A Texas Perspective
Daily update | Thursday, July 03, 2025
An Educational Newsletter
In the beginning, the Texas Dream Act was considered a good cause for those in the state illegally because it was clear they didn't cross the border on their own. They accompanied their parents, but even though they didn't have to go to school, they did and some graduated from high school, while others obtained their GEDs. Those character traits enabled them to pay in-state tuition at public colleges and universities. They were also eligible for state financial aid, and it seems like the Trump administration's targeting of undocumented immigrants created a hostile environment for them. The Dream Act was passed in 2001 and signed by then-Governor Rick Perry. It was also supported by Governor Greg Abbott until Trump's U.S. Department of Justice sued the state because the Act was unconstitutional, and it didn't take long for Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton to agree with the judgment and not contest it. Now a coalition of Civil Rights Groups around the state is challenging the ruling on the basis that there was no argument for it, just arguments against it, in the sense of legal challenges.
In The News
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission released a report that from December 2024 through February. 2025, 80,000 undocumented patients visited hospitals across Texas for $329 million, but a report released earlier this year during the same period indicates that 30,000 undocumented patients received about $118 million worth of health care . . . . “We knew it wouldn’t give us good data,” said Lynn Cowles, health and food justice programs manager at left-leaning think tank Every Texan, which advocates for better health care. The aim of the governor’s executive order is “reflective of the governor’s true intention which is to make this an unfriendly place for immigrants.” Read more
Texas legal medical marijuana legislation moved closer to becoming a reality under the name Compassionate-Use Program, but it will come with some flaws where drug testing and employment are concerned . . . . Texas has taken another step forward in its measured approach to medical marijuana. With the passage of House Bill 46, effective September 1, 2025, lawmakers have significantly expanded the state’s Compassionate-Use Program, continuing a legal evolution that began a decade ago with SB 339 and expanded further with HB 3703. For employers conducting drug testing in Texas, this latest legislation does not limit testing rights, but it introduces new practical and legal complexities that demand attention. Read more
What will become of the 13,000 unaccompanied children in Texas with the steady flow of immigration enforcement and cuts to funds that were by design, done so to help them . . . . I want you to imagine a toddler appearing in court to face off against a government-trained attorney trying to deport them. Think of their terror as they take their seat in the courtroom, legs swinging because they’re not long enough to reach the floor. Consider the plight of a teenage survivor of sexual violence, unable to speak English, or too traumatized to mention key facts about the experiences that could determine the outcome of their case. Read more
In what’s considered to be a betrayal by President Trump’s camaign speech and promises, what he considers to be a One Big Beautiful Bill sets a reaility in place, beauty is only in the eyes of the beholder, and many are trying get that message across to him that the One Big Beautiful Bill is also One Big Deadly Bill . . . . Dozens of peaceful protesters, including disabled people in wheelchairs, were arrested last Wednesday in Washington, DC, while protesting President Trump’s massive spending and tax bill, which will dramatically slash taxes, restructure the student loan and debt system, and make devastating cuts to vital, popular programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). With Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote, Senate Republicans voted Tuesday to advance Donald Trump’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill, which will now go back to the House of Representatives for final approval. In this urgent episode of Working People, we speak with Lorraine Chavez and Christine Rodriguez, who were among the dozens arrested for their peaceful act of civil disobedience on June 25, about what's in this bill, what it will mean for working people, and how working people are fighting back. Read more
Message from the publisher:
A Texas Perspective is designed to be informative, historical, and educational, reflecting the ever-evolving political cultures in the country that no longer prioritize voters' interests. We have become a country that no longer knows where it came from, and as such, we're embarking upon that journey again without knowing it.
Thanks,
Don W. Allison/Editor, A Texas Perspective
There's more in today's issue of A Texas Perspective Magazine.
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