Selene Rodriguez is the Assistant Director of Federal Affairs at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. In this role, she conducts research on public policy issues; assists the Foundation in academic publication; educates lawmakers and members of the public on Foundation research; and provides formal testimony to local, state, and federal entities.
Mexican government is no partner of U.S. on illegal immigration. The Department of Justice and the state of Texas faced off in a preliminary injunction hearing on Tuesday, in which DOJ demanded that Texas remove the marine barrier in the Rio Grande. While it was clear that there would be pushback from the Biden administration,...
I was watching Taylor Sheridan’s new series “Lioness” recently, and I was surprised that a specific scene was actually aired—not because it was shocking, but because it was true. A hot extraction for a CIA operative in a rural south Texas town was going down, and when it was accomplished, one agent expressed his fear...
While Texas continues to attempt to secure its border, the Department of Justice (DOJ) disagrees with its methods. The DOJ filed a lawsuit on Monday against Texas for its use of the buoy marine barrier system, a system which has been implemented to protect lives and deter illegal border crossings along the Rio Grande River. The floating...
While the federal government is missing in action as Texas border towns are overwhelmed by illegal immigrants, the Lone Star State is taking action. Since the inception of the Texas busing program more than 20,000 migrants have been relocated from the Texas cities to “sanctuary cities” to include Chicago, Denver, New York City, Philadelphia, and...
What is happening along our international borders today is not just about illegal immigration or drug smuggling. It’s also about the rapid increase in human trafficking and modern-day slavery, which is flourishing with the chaos that open borders facilitate. With a record number of unaccompanied minors crossing into the U.S., it has become increasingly difficult to ensure...
When we moved into our new home a few years ago, I considered everything under the sun to avoid changing my children’s school. Our experience with our zoned public school had been excellent. But even though we were moving to a wonderful neighborhood, the public school we would now be zoned for was a below...
Rebecca Kiessling testified before Congress to talk about the risk of fentanyl poisoning and why it is of the upmost importance to her. Fentanyl killed her two young sons, Caleb and Kyler. And she is just one of millions of parents experiencing this tragedy. When confronted about it, the president did what he does best—mumble,...
Just a few miles away from my hometown, three migrants and one suspected smuggler were killed during a DPS pursuit today. Yesterday, 13 migrants, including two small unrestrained children, were discovered following a high-speed chase in Arizona. Last week, DPS Special Agents in Laredo discovered 50 migrants, including seven minors, concealed in a Conex container....
As citizens and communities throughout the nation are fast realizing, the chaotic border policies of the Biden administration impose steep housing, transportation, health care, public safety and education costs on taxpayers. In addition to the fiscal hit, these costs also include tragic and unexpected impacts on American families and basic public services. In our South...
Growing up in a small border town, we weren’t accustomed to large volumes of crime, such as road chases, home break-ins, damaged property, large amounts of drugs, and human smuggling rings in our own backyard. The morning chatter from my neighbors used to be ranchers looking for lost livestock or congratulating the local basketball team...
The genesis of the horrific impact of the disastrously managed U.S. asylum system on American border security can be traced to 2010, the second year of the Obama administration. It was in January of that year that Obama ICE Director John Morton first directed the agency to routinely apply “catch and release” parole to asylum applicants entering...
A 13-year-old child in Connecticut collapsed during gym class and was rushed to the hospital; he died two days later of what doctors concluded was a fentanyl overdose. Two other students at the school were also rushed to the hospital over similar concerns. When school officials investigated, they found 40 bags of powdered fentanyl hidden...