Tag Archive for: greg abbott

Greg Abbott Pardons Army Vet Convicted Of Shooting Armed BLM Rioter

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Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas on Thursday pardoned an Uber driver who shot and killed a gun-wielding Black Lives Matter (BLM) protester during a July 2020 riot.

U.S. Army Sgt. Daniel Perry was convicted of murder in April 2023 despite the lead detective concluding the shooting was in self-defense and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Abbott vowed to pardon Perry after the conviction, and he announced his acceptance of a recommendation by the state’s Board of Pardons and Paroles for a full pardon in a Thursday release.

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“The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles conducted an exhaustive review of U.S. Army Sergeant Daniel Perry’s personal history and the facts surrounding the July 2020 incident and recommended a Full Pardon and Restoration of Full Civil Rights of Citizenship,” Abbott said in the release. “Among the voluminous files reviewed by the Board, they considered information provided by the Travis County District Attorney, the full investigative report on Daniel Perry, plus a review of all the testimony provided at trial.”

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Perry shot and killed 28-year-old Garrett Foster, who approached him with an AK-47-style rifle during July 2020 rioting in Austin, Texas. Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza criticized Abbott for announcing his intent to intervene in the case in an April 2023 release.

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“Texas has one of the strongest ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney,” Abbot said in the proclamation, seeming to reference Garza’s pursuit of charges against Perry. “I thank the Board for its thorough investigation, and I approve their pardon recommendation.”

“The board and the governor have put their politics over justice,” Garza said in response to the pardon, according to The Associated Press. “They should be ashamed of themselves. Their actions are contrary to the law and demonstrate that there are two classes of people in this state where some lives matter and some lives do not. They have sent a message to Garrett Foster’s family, to his partner, and to our community that his life does not matter.”

AUTHOR

HAROLD HUTCHISON

Reporter.

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Federal Appeals Court Says Texas Law Allowing Police To Arrest Illegal Migrants Can Take Effect

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A federal appeals court reversed on Saturday a lower court’s freeze on a Texas law enabling local police to arrest illegal migrants.

Last week, U.S. District Court Judge David Alan Ezra blocked Texas’ SB 4 from taking effect while the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Texas proceeds. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a temporary stay over the weekend, which would allow the law to take effect on March 9 if the Supreme Court does not intervene.

“Texas has the constitutional right to defend itself because of President Biden’s ongoing failure to fulfill his duty,” Republican Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott said last week. “We will not back down in our fight to protect Texas. This case will ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.”

Ezra, a Reagan appointee, ruled last week that the state’s law “threatens the fundamental notion that the United States must regulate immigration with one voice.”

“If allowed to proceed, SB 4 could open the door to each state passing its own version of immigration laws,” he wrote. “The effect would moot the uniform regulation of immigration throughout the country and force the federal government to navigate a patchwork of inconsistent regulations.”

The DOJ sued Texas over its law in January. Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed it into law in December in response to record levels of illegal crossings.

AUTHOR

KATELYNN RICHARDSON

Contributor.

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All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Abbott Delivers Blistering Statement To Biden, Insists Texas Has Authority To Repel Border ‘Invasion’

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Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott doubled down Wednesday on the state’s “constitutional right to self-defense” days after the Supreme Court ordered the Texas National Guard to remove barbed wire to keep illegal migrants out.

The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision Monday, agreed to vacate an injunction that temporarily blocked Border Patrol from cutting wire Texas had placed along the border. Texas authorities appeared to ignore the ruling, with a video circulating on social media showing authorities setting up razor wire for the border in Eagle Pass, Texas.

The case made its way to the high court after the Biden Administration sued.

Abbott doubled down on the state’s response, invoking the Founding Fathers.

“The federal government has broken the compact between the United States and the States. The Executive Branch of the United States has a constitutional duty to enforce federal laws protecting States, including immigration laws on the books right now,” Abbott said in a statement. “President Biden has ignored Texas’s demand that he perform his constitutional duties.”

“James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and the other visionaries who wrote the U.S. Constitution foresaw that States should not be left to the mercy of a lawless president who does nothing to stop external threats like cartels smuggling millions of illegal immigrants across the border,” Abbott continued, citing Article IV Section 4 which says the federal government “shall protect each [State] against invasion” and Article I, Section 10, Clause 3 which says the states have a “sovereign interest in protecting their borders.”

