Texas

Democrats’ procedural challenge halts border policing unit bill in Texas House

Published

2 years ago

May 10, 2023

Democrats’ procedural challenge halts border policing unit bill in Texas House

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Democrats brought down a proposed bill to create a new state border policing unit late Tuesday night, ending the bill’s shot of passage ahead of an important bill passing deadline.

House Bill 20 by Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, would have created a new state unit meant to deter people from crossing the Mexican border by using nondeadly force, with its officers able to “arrest, apprehend or detain persons crossing the Texas-Mexico border unlawfully.”

The bill would have tested the state’s limits on immigration enforcement, which has traditionally fallen under the federal government’s purview.

But after Democrats killed the bill on a technicality near 11 p.m. Tuesday, Schaefer’s legislation could no longer meet a House deadline to receive initial approval by midnight on Thursday because the House had already set its Thursday calendar earlier in the night.

No similar bill was filed in the Senate.

Rep. Victoria Neave Criado, D-Dallas, said HB 20 would have devastated law enforcement’s relationships with communities all over the state.

“This bill was not just about the border or migrants, it was a statewide bill that would have been devastating whether you are new Texans or your family has been here for generations,” she said. “It would have emboldened civilian vigilantes to be able to set up checkpoints in our cities.”

Schaefer’s bill can still be revived as amendments to other immigration-related bills. But Neave Criado, who leads the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, said Democrats will be “vigilant as representatives and people all the way to the end of the session to make sure extremist policies don’t become law.”

Schaefer declined comment after a procedural challenge took down his bill, which he had pitched as a way to help Texas combat the crossing of migrants and dangerous drugs through the Mexican border.

“The serious nature of the fentanyl crisis cannot be overstated,” Schaefer said while introducing the bill Tuesday night.

Shortly after HB 20’s demise, the House approved House Bill 800 to increase penalties for crimes involving smuggling, operating stash houses and evading an arrest or detention. The measure, given initial approval on a 89-56 vote, would also establish 10-year mandatory minimum sentences for certain felony offenses involving the smuggling of people.

Democrats placed themselves in position to sink HB 20 by delaying action on multiple bills throughout the day – a practice known as “chubbing” that is used to avoid controversial topics near the end of legislative deadlines.

Opponents of the bill said it would allow untrained “vigilantes” to go after anyone they perceived to be a migrant — with unit officers given civil and criminal defenses for actions taken while on duty. Neave Criado said that would have exposed Texans of color to racial profiling by the new state force.

“What is to prohibit or stop a Border Protection Unit from setting up their post in Hispanic neighborhoods?” said Rep. Erin Gámez, D-Brownsville, who said her largely Hispanic community would be at particular risk of racial profiling because of its proximity to the border.

Schaefer tried to parry those criticisms by telling Democratic opponents that the unit’s officers would act in a manner consistent with Texas and federal law.

Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, pounced on that pronouncement, asking Schaefer whether his bill was meant to challenge a previous U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the limits of a state’s enforcement of immigration law. Schaefer did not answer her question, saying the bill’s goal was to protect Americans from drug cartels.

The proposed unit could employ officers who are not trained in law enforcement but would have arrest powers only in counties along the Texas-Mexico border or next to counties along the border.

Under a reworked version of the bill, noncommissioned officers would be given arrest powers outside of the border area only if they had been trained and authorized by the governor and the Public Safety Commission. The bill calls for the Public Safety Commission to develop training for the unit’s officers.

But upon questioning by Democrats, Schaefer refused to detail the kind of training the unit’s officers would receive, saying the new force’s leaders would decide on adequate training.

The bill says the Border Protection Unit, as the new unit would be called, would be subject to legislative funding and would be abolished on Dec. 31, 2030, if the Legislature did not extend its lifespan.

The unit would be led by a chief who is a U.S. citizen and is appointed by the governor. The chief would report directly to the state’s Public Safety Commission and would be independent of the director of the Department of Public Safety.

Democrats, usually critics of DPS border security activity, said the bill was trying to strip away authority from the state police, which Schaefer called the “gold standard” of public safety in the state. Neave Criado criticized the bill for allowing the transfer of personnel, equipment and facilities from DPS, whose officers are all trained law enforcement officers, to the Border Protection Unit, which would have untrained people as noncommissioned officers.

“If DPS was the gold standard, why are we removing funds from their budget?” she said. “If DPS was the gold standard, why are we defunding DPS?”

The unit would also be in charge of building the state’s border wall and other barriers to prevent illegal crossings at the border, as well as securing rights of way, leases, permission, materials and services needed to construct those barriers.

Those responsibilities are now being carried out by DPS troopers and National Guard troops on Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security mission, Operation Lone Star. The mission has cost the state more than $4 billion over the past two years and has experienced a number of serious blunders.

National Guard troops have suffered from inadequate housing, pay problems and a lack of equipment on the mission. During the operation’s start, state troopers were accused of making wrongful arrests and of entrapping migrants by marching them onto private property and then arresting them for trespassing.

