The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - January 27, 2026

Starting point is 00:00:04 Howdy, folks, today is Tuesday, January 27th, 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, following the fatal shooting of Alex Prettie by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent in Minnesota, Congressman Michael McCall has called for a thorough investigation of the events and indicated a desire to see federal immigration leaders testify. Predi, a 37-year-old man, was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Saturday amid protests against ice and its deportation-related activity. U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noem described the incident in an ex-post on Saturday evening, stating, quote,

Starting point is 00:00:53 During the operation, an individual approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9-millimeter semi-automatic handgun. She continued, quote, the officers attempted to disarm the suspect, but the armed suspect violently resisted, fearing for his life and the lives and safety of his fellow officers, and agent-fired defensive shots. White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller described Pretti as an assassin who attempted to murder federal agents in an ex-post that Vice President J.D. Vance retweeted.

Starting point is 00:01:26 Next, Governor Greg Abbott announced a temporary pause on all H-1B visa applications, for public universities and state agencies on Tuesday. The pause is set to last until the Texas legislature addresses the matter when it reconvenes in January, 27. Abbot stated that the freeze, quote, will provide time for the Texas legislature to establish statutory guardrails for future employment practices, for the U.S. Congress to modify federal law, and for the Trump administration to implement reforms aimed at eliminating abuse of this visa program. The H-1B visa program, allows entities to hire non-immigrant aliens as workers in specialized occupations. It authorizes

Starting point is 00:02:08 temporary employment of these individuals for employers who otherwise cannot obtain the needed skill set from the U.S. workforce. In other news, a U.S. citizen born in Mexico and naturalized in 2010 has had his citizenship revoked. After it was discovered, he had committed a child sexual assault prior to his naturalization and concealed it on his citizenship application. The U.S. District court for the Southern District of Texas in McAllen granted an order on January 22nd, revoking the citizenship of Carlos. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a press release about the case, quote, American citizenship is a privilege that this child abusing monster should never have been able to attain. We will continue ensuring that anyone who conceals such conduct while obtaining

Starting point is 00:02:55 naturalization is found out and stripped of their citizenship. Gaiegos married a U.S. citizen in December 2001 and about four years later was granted permanent legal resident status. He applied for citizenship in 2009. In answer to a question on his citizenship application about whether he had ever committed a crime for which he had not been arrested, Gallegos answered no. He was naturalized as a citizen in 2010. Also, the city of Austin declared January 22nd as Council of American Islamic Relations Austin Day. The proclamation was presented by council member Krista Lane and was part of a broader resolution recognizing Muslim American Heritage Month in January. Lane was joined by council members Vanessa Fuentes, Natasha Harper Madison, Zohib, Zoh, Khadry, and Mike Siegel. On November 18th,

Starting point is 00:03:47 Governor Greg Abbott designated care, along with the Muslim Brotherhood, as a foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organization and prohibited the groups from purchasing or requiring land in Texas. Last but not least, the Dallas City Council passed a resolution last week that reaffirms its 2024 decision that any high-speed rail line between Dallas and Fort Worth should not be built above ground through the Central Business District, Victory Park, nor the Uptown area of the city. However, council member Paul Ridley noted that the future of the high-speed rail line is now more uncertain, as last week Congress defunded $928 million in high-south. speed rail grants during its negotiation of a transportation appropriations bill.

Starting point is 00:04:32 The decision comes as the North Central Texas Council of Governments Regional Transportation Council considers the use of a $500,000 corridor identification grant approved by the Federal Railroad Administration in 2023. Dallas supports the Council accepting the grant for Phase I work, so long as the study of the high-speed rail considers alignments that Dallas proposed in June 2024. 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 - January 27, 2026

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