The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - February 6, 2026

Starting point is 00:00:04 Howdy folks, today is Friday, January 6th, 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, a Houston attorney filed suit in federal court on Friday on behalf of more than 30 area residents seeking an injunction to prevent U.S. immigration and customs enforcement officials from demanding proof of citizenship before detaining suspects. Filed in the U.S. Southern District Court of Texas by Houston attorney Ryad Gonzalez, the suit names Department of Homeland Security Secretary Christi Noam, DHS, and ICE. Gonzalez said during a press conference alongside area Democratic elected and party officials,

Starting point is 00:00:50 quote, we have been seeing all over the nation these arrests without crimes, these attacks on individuals, and many reports of U.S. citizens that are being requested to provide proofs of their citizenship in the United States. He added that there is no law requiring Americans be ready to prove their citizenship. The draft filing obtained by the Texan refers to reports that U.S. Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino said federal agents take people into custody based partly on how they look as an example of racial profiling. Gonzalez argues that reported actions taken by immigration officials across the nation violate both the constitutional prohibition on unreasonable and seizure and the right to do process. In other news, Texas A&M University announced on January 30th

Starting point is 00:01:37 that, upon examination of approximately 5,400 course syllabi, a total of six courses were canceled for the current semester in light of revisions to university policy with regard to race and gender ideology. Through its course assessment, the university also announced the closure of bachelor's degrees and graduate certificates in its Women's and Gender Studies program. Melissa McColl, The former Texas A&M English professor who was fired after a video of her allegedly promoting gender ideology in her class went viral, filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the university. The lawsuit is unrelated to the course revisions. McColl claims in the suit that the university wrongfully breached her contract and deprived her of her right to do process.

Starting point is 00:02:21 She contends that she was, quote, terminated for exercising her academic freedom as guaranteed to her by the First Amendment. In the lawsuit, McColl is suing for reinstatement of her faculty position, monetary damages from the Board of Regents, and declaratory relief that the university declared that she was wrongfully terminated and did not violate any law or university policy. The announcement that the university released regarding the elimination of the women's and gender studies program detailed that the decision, quote, reflected both the requirements of system policies and limited student interest in the program based on enrollment over the past several years, end quote, but that students currently enrolled in the program would be able to complete their study. Last but not least, a Texas man was sentenced this week to nearly three years in federal prison for his role in a smuggling scheme involving a man-made tunnel used to covertly transport illegal aliens from Mexico to the U.S. The tunnel, which connected Juarez Mexico to El Paso,

Starting point is 00:03:21 Texas, was allegedly built by La Nueva Empresa, an international drug cartel, 20-year-old Oscar Ivan Carrillo from El Paso was sentenced on the basis of his attempt, along with co-conspirators, to connect the tunnel with existing storm drains by digging further tunnels using various handheld tools, expanding and maximizing human smuggling operations with which they assisted. La Nueva Impresa, also known as the Company, is based in Juarez and has been linked to various violent crimes, including some related to running a human smuggling stash house in 2024. It also has connections with the Barrio Azteca gang in the murder of three individuals with the U.S. consulate in Juarez in 2010. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Corrio would guide illegal aliens

Starting point is 00:04:07 through the tunnel from Mexico and into Texas, where a truck modified with a trap door would be waiting for them to subtly exit the tunnel directly into the vehicle. The tunnel itself was described as sophisticated, complete with both electricity and ventilation. 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 - February 6, 2026

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.