Selene Rodriguez is the Campaign Director for the Secure and Sovereign Nation campaign 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.
Prior to this position, Rodriguez served in the Marine Corps as an Intelligence Specialist and completed an internship at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Born and raised in Del Rio, Texas, Rodriguez graduated from Texas State University with a B.A. and M.A. in Political Science.
The Democratic Socialists of America want mass amnesty and an end to all immigration enforcement. President Donald Trump recently renewed his criticism of the left’s immigration agenda, taking aim at mass amnesty. The Democratic Socialists of America are making the point for him, calling to “grant amnesty for all immigrants regardless of status.” The White...
Last week, the Department of Homeland Security approved a $7.5 billion reimbursement to Texas for costs incurred securing the southern border during the Biden border crisis. House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (TX-19), who worked to secure the reimbursement after Texas spent more than $11 billion on its border security mission, called it a victory...
Taylor Sheridan’s hit CIA thriller Lioness has never shied away from America’s enemies. The show explores threats from the Middle East to cartel-CCP infiltration, but season three is looking a little different. This season centers on something quieter and potentially more consequential: the “long game” being played inside the United States. The premise is chillingly...
In Mission, Texas, a south Texas border town, local residents noticed a new billboard advertising “Birth Packages in South Texas,” with maternity tourism services listed at more than $5,000. The advertisement directed customers to the website HaveMyBabyInTexas.com, which has since been taken down. It wasn’t just an advertisement for medical services, but rather an advertisement...
Americans watching the events unfolding in Spain today should resist the temptation to dismiss them as Europe’s problem. In just a matter of hours, thousands of migrants crossed from Morocco into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta last week, overwhelming local authorities and prompting officials to plead for emergency assistance. These events follow a recent...
“Have you ever been to the U.S.-Mexico Border?” “No.” One word. That may have been the most revealing moment of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s recent interview with the New York Times. During the exchange, Mamdani defended New York City’s sanctuary policies. Since taking office, he has reinforced that position by signing an executive...
Homeownership has long been one of the defining features of the American dream. For many young families today, it feels increasingly out of reach. While policymakers have spent years debating interest rates and zoning reform, they have largely ignored one of the biggest demand shocks in modern American history. According to a report from the Federal Reserve...
In a 10-5 vote, the Los Angeles City Council voted last week “to advance a measure that would allow non-citizens to vote in citywide and Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) school board elections.” Let that sink in. In one of America’s largest cities, elected officials are seriously debating whether citizenship should still matter at the ballot...
Cartels move an estimated 800,000 cattle per year from Central America into Mexico using fake ear tags and falsified records. As the New World screwworm returns to American soil for the first time since its eradication 60 years ago, Texas is now on the front line of Mexico’s threat to U.S. sovereignty and national security. The return...
President Donald Trump’s new 2026 Counterterrorism Strategy makes one thing unmistakably clear: The threats facing the United States are no longer confined to distant battlefields overseas. They are here—at our border, inside our institutions, and increasingly imbedded within transnational networks operating across the homeland. The strategy identifies three principal threats: “narcoterrorists and transnational gangs, legacy...
Cartels, trafficking networks, and hostile foreign actors do not pause operations based on American election cycles or changes in political leadership. Their operations continue to impact communities along the southern border and throughout the United States every day, keeping border enforcement and defending our homeland at the center of national security conversations. As a result,...
Illinois Rep. Delia Ramirez (D) recently said the quiet part out loud: If Democrats regain power, they intend to “melt ICE” and “dismantle the Department of Homeland Security.” Not reform. Not recalibrate. Dismantle. At this point, no one should be surprised, but everyone should be paying attention. The window for aligned federal action is limited, and states...