“The failure of the Biden Administration to fulfill the duties imposed by Article IV, § 4 has triggered Article I, § 10, Clause 3, which reserves to this State the right of self-defense. For these reasons, I have already declared an invasion under Article I, § 10, Clause 3 to invoke Texas’s constitutional authority to defend and protect itself. That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary. The Texas National Guard, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and other Texas personnel are acting on that authority, as well as state law, to secure the Texas border.”

Border Patrol agents have recorded a record-breaking amount of illegal migrants. More than 2.2 million illegal migrant encounters were recorded in fiscal year 2022 at the southern border and more than 2 million in fiscal year 2023, federal data shows.

Texas authorities took control of Shelby Park in Eagle Pass on Jan. 11 after Abbott declared an emergency. The Department of Homeland Security then alleged that Texas prevented Border Patrol agents from responding to a drowning two days later. Biden’s Department of Justice then admitted in a Jan. 15 court filing that by the time federal authorities were notified of the drownings, the incident had already occurred.

AUTHOR

BRIANNA LYMAN

News and commentary writer. Follow Brianna on Twitter.

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Texas Universities Rebrand ‘Diversity’ Programs As Statewide Ban Goes Into Effect

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Texas’ public universities are scrambling to rebrand their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts after Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law prohibiting DEI offices.

The new Texas law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2024, bans DEI departments and initiatives in public universities and prohibits colleges from holding activities that discriminate on the basis of race, gender or ethnicity. In anticipation of the law going into effect, some colleges in Texas have shut down their DEI departments, while others have renamed their DEI offices and altered their mission statements while retaining the offices’ staff.

“Public colleges work for the benefit of the state and should not try to undermine the state or state policy. Under state law, college DEI offices may no longer perform a variety of activities that focus on group identities,” Adam Kissel, visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Education Policy, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Several Texas colleges are opening new centers with employees from the DEI departments, and many are renaming the departments and giving them new mission statements.

“Our office will definitely be engaged with any sort of signals or indication that we see of any public universities not following the spirit and intent of the law,” Republican Texas state Sen. Brandon Creighton, author of the law, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) announced in November it would close its DEI office, according to Inside Higher Ed. The school said they would be opening a new office called the Office of Campus Resources and Support in a Nov. 29 letter. UTD’s president previously said in August that no one in the DEI office would be losing their jobs, according to Dallas Morning News.

The Office of Campus Resources and Support will foster a “welcoming university climate” and house The Galerstein Community Center, which was previously named The Galerstein Gender Center.

The University of Houston (UH) closed its Center for Diversity and Inclusion and LGBTQ Resource Center and announced a new center called the “Center for Student Advocacy and Community” in August.

The goal of the center is to “build and maintain a network of campus and community stakeholders for student populations,” according to their website. The center will also hold events for “programs that promote a welcoming climate and cultural competency” and “heritage month and cultural programs and celebrations.”

The University of Texas (UT) at Austin renamed its Division of Diversity and Community Engagement to the Division of Campus and Community Engagement, according to Inside Higher Ed. The division offers programs such as “Inclusive Innovation and Entrepreneurship” and “Women in STEM.”

Some universities in Texas previously required prospective professors to submit “diversity statements,” in which they signaled their commitment to the tenets of DEI.

“Essentially, many of our universities requiring those loyalty oaths had a neon sign above their doors saying, ‘if you don’t agree with us politically and you won’t sign this oath, you need not apply here,’” Creighton told the DCNF.

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis banned the use of DEI in public schools and universities in May. Several other Republican state Legislatures have proposed similar bans on DEI programs using public funds.

The Republican-led Wisconsin Legislature withheld pay raises from the University of Wisconsin (UW) system in October over its expenditures on DEI, and in December the UW system accepted an $800 million deal to slash its DEI efforts. The Iowa Board of Regents voted in November to eliminate DEI programs at state universities.

“Workarounds are challenging and put colleges at financial risk for noncompliance. DEI offices should be replaced with success initiatives that help students without regard to group identity,” Kissel told the DCNF.

UTD, UH and UT Austin did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.

AUTHOR

BRANDON POULTER

Contributor.

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All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Greg Abbott Signs Bill Allowing Texas Cops To Arrest Illegal Aliens

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Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas signed legislation Monday allowing local law enforcement officers to arrest illegal aliens.

