In addition to choosing their candidates to run in the November 2024 general election, Texas GOP Primary voters will decide on a number of ballot propositions that will be used to gauge support going into the Republican Party of Texas State Convention in May, which will issue an updated party platform and set of Legislative Priorities for the 89th Legislative Session.
Several of these ballot propositions include key priorities advanced by Texans for Strong Borders and other grassroots groups in the past legislative session, and address the most pressing issue to Texas voters: ending the cartel-backed invasion at the Texas Border. We will discuss each one in detail below.
Proposition 2
Texas should create a Border Protection Unit, and deploy additional state law enforcement and military forces, to seal the border, to use physical force to prevent illegal entry and trafficking, and to deport illegal aliens to Mexico or to their nations of origin
This proposition largely mirrors the content of HB 20, the landmark border security bill authored by Rep. Matt Schaefer (R-Tyler) and, as we highlighted, killed by a Democrat Point of Order upheld by Speaker Dade Phelan on the House floor.
Governor Abbott has authority under Article I, Section 10, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution and Article 4, Section 7 of the Texas Constitution to repel invasions and exercise authority normally granted to the federal government that can and should be exercised to end the invasion at the Texas Border. HB 20 would have created a new Border Protection Unit dedicated to this task, as well as helping coordinate border prosecutions and deploy new border barrier and technology.
Proposition 3
The Texas Legislature should require the use of E-Verify by all employers in Texas to protect jobs for legal workers by preventing the hiring of illegal aliens.
We have consistently supported the expansion of E-Verify requirements to all public and private employers, and supported SB 1621 by Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) to do so. Unfortunately, this bill failed to get a floor vote in the Texas Senate due to opposition from Sen. Robert Nichols and one other Republican Senator. In the Texas House, its companion bill didn’t even receive a hearing.
Proposition 4
The Texas Legislature should end all subsidies and public services, including in-state college tuition and enrollment in public schools, for illegal aliens.
This proposition includes several of our legislative priorities, including the repeal of in-state tuition for illegal aliens. Texas currently has around 58,000 illegal aliens enrolled in higher education, at an annual cost of $459 million to taxpayers. We supported HB 3280 by Rep. Terri Leo-Wilson (R-Galveston), but unfortunately it died in the Texas House Committee on Higher Education without even receiving a hearing thanks to Chairman John Kuempel (R-Seguin).
Proposition 5
Texas urges the United States Congress not to grant any form of amnesty or a pathway to legalization for illegal aliens.
We included this in our Strong Borders Policy Pledge for members of Congress and congressional candidates. As Strong Borders President Chris Russo published in The Daily Caller, “Republicans committed to securing our borders should not fall for this trap. The lessons of the past demonstrate that any proposed amnesty will not solve the problem of illegal immigration, but rather encourage future lawlessness at our border and embolden the narcoterrorist cartels who have turned human smuggling into a $20 billion industry.”
Proposition 13
Texas should ban the sale of Texas land to citizens, governments, and entities from China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia.
This proposition closely mirrors language in SB 147, also authored by Kolkhorst, which passed the Texas Senate with bipartisan support. The bill died in the Texas House Committee on State Affairs without so much as a hearing thanks to Chairman Todd Hunter (R-Corpus Christi). As we testified before the Senate Committee on State Affairs, Texans for Strong Borders supports a ban on foreign land purchases generally, and in particular urges such restrictions to be expanded to illegal aliens.
These issues are key to combatting the border crisis, and we fully expect that Texas GOP primary voters will support them by wide margins and demonstrate once again the failure of the Texas House to deliver results for their voters. We strongly urge all voters to support these sound propositions and send a message to our representatives in Austin and Washington.