Influential Issues: Immigration

September 29, 2008

Immigration is an issue as complex as it is contentious. With respect to immigration issues, we must recognize the efficacy of free markets in promoting economic growth, but also acknowledge the necessity of policy interventions to protect the rule of law and the security of the state and nation.

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Restoring Private Property Rights: Regulatory Takings

Municipal regulations like zoning ordinances can infringe on private property rights and distort the housing market. Key points: Private property rights are under threat from municipal zoning ordinances and design mandates. Texas law has failed to adequately protect property owners from regulatory takings. By closing the municipal loophole, Texas can be the national leader in...

April 6, 2026

Local Government

When Government Lobbies Itself: Why Texas Should Ban Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying

Texas local governments use taxpayer dollars to hire lobbyists to influence state legislation—creating conflicts of interest, distorting democratic accountability, and undermining the interests of Texas taxpayers. Key points: Taxpayer-funded lobbying expenditures more than doubled from the 85th to the 89th Legislature, now reaching as high as $111.5 million. Taxpayer-funded lobbyists consistently opposed legislation involving property...

April 6, 2026

Border Security

Lincoln’s Line: Immigration and the Moral Limits of Federalism

If economist Friedrich Hayek taught us to as who ought to decide, and Abraham Lincoln taught us to as to what end, then the question of immigration compels us to ask a third and inescapable question: Where is the line drawn? In the instance of Minneapolis, the line is both wrongly drawn, and drawn at...

January 27, 2026

Related content

Restoring Private Property Rights: Regulatory Takings

When Government Lobbies Itself: Why Texas Should Ban Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying

Lincoln’s Line: Immigration and the Moral Limits of Federalism