Latest news with #MexicanAmericanLegislativeCaucus
The Hill
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Texas Democrat on threat of arrest, fines: ‘I'll pay that price for America'
One of the Texas Democrats who fled the state with more than 50 others to deny Republicans their quorum this week said of the threat that he and others would have to pay fines and face possible arrest: 'I'll pay that price for America.' 'Right now, there's folks saying that we walked out. I think everyone behind me will say we're standing up, and as Texans would say, we're standing tall,' said Texas state Rep. Ramon Romero Jr. (D), chair of Texas' Mexican American Legislative Caucus, during a press conference in Illinois on Tuesday. 'There's others that are saying and warning us that they're going to arrest us or make us pay fines. I'll pay that price for America,' he said, adding that he believed 'everyone behind me would say they would do the same.' Texas Democrats participated in a press conference with Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D), Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and others after Texas legislators left their state to block Republicans from passing a set of even friendlier GOP congressional lines. The Texas lawmakers traveled to Illinois, New York and Massachusetts – all blue states, some of which have been previously criticized for having gerrymandered maps – so Democrats could deny Texas Republicans the minimum number of lawmakers needed present in order to conduct business, otherwise known as a quorum. President Trump is pushing Republicans to redraw their House map in the Lone Star State to net five pickup opportunities ahead of the 2026 midterms. The current Texas map is already very favorable for Republicans, but this map would extend the GOP's gains even further. A Texas House panel advanced the new map last week, though lawmakers can't bring it to the floor for a House vote since Democrats have left the state. By breaking quorum, Democrats are incurring a daily $500 fine each and the threat of arrest. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) have called for Democrats to be arrested, while Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) has asked the FBI to help assist Republicans in bringing back Democrats who fled to Texas. Texas Democrats are likely to try and run out the clock on the first special session Abbott has called, though it remains unclear how long lawmakers will remain out of the state for. At the same time, Democrats have reasoned that if Republicans are willing to do unusual mid-decade redistricting to pick up seats next year, they need to follow suit to level the playing field. 'In Illinois, we don't sit on the sidelines. In Illinois, we don't take kindly to threats, and in Illinois, we fight back,' Stratton said. 'If Trump and Texas Republicans won't play by the rules, we will look at every option available to stop their extreme power grab, and nothing will be off the table.'
USA Today
08-02-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Texas Education Agency says schools 'must not impede' immigration enforcement on campuses
Texas Education Agency says schools 'must not impede' immigration enforcement on campuses Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said on Thursday that school districts "must not impede federal officials" when they are conducting immigration enforcement stings on campuses. The informal guidance came in a brief, three-paragraph letter to the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, a coalition of Democratic state lawmakers in the Texas House who requested guidance from Texas Education Agency last month after President Donald Trump took office and directed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to ramp up deportations. That operation has impacted Austin, where many undocumented immigrants have been lying low since Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20. In the absence of guidance from TEA, Central Texas districts in recent weeks have issued their own rules for how staff should interact with federal officers. The rules vary but are far more detailed than the guidance Morath offered in his letter, which a TEA spokesperson said would only be shared with school districts upon request. In the letter, Morath — an appointee of Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican who has made border security a major focus — told members of the caucus that school districts must follow state and federal law. He noted that existing statutes allow schools to verify the identities of campus visitors "including municipal, state, and federal law enforcement officials," and said that visitors shouldn't be allowed on a campus without a legitimate reason to be there. But one of the letter's biggest takeaway came in this sentence: 'As with any visit by a state law enforcement officer carrying out official duties, campus personnel must not impede federal officials." If school district staff have any questions about how to handle those interactions, Morath said they should ask their administrators or in-house legal counsel. Rep. Ramon Romero Jr., chair of the Mexican American caucus, told the American-Statesman that the letter didn't go far enough, failing to clarify which laws districts are expected to follow. The Fort Worth Democrat also noted that some school districts may not have their own lawyers to turn to. 'A rural district may have less robust legal counsel, or no counsel at all,' Romero said. 'In such situations, how are district administrators who are already balancing endless obligations to ensure full compliance with necessary laws?' Romero said TEA should be clearer because school district administrators lack of certainty about potential ICE enforcement at schools, a threat that he said has led to low attendance by children of fearful parents and disruptions to learning.