Abbott’s signature on the legislation, known as SB4, means it will enter into law in March 2024, CBS News reported. The legislation makes illegal entry into Texas a state misdemeanor, CBS reported, with those convicted under the law facing a fine of up to $2,000 or 180 days in jail.

Repeat offenders could face a felony charge and up to 20 years in jail.

“The goal of Senate Bill 4 is to stop the tidal wave of illegal entry into Texas,” Abbott said as he signed the bill in the border city of Brownsville, according to CBS.

Opponents of the measure claim it is unconstitutional and have criticized the Biden administration for not opposing Texas’ efforts more strongly, according to The Associated Press.

The Border Patrol shut down two bridges on the Texas border to combat the entry of illegal aliens on rail cars hours before Abbott signed the legislation, according to the San Antonio News-Express.

Over 188,000 illegal immigrants have been encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border during fiscal year 2024, according to data released by United States Customs and Border Protection, following 2,045,838 encounters in fiscal year 2023, 2,206,436 in fiscal year 2022 and 1,659,206 in fiscal year 2021. A CBP official told the Washington Examiner that there were at least one million “gotaways,” people who evaded Border Patrol, in fiscal year 2023.

AUTHOR

HAROLD HUTCHISON

Reporter.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Republican Governors Are Taking The Culture War To Campus

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  • Republican governors are leading the charge to reform higher education as part of the ongoing culture war on college campuses.
  • Govs. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas are both focused on countering Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs on college campuses, while Gov. Glenn Youngkin prioritized fostering free speech.
  • “I think increasingly we see state lawmakers saying what we’ve known for some time, that the research on DEI offices … do not produce improved levels of tolerance,” Jonathan Butcher, Will Skillman fellow in education at The Heritage Foundation, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Republican governors are pushing several higher education reform efforts to counter culture wars on college campuses.

Republican Govs. Ron DeSantis of Florida, Greg Abbott of Texas and Glenn Youngkin of Virginia have made education policy a staple of their governing platforms. Higher education reform efforts include calls to defund diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, crack down on Critical Race Theory (CRT) mandated in classrooms, reverse the surge of gender ideology and walk back tenure — a controversial stance from professors on both sides of the political aisle.

DeSantis made higher education reform a focal point of his 2023 legislative agenda, announcing on Jan. 31 that his proposed legislation would “bring more accountability to the higher education system” by prioritizing “education not indoctrination” and strengthening civics curriculum. His agenda includes a call to defund DEI initiatives and favor education “rooted in the values of liberty and western tradition,” tighten tenure policies by requiring post-tenure review at any time and pouring $15 million into New College of Florida — where he recently appointed six conservative board members who have already begun stripping the school of its DEI programs.

The administration also requested public colleges and universities submit reports detailing how much money was spent to fund DEI programs and the number of transgender patients treated at university-affiliated health centers.

Like DeSantis, Youngkin also appointed conservative trustees to several university boards including the Virginia Military Institute and the University of Virginia, according to Inside Higher Ed. He is also focused on protecting free speech on college campuses and keeping tuition rates low for students, Macaulay Porter, Youngkin’s spokeswoman, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“The governor called on all colleges and universities to adopt free speech measures and keep tuition flat for Virginia’s students; all Virginia colleges and universities have complied with his requests,” she said. “The governor has continually led on education and has developed an education roadmap by removing divisive concepts from our schools, restoring excellence in education, and fostering free speech and diversity of thought on our campuses.”

Jonathan Butcher, a Will Skillman fellow in education at the Heritage Foundation, told the DCNF that freezing tuition costs and making “more effective use of resources so that students are not having to pay sky-high tuition costs that increase every year” should be an important focus for state governors across the country.

Abbott’s Chief of Staff Gardner Pate sent a letter to Texas university leaders on Feb. 6 warning that using taxpayer money to support DEI programs is illegal and that they cannot require applicants to submit a statement detailing commitments to advancing DEI during the hiring or admission process. Several university systems, including the University of Texas, Texas A&M University and University of Houston systems, have since stopped mandating diversity statements to comply with the order.

“As Texans, we celebrate the diversity of our State and the presence of a workforce that represents our rich culture,” Pate wrote. “In recent years, however, the innocuous-sounding notion of [DEI] has been manipulated to push policies that expressly favor some demographic groups to the detriment of others.”

