Daily Dispatch 1/26/26: Rage Over ICE Killings Builds In Texas And Beyond, And More

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:The horrifying murder of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis has lent a sense of dread to the iced-in situation most of Texas is enduring, and has proven that ICE holds zero regard for the safety of either their supposed undocumented targets, or that of the citizens in their midst: https://en.newsner.com/news/body-language-expert-tells-people-pay-very-close-attention-to-man-in-gray-jacket-after-alex-pretti-shooting/...GOP Texas Congressman Michael McCaul, likely emboldened by his impending retirement, is calling for an investigation of the Pretti killing: https://www.chron.com/news/article/texas-republican-alex-pretti-minneapolis-21314647.php...Horror appears to be developing within the walls of the South Texas Family Residential Center at Dilley, from within which the screams of women and children can be heard: https://x.com/scottbraddock/status/2015772110707106117?s=20...Immigrant families gathered in protest there over the weekend: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/01/24/immigration-facility-protest-texas-liam-conejo-ramos/...A second federal government shutdown is more likely than it was last week as Senate Democrats are motivated to block ICE funding in the DHS bill passed by the House last week with the help of several Democratic defectors, including Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/democrats-call-ice-overhaul-texas-senate-debate-hours-minnesota-shooti-rcna255593...New YouGov polling shows a rapid deterioration of public support for ICE, even among Republicans: https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/53939-more-americans-support-than-oppose-abolishing-ice-immigration-minneapolis-shooting-poll...Both Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico addressed the Alex Pretti killing in their remarks during their first debate on Saturday: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-live-pod-the-first-crockett-talarico-debate/id1552998795?i=1000746510088The freeze has impacted early voting in the SD-9 special election runoff, but most polls are expected to be open as of 10am today: https://www.tarrantcountytx.gov/en/elections.html...The CD-18 election in Houston has been similarly impacted, and a lawsuit has been filed to allow more time for early voting later this week: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/voting/2026/01/25/541594/early-voting-houston-winter-storm-18th-congressional-district-runoff/Early voting in the March primary starts in mere weeks, on February 17 - the time to research your ballot is right now: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2026/texas-march-2026-primary-ballot/?_bhlid=7d8eca3d2a16adc7c9b44185414443fa32be6d84⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check out our web store, including our newly-expanded Humans Against Greg Abbott collection: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Progress Texas is expanding into both broadcast radio - including a new partnership with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KPFT-FM in Houston⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - and into Spanish language media! Make a tax-deductible contribution to our radio initiative ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and to our Spanish expansion ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Thanks for listening! Our monthly donors form the backbone of our funding, and if you're a regular, we'd like to invite you to join the team! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.