Amendments to Track the Cost of Illegal Immigration Killed in the House
On Thursday, the Texas House convened to debate and pass the Texas budget. The proposed budget includes $336.1 billion in total spending and $48 billion in new spending.
Hundreds of amendments were pre-filed, including several by Rep. Mike Olcott to track taxpayer money spent on illegal aliens. House Leadership had 72 hours to review the amendments. Then, they made a motion to suspend the rules, allowing them to move these amendments to Article 11 (the last article), meaning they would most likely not be debated or voted on.
Only 26 representatives, including Rep. Olcott, voted against the motion.
Rep. Olcott filed amendments that would require the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to report the cost of hospitalization and healthcare for illegal aliens, report the cost of educating children who are here illegally, and require the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to report the number of illegal aliens in the prison system and the cost to taxpayers.
A 2023 report from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) calculated that illegal immigration is costing Texas taxpayers $13.4 billion per year.
Thanks to swift action by the Trump administration, new illegal border crossings have decreased, but there are still millions of illegal aliens living in Texas. Taxpayers deserve to know how much of their money is paying for healthcare, education, and incarceration for those who have no right to reside in our state.
Local, State, and Federal Law Enforcement Work Together to Arrest 47 Alien Gang Members
Watch as almost fifty people connected to the notorious Venezuelan terrorist gang Tren de Aragua were arrested by the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Hays County Sheriff’s Office on April 1.
Because of a tip from the FBI, DPS was able to acquire a search warrant for the residence of a potential gang gathering. All members at the residence are suspected of being part of Tren de Aragua, and they are all currently in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings.
Everyone at the residence was found to be in the United States illegally. There were 25 males, 13 females, and nine minors. Authorities had been investigating the location for a while.
Hays County Sheriff Anthony Hipolito discussed the raid, saying, “From everything I’ve been told, everything went smooth, and these were all pretty bad dudes.”
The Department of Public Safety also seized narcotics but did not release information as to whether charges have been filed because of them.
In a statement released by ICE, they said, “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement joined federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, acting on intelligence and with a state warrant, in an operation in Hays County, Texas, resulting in the apprehension of 47 illegal aliens.”
Hays County is a great example of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies working together to remove illegal aliens and gang members from the state.
The Trump administration designated the Tren de Aragua gang as a foreign terrorist organization in January.