The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - April 17, 2026

Starting point is 00:00:04 Howdy folks, today is Friday, April 17th, and you're listening to The Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans managing editor Rob Lauchess, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, days after warning the city of Houston, Governor Greg Abbott's office notified the cities of Austin and Dallas that limiting police cooperation with U.S. immigration and customs enforcement will result in the loss of millions of dollars in grants for public safety. According to letters from Andrew Friedrich's executive director for the governor's public safety office, Austin stands to lose at least $2.5 million in grants and Dallas at least $32.1 million. Friedrichs also warned that if Dallas-ice-related policy remains in place, the city may also lose funds for public safety during the FIFA World Cup, totaling $55.1 million.

Starting point is 00:01:00 Last year, Dallas made it optional for police to contact ICE, when encountering suspects with ICE administrative warrants, and also prohibited officers from detaining suspects based solely on such warrants. In January 2026, Austin approved a similar policy. The letters from the governor's office note that the respective policies constitute a breach of an agreement each city made with the state in order to receive the grants. In a statement to the Texan, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said that Austin police, quote, do not have the capacity and should not be asked to do the jobs of other entities. Next, following the firestorm over Houston's new limitation on police cooperation with ICE,

Starting point is 00:01:42 the Harris County Commissioner's court punted on adopting a similar policy, but will take the issue up at a future meeting. Instead of making a motion to adopt a new policy, Commissioner Rodney Ellis directed the Harris County attorney to develop guidelines for county law enforcement engagement with ICE, quote, that protect the constitutional rights of Harris County residents, advance community safety, aligned with best practices, and comply with Texas Senate Bill 4, particularly

Starting point is 00:02:11 related to the enforcement of civil administrative ice warrants. Under SB4, cities and counties that prohibit or materially limit police from inquiring about immigration status, sharing immigration information with federal agencies, or preventing compliance with ICE detainer requests, are subject to fines and the removal of elected officials responsible for the restricting policy. Democrats on the Houston City Council successfully pushed through a new ordinance last week revoking a Houston Police Department policy of detaining stopped suspects for ICE administrative warrants for up to 30 minutes while waiting for federal agents to respond. Instead, officers must now release the subjects once they have completed processing the stop.

Starting point is 00:02:55 In other news, the Texas State Board of Education voted to approve a first reading of Texas' new social studies standards at its April 7th through April 10th meetings. The SBOE said a full revision ensures that standards are, quote, rigorous, reflect current topics and up-to-date research, and address the essential knowledge and skills at the appropriate grade levels. The Texas' essential knowledge and skills standards, or TEKS, may undergo, quote, significant or minimal changes during a full revision. The social studies review process began in 2020, and, following review from content advisors, a framework was adopted for kindergarten through eighth grade in September 2025, and key topics and subtopics for kindergarten through 12th grade in January, 26.

Starting point is 00:03:44 On April 7th, the SBOE heard more than six hours of public comment regarding the social study standards. Last but not least, a sign at the Tyler Public Library with the quote, a truly great library has something in it to offend everyone, is at the center of a civil rights lawsuit filed by a former public librarian against the city of Tyler, a staff member and a city official, and a conservative grassroots group. Ashley Taylor, who worked for the Tyler Public Library for two decades, filed a federal lawsuit in the Eastern District of Texas last week, accusing the city of retaliation and politically motivated demotion because of her expressive activities.

Starting point is 00:04:24 She accused Grassroots America We the People of interfering in her employment relationship with the city. Taylor claims that since 2021, Grassroots America We The People has orchestrated a, quote, sustained political harassment campaign, end quote, against the Tyler Public Library and personally targeted Taylor. Grassroots America, through its attorney, Trey Tray-Trainor, called the lawsuit's claims, quote, frivolous and without any legal or factual merit. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the Texan. News and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - April 17, 2026

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