Alexa Ura contributed reporting.

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Texas vs South Dakota State: Longhorns head into holiday break with a 46-point win

Published

39 minutes ago

December 23, 2024

Press Room

Texas vs South Dakota State: Longhorns head into holiday break with a 46-point win

After a 103-57 win over South Dakota State on Sunday, the Texas Longhorns will head into their holiday break on a high note.

Sunday’s lopsided win at Moody Center came five days after Texas beat La Salle by a 111-49 score. Texas hadn’t scored 100 points in consecutive games since it did so against McNeese State and UTSA in November 2017.

Texas never trailed on Sunday, and freshmen Jordan Lee and Justice Carlton served as first-half catalysts for the No. 6 team in the USA Today Sports Coaches Poll. Lee started and scored 10 first-quarter points while Carlton came off the bench to score 17 first-half points on 7-of-9 shooting. Combined, Lee and Carlton had 29 points in the first half. South Dakota State’s entire team had 26.

While Texas built its 53-26 lead in the first half, eight of the nine Longhorns who played scored. The surprising exception was All-American Madison Booker, who distributed three assists and grabbed three rebounds but missed her three shots.

A perennial NCAA tournament qualifier that had split its prior games against ranked Creighton and Duke teams, South Dakota State (10-3) never cut into its 27-point halftime deficit in the second half.

Here are three observations from Sunday’s 46-point rout:

Mwenentanda remains patient with her process

Carlton finished with 19 points and nine rebounds while senior forward Taylor Jones had 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. Lee and senior guard Rori Harmon respectively added 14 and 13 points for a Texas team that shot 53.9% from the field. Booker was limited to nine points, but Harmon pointed out after the game that Booker’s +/- of 41 was the best among the Longhorns.

Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda was the fifth Longhorn to record a double-digit scoring total. Over 11 minutes, Mwenentanda scored 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting.

Mwenentanda grew up in South Dakota and was that state’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022. The school in Sioux Falls where she won a state championship is about an hour drive from South Dakota State’s campus. Mwenentanda was recruited by the Jackrabbits but she said that she was attracted to what Texas could offer her athletically and academically.

Since arriving on campus, Mwenentanda has shown glimpses of her potential since arriving at Texas, but she has mainly been a role player for the Longhorns. Sunday was the 11th time that she scored at least 10 points in a game. Just twice in her career has she played more than 25 minutes.

Mwenentanda sees herself as a Swiss Army Knife on the Texas roster. She’s listed as a 6-foot-2 guard on the team’s roster, but Vic Schaefer has mainly used her as a “4” player this season. Mwenentanda played some in the paint last season, but she got more playing time as a guard. Training more with the post players this offseason has helped her adjust to that role this season.

“I physically prepared for it, I mentally prepared for it. I’m enjoying it,” Mwenentanda said.

Schaefer praised the play of Mwenentanda in his postgame press conference on Sunday. Earlier in the week, Mwenentanda said that she was staying patient with her process.

“Everybody’s process is different. I feel like comparing myself to other people’s process would be one reason to give up,” Mwenentanda said. “Everybody on this team are great players, are great women so even though this process is a little bit different for me, it’s not something I look at negatively because I know everybody’s working hard and everybody’s pitching in.”

Status for sidelined Laila Phelia remains unclear

Texas senior Laila Phelia missed her third straight game on Sunday. Phelia suffered a detached retina during the offseason. Texas has not announced a timeline for her return, but Schaefer has said the program will soon release an update.

The leading scorer at Michigan last season, Phelia has played in just eight of the Longhorns’ 13 games. She is averaging 6.1 points and 19.4 minutes per game while shooting 40.5% from the field.

What’s next for Texas? Rest and one final tune-up

Next on the schedule for Texas is a home game against UTRGV (6-6) on Dec. 29. That will be the Longhorns’ final game until their Southeastern Conference debut at Oklahoma on Jan. 2, 2025.

But first, the Longhorns will get some rest. Mwenentanda won’t be able to fly back to South Dakota until Monday morning, but the rest of the Longhorns headed home after Sunday’s win. The Longhorns will return to practice on Dec. 27.

How will the Longhorns spend their break? The three players who attended Sunday’s postgame press conference – Carlton, Harmon and Mwenentanda – said they’d take some time off, but they added that they’ll get some workouts in with family and hometown trainers.

As for Schaefer? He’ll do some work over the break, but he won’t be in his office.

“I’m going to be standing in about knee-deep water in the morning calling a duck and having my son (Logan) with me and my dog, my hunting dog, not my show dog. We’ll enjoy some time together in the morning and then we’ll wet a line and fish in the afternoon,” Schaefer said. “I’ll probably sit in my bow stand a couple of nights with my computer in my lap and watch film. I don’t really care if I see anything or not, but I usually see a lot. I get more work done sitting in a bow stand in a bow blind than I do a lot of times sitting at my desk.

“I’ll just enjoy time with family. I’m really blessed with Holly and Logan and Blair here and we’re all together at Christmas, and it’s just a special time for us. We really embrace the Christmas season.”

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Former Colorado defensive end Dayon Hayes transfers to Texas A&M

Published

9 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Former Colorado defensive end Dayon Hayes transfers to Texas A&M

Former Colorado Buffaloes defensive end Dayon Hayes is set to continue his collegiate career at Texas A&M after transferring following a season-ending injury. Hayes, a 6-foot-3, 265-pound defender, began his journey at Pitt, where he played from 2020 to 2023, accumulating 13 sacks and 80 tackles over four seasons.

At Pitt, Hayes showcased his potential in his sophomore and junior years, logging around 500 combined snaps and producing 30 pressures. His breakout came in 2023 when he amassed 44 pressures and a 13% pass rush win rate, ranking 12th in the ACC. Hayes also demonstrated solid run defense, posting an average tackle depth of 1.6 yards and recording 10.5 stops for loss. His ability to set the edge and prevent runners from escaping outside made him a critical piece of Pitt’s defense.

Following his success at Pitt, Hayes transferred to Colorado as a highly sought-after addition to Deion Sanders’ revamped Buffaloes roster. He made an immediate impact, registering two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss in Colorado’s first three games. However, his promising start was cut short by a knee injury in the fourth game, sidelining him for the rest of the season.

Deion Sanders says he won’t attend the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay

Despite the setback, Hayes’ strong early performance likely earned him a medical redshirt, granting him another year of eligibility. With his final collegiate season on the horizon, Hayes opted to join Texas A&M, bringing his pass-rushing skills to the SEC. The Aggies, coming off an eight-win season, are set to face USC in the Las Vegas Bowl. Hayes’ ability to pressure quarterbacks and defend the run should bolster Texas A&M’s defensive front, adding experience and depth to their edge rotation for the 2024 season.

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D-FW can claim Texas’ best high school football team in an otherwise down year for Dallas

Published

16 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

D-FW can claim Texas’ best high school football team in an otherwise down year for Dallas

ARLINGTON — North Crowley showed out on Saturday in its dazzling 50-21 victory over Austin Westlake in the 6A Division I state title game, winning the program’s second state championship and putting Fort Worth high school football on the map in front of 36,120 fans at AT&T Stadium.

Until North Crowley took the field at 7:30 p.m., there was a possibility the Dallas-Fort Worth area might boast only one state champion in 2024. Celina routed Kilgore 55-21 in the 4A Division I state championship to capture the program’s ninth state title and its first under coach Bill Elliott.

But North Texas teams came up short in the next three title games, the region’s worst showing at state since 2021, when South Oak Cliff became the first Dallas ISD school to win a recognized state championship since 1958, but Denton Guyer and Duncanville fell in the 6A state championship games.

Two-time state champion South Oak Cliff missed a last-second field goal, falling 38-35 to third-year program Richmond Randle in the 5A Division II state title game Friday night. It was SOC’s second straight loss in the state championship game.

“The future is still bright,” South Oak Cliff coach Jason Todd said. “We just gotta find out what’s going to get us over this hump.”

Smithson Valley, from the San Antonio area, topped Highland Park 32-20 as the six-time state champion faded in the second half of the 5A Division I state title game Saturday afternoon.

In the second game of the day, eight-time state champion Southlake Carroll extended its title drought to 13 years with a 24-17 loss to Austin Vandegrift in the 6A Division II game.

“It’ll happen one day. I’m excited about what the future holds,” said Carroll coach Riley Dodge, who fell to 0-2 in state title games as a coach.

The Dallas area claimed three football state champions in 2023 with Anna winning the 4A Division I state title and Duncanville and DeSoto sweeping the 6A Division I and II state championships, respectively. The southern Dallas County schools also swept the 6A state championships in 2022, when South Oak Cliff won its second straight 5A Division II state title.

But this year, the rest of Texas didn’t let the Dallas area, a high school football mecca, run the table. Teams from each of the state’s major metros — Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio —- won a title in each division of the UIL’s two highest classifications.

Even before this week’s state championship games, 2024 seemed to mark a changing of the guard. Neither Duncanville, DeSoto nor Houston-area power Galena Park North Shore made it to AT&T Stadium this year. Nor did 12-time UIL state champion Aledo, the juggernaut west of Fort Worth that had won the last two 5A Division I state championships.

But North Crowley did, after knocking off both DeSoto and Duncanville this season. North Texas might not have dominated the competition as it has in recent years, but for a third straight season, the king of 6A reigns in Dallas-Fort Worth.

“When you get to this point, there’s only one team that’s standing that’s hoisting the trophy. And fortunately for us, this year it’s us and we just happen to be from 817,” North Crowley coach Ray Gates said. “We’re elated to be able to bring that type of recognition back to our community, just to let people know that when you talk about this area, when you talk about Metroplex football, you can’t forget about us.”

On Twitter/X: @t_myah

Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

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