Other Republican states have responded to the heightened attention being cast on the prevalence of DEI on campus. West Virginia and Utah filed bills that would ban using diversity statements as an application factor for university hiring while South Carolina and Oklahoma followed Florida’s lead in requesting the total amount dedicated to funding DEI programs.

“I think increasingly we see state lawmakers saying what we’ve known for some time, that the research on DEI offices … do not produce improved levels of tolerance,” Butcher said. “They don’t change behaviors of people who go through DEI training programs.”

The Abbott administration has also targeted tenure policies. Republican Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick responded in February 2022 to a University of Texas at Austin Faculty Council vote supporting CRT by promising to eliminate tenure from all public universities, and reinforced this idea ahead of the 2023 legislative session by marking tenure elimination as a top priority.

“Tenured professors must not be able to hide behind the phrase ‘academic freedom,’ and then proceed to poison the minds of our next generation,” he said in 2022.

But while calls for tenure reform are popular among Republican lawmakers, professors previously warned the DCNF that restricting tenure could backfire for conservative faculty.

Rob Jenkins, an associate professor of English at Georgia State University’s Perimeter College and author of “The Conservative Case for Tenure,” told the DCNF that he may have been fired “a long time ago” if he did not have tenure protection and explained that tenured professors can still be fired if they aren’t adequately doing their job.

Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, told Inside Higher Ed that 2024 candidates won’t focus on higher education issues such as student debt, but will gravitate toward the culture wars.

“That doesn’t sell, or it doesn’t sell to very many people,” he explained. “But you start talking about cultural issues—‘they’re destroying our culture, they don’t believe in God,’ blah, blah, blah—and pretty soon you’ve got a lot of people showing up at your rallies, screaming bloody murder.”

DeSantis and Abbott’s offices did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

AUTHOR

ALEXA SCHWERHA

Contributor.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

POLL: 41% Of Hispanics Approve GOP Governors Sending Illegal Migrants To Liberal Cities

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The majority of Hispanic voters surveyed approve of the migrant relocation policies enforced by some Republican governors, a Politico/Morning Consult poll found Wednesday.

The poll surveyed 223 Hispanics and asked them if they believe the transporting of migrants to liberal enclaves by Republican Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas and Ron DeSantis of Florida are appropriate. Forty-one percent of Hispanics surveyed approved of the relocation policies, according to the poll.

Just over one-third of those surveyed, 35%, disapproved of the governors’ transporting of migrants, according to the poll. The numbers resembled the answers of the white voters surveyed, finding that 46% approved and 39% disapproved.

Among the total number of registered voters, the opinion was almost entirely cut in half with 42% approving and 41% opposing the relocation policy put forth by the Republican governors. The poll surveyed 2,005 registered voters between Sept. 16-18 with a 2% margin of error.

The governors’ actions sparked outrage among some liberal figures, such as The Nation’s justice correspondent, Elie Mystal, who accused DeSantis of “human trafficking” the 50 illegal migrants who were recently sent to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. Sheriff Javier Salazar of Bexar County, Texas, announced an investigation Monday into allegations that migrants were “lured” onto the planes.

“The allegations that we’ve heard, it’s absolutely distasteful, it’s disgusting. It’s an abuse of human rights. But, I would like to find out sooner rather than later what charges if any are going to apply and to whom,” Salazar said. “I believe there’s some criminal activity involved, but at present, we’re trying to keep an open mind and we’re going to investigate to find out, to determine what laws were broken, if that does turn out to be the case.”

Taryn Fenske, a spokesperson for DeSantis, said in a statement received Tuesday by the Daily Caller that the migrants voluntarily chose to board the two planes chartered to Massachusetts. The Florida governor also confirmed Friday that the migrants voluntarily traveled to the upper-class New England island.

Migrants received brochures informing them of their destination before boarding the flight to Martha’s Vineyard, according to documents viewed Friday by the Daily Caller. The brochures showed migrants where they were headed and offered a variety of resources on job opportunities and community services areas on the island.

Three Venezuelan migrants — Yanet Doe, Pablo Doe and Jesus Doe — filed a class action lawsuit Tuesday against DeSantis, alleging they were “manipulated” and stripped of their constitutional rights protected under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments.

AUTHOR

NICOLE SILVERIO

Media reporter. Follow Nicole Silverio on Twitter @NicoleMSilverio

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