The U.S. Department of Education has rescinded a $37.7 million fine, with prejudice, against Grand Canyon University for alleged deceptive practices, according to the university.

The proposed fine was the largest ever issued by the department against a university.

University President Brian Mueller welcomed the decision to rescind the fine.

“The facts clearly support our contention that we were wrongly accused of misleading our Doctoral students, and we appreciate the recognition that those accusations were without merit,” Mueller said in a statement.

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“GCU is a leader in innovation, transparency and best practices in higher education and we look forward to working cooperatively with the Department in the future – just as we have with all regulatory agencies,” he continued.

The fine was imposed in October 2023 after the federal government reported that an investigation found that 78% of doctoral students who graduated between 2017 and 2022 required additional courses and incurred additional costs of at least $10,000 to complete their programs.

The U.S. Department of Education has rescinded a $37.7 million fine, with prejudice, against Grand Canyon University. (J. David Ake/Getty Images)

The university appealed the fine the following month, with Mueller accusing the federal government of being “out of control” and targeting one of the largest Christian universities in the country, according to a statement at the time.

Mueller also said in a speech at the time that the fine was “ridiculous” and noted that another top Christian university, Liberty University, was reportedly being threatened with a $37 million fine for allegedly underreporting crimes.

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The proposed fine was the largest ever issued by the Department of Education against a university. (STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

“It’s interesting, isn’t it, that the two largest Christian universities in the country, this one and Liberty University, are both being fined almost the identical amount at almost the identical time?” he said. “Now is there a cause and effect there? I don’t know. But it’s a fact.”

The Department of Education’s move to rescind the fine ends a yearslong legal battle for the university.

A bill making its way through the Texas Legislature would ban minors from accessing popular social media apps and websites in an effort to curb what a lawmaker says is an addictive and “harmful product.”

Republican state Rep. Jared Patterson’s measure, House Bill 186, passed the Texas House with bipartisan support last month and appears poised to be pushed through by the state Senate en route to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.

In an interview with Fox News Digital on Monday, Patterson said the bill came about by speaking with multiple committees and with parents who have young kids about the effect that popular social media sites like X, TikTok, Facebook and Snapchat have on children.

These committees and conversations came during the last two interims in the state Legislature that studied the issue of social media and minors.

“Learning more about it, we really came to the realization that this is the most harmful product that our kids have access to in terms of its addictive nature,” Patterson said.

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Bill 186 would ban minors from signing up for accounts on social media, require parental consent to download applications, and place warning labels about the dangers of social media.

Websites that allow users to create content and share it will be considered a social media platform and thus be banned from minors. 

However, websites containing news and sports will be accessible for minors.

While Texas isn’t the first state to put some restrictions on minors’ access to social media platforms, it right now would be the strictest.

As of June 2024, there are 10 states that have age restriction laws on social media for minors, according to the ​​Age Verification Providers Association.

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Texas Bill 186 would ban minors from signing up for accounts on social media. (Getty Images)

Currently, only Florida has laws banning minors from using social media, but its laws are not as strict as the proposed Texas Bill 186.

Florida’s age restriction is currently 14 years old, while Texas’s proposed limit would be for those under the age of 18.

However, Patterson said the age restriction isn’t set in stone.

“We’ll see what happens with the Senate. When [the bill] left the House, people under the age of 18 will be prohibited from social media. There was broad bipartisan support when the bill left the Texas house,” Patterson said. “[The Senate has] every right to adjust it to whatever it needs to get out of that body.”

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Bill 186 would ban minors from signing up for accounts on social media, require parental consent to download applications, and place warning labels about the dangers of social media. (iStock)

Regardless of what changes are made, Patterson said he still feels strongly that protecting children is the No. 1 priority and that parents will realize just what exactly is happening.

“It starts with the understanding that these parents don’t stand a chance against these algorithms,” he said. “It also starts with parents understanding that these apps aren’t for friends sharing information with friends; they are built to harvest data and get people hooked on their products.”

Patterson said Texas will continue to “stand in the gap and protect these kids, even when these social media companies refuse to show up.

“They refuse to answer for the harm they’ve caused, and they don’t even care to answer questions in a public forum about what they’ve done to our kids.”

Two South Texas gang members have been sentenced for human smuggling, following a series of high-speed chases at the border that involved one of the gang members crashing his car into the Rio Grande and swimming to Mexico to escape.

A Monday statement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said the two human smugglers, Juan Miguel Regalado, 28, and Samuel Grajeda Jr., 21, are members of “Puro Tango Blast,” a local Texas gang.

The two were sentenced on May 15 after being convicted of conspiracy to transport undocumented immigrants, following an investigation by ICE, U.S. Border Patrol Laredo Sector and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

U.S. District Judge John Kazen imposed a 66-month sentence for Regalado, while Grajeda previously received a 30-month imprisonment as well as a consecutive six months for violating the terms of his supervised release for a previous alien transporting conviction. Both must also serve three years of supervised release.

Both men admitted to involvement in the human smuggling conspiracy.

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According to the ICE statement, the investigation began April 20, 2024, when a group of suspected illegal aliens entered a green Tahoe in a sector of the border just north of Laredo, Texas.

The statement said that Regalado was driving and led law enforcement on a high-speed chase, during which “multiple individuals jumped out of the vehicle.”

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Driving up to 100 miles per hour, Regalado crashed the Tahoe into the Rio Grande and then proceeded to escape by swimming across the river to Mexico.

Authorities continued to monitor the area over the next several months. In November 2024, another group of illegal aliens entered a white Ford Taurus parked in the area. Authorities followed the vehicle until another vehicle, a black Mercedes, cut them off. ICE said that the two vehicles were driven by Grajeda and Regalado.

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The Rio Grande is seen from Laredo, Texas, U.S., September 19, 2020. Picture taken September 19, 2020. (REUTERS/Veronica G. Cardenas)

A traffic stop of the Ford Taurus led to another vehicle pursuit in which Grajeda crashed into a bystander’s vehicle. Law enforcement eventually discovered the Ford Taurus abandoned in a north Laredo neighborhood. Authorities then found four illegal aliens and Grajeda and Regalado within the vicinity of the abandoned vehicle.

Both gang members are currently in custody.

Craig Larrabee, ICE Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio Special Agent in Charge, said that “these sentences reflect the serious consequences awaiting those who engage in human smuggling and endanger public safety.”

Larrabee said that “Tango Blast gang members put countless lives at risk during these reckless pursuits” and that “through strong collaboration with our federal and state law enforcement partners, we remain committed to dismantling violent criminal organizations and protecting our communities.”