E-Verify Passes in the Texas Senate, but faces Uphill Battle in Rep. Ken King’s State Affairs Committee in the Texas House
Texans for Strong Borders is thrilled to report that the Senate passed SB 324, Universal E-Verify. This legislation, filed by Senator Lois Kolkhorst, passed the Senate 19-12 on Wednesday, with Sen. Robert Nichols being the only Republican voting against.
E-Verify will require all employers in Texas to ensure that new hires are eligible to work in the United States. This will protect Texas jobs, protect employers trying to follow the law from discrimination accusations, and, most significantly, remove the number one incentive for illegal aliens to enter the U.S.—employment.
This is a monumental achievement. Texans for Strong Borders is thankful that the Texas Senate is committed to securing the Texas border and putting American workers first.
Now that SB 324 has passed the Senate, it awaits a hearing in the Texas House. On Friday afternoon, the bill was referred to the Texas House Committee on State Affairs, which is chaired by Rep. Ken King.
This week, conservative commentator Luke Macias talked about various priority legislation being killed by Chairman King in the State Affairs committee. Watch that video below.
This committee has held three excellent E-Verify bills, including Rep. Mike Olcott’s companion bill to SB 324, in committee for more than forty days without a hearing. It is therefore incumbent on the grassroots to demand that this bill receive a hearing before the clock runs out for the House to pass it on May 27th.
President Trump Asks Supreme Court to Overturn a Federal Court Blocking Alien Deportation
President Trump has asked the Supreme Court to get involved in his efforts to deport thousands of illegal aliens. The Department of Homeland Security issued an order to cancel the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, but a federal court delayed the order.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revoked the TPS Program for Venezuelan aliens in February, which should have gone into effect last month.
A federal judge in California, Judge Edward Chen, agreed to delay the revocation, arguing that Secretary Noem’s decision to terminate the program for Venezuelans seems to be “predicated on negative stereotypes.” A federal appeals court upheld the delay.
In 1990, Congress established a program that allows the government to provide temporary immigration status to immigrants from countries experiencing wars, natural disasters, or other extraordinary and temporary measures.
The former Secretary of Homeland Security under the Biden administration, Alejandro Mayorkas, designated Venezuela for the TPS program citing extraordinary and temporary measures. Secretary Noem claims that she repealed TPS status because it is “contrary to the national interest.”
The Trump administration’s filing to the Supreme Court argues that “the district court’s decision undermines the Executive Branch’s inherent powers as to immigration and foreign affairs.”
Texans for Strong Borders hopes that the Supreme Court will overturn the federal court ruling and allow the Trump administration to deport hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens.