texas Legislature unveiled an aggressive agenda Monday as bill filing opened for the 2027 session: Expand Medicaid. Boost the minimum wage. End tax breaks for data centers. Ban Flock cameras. Legalize marijuana. Other ideas included undoing a state law that requires sheriffs to partner with U.S.
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In a “60 Minutes” interview that aired on Sunday evening, President Donald Trump admitted that Republicans’ massive defeats in the midterm elections resulted from widespread frustration with the war on Iran, as well as his immigration policies. Reiterating that he “was not on the ballot” — as if to suggest that support would have been higher for him personally — Trump said that Americans…
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Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced Friday that police will no longer notify federal immigration authorities about administrative immigration warrants during routine encounters unless a person is arrested for a crime punishable by jail time.
The shift, announced days after Democrats swept key statewide races in Texas, marks a significant change in how Houston police cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Whitmire, a Democrat, signed an executive order changing the Houston Police Department’s procedures for contacting ICE, saying the move would ease fears in immigrant communities while maintaining public safety.
“I have directed the chief and HPD through an executive order that we will change our policy in regarding contact with ICE,” Whitmire said at a news conference Friday. “I do this to begin a healing process, reduce fear and anxiety across our community.”
Under the order, officers will no longer notify ICE about administrative immigration warrants during routine stops that do not result in an arrest. Police will still contact ICE if someone arrested for a new crime punishable by jail time also has such a warrant.
Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz said officers have already received updated instructions.
“If our police officers pull someone over for a minor traffic infraction and they write a citation, that person receives the citation and goes about their day,” Diaz said. “HPD will no longer contact ICE if they have an administrative warrant and they are not arrested.”
The announcement follows Democratic victories in Texas, including Gina Hinojosa’s defeat of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, James Talarico’s U.S. Senate win and state Sen. Nathan Johnson’s election as attorney general. Democrats also captured the lieutenant governor’s office with Vikki Goodwin and
The Supreme Court stripped immigration judges of the ability to pause certain deportation proceedings on Tuesday, declining to block a deal slammed as “egregious collusion” between the Justice Department and the state of Texas. The unsigned order on Tuesday halts the practice known as “administrative closure,” which allows judges to pause deportation cases. The practice affects thousands of…
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The Trump administration is blocking admissions for nearly every type of refugee — except for white South Africans, who make up nearly all of those admitted under President Donald Trump’s second term so far, data shows. According to State Department data compiled by economist Steve Rattner, white South Africans make up 98 percent of refugee admissions between February 2025 and July 2026.
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In the months leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, congressional Republicans and federal prosecutors have targeted dozens of local officials in cities and counties across the country that have adopted some sanctuary policies. The investigations have increasingly focused on prosecutors and law enforcement officers, many of whom have publicly announced plans to go after Immigration and Customs…
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