Daily Dispatch 3/22/24: SB-4, Desperation At The Border, and More

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: A large group of desperate migrants pushed through border fortifications at El Paso yesterday, highlighting the humanitarian crisis being created by Republican policy: https://www.keranews.org/texas-news/2024-03-21/migrants-on-texas-southern-border-breach-wire-barriers-erected-under-operation-lone-star ...U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, on a diplomatic mission to Guatemala, calls SB-4 "unconstitutional": https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/u-s-homeland-security-secretary-mayorkas-calls-texas-immigration-law-unconstitutional ...While officials in Mexico continue adamantly opposing the new law, predicting the discrimination and criminalization its citizens are likely to face: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexico-fears-discrimination-strained-us-relations-under-new-texas-immigration-2024-03-21/ President Joe Biden wrapped up a two-day fundraising visit to Dallas and Houston yesterday: https://www.khou.com/article/news/national/president-joe-biden-houston-texas-campaign-trail/285-e10b6875-71f5-41e6-939b-4e800c70a45e Is the U.S. Supreme Court giving a green light to state leaders like Governor Abbott to turn their states into far-right dictatorships? https://www.salon.com/2024/03/21/grants-gov-greg-abbotts-wish-to-turn-texas-into-a-far-right-dictatorship/ Abbott says he's just two House votes short of making private school vouchers a reality in Texas: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/20/greg-abbott-tppf-vouchers-primary-runoff/ Ted Cruz gets schooled by a former Harvard Law classmate: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ted-cruz-law-school-hated_n_65fbddd0e4b0d2a3e7775421 A top executive at Blackrock implores the Texas State Board of Education to reconsider pulling over 8 billion dollars from its management, as that's not a wise move financially: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/blackrock-dismayed-8-5-billion-194252592.html?guccounter=1 The Texas Observer publishes a poignant response to Richard Linklater's new documentary on the death penalty in Texas: https://www.texasobserver.org/death-penalty-god-save-texas/ March is Women's History Month! See a new analysis of what that month really means in Texas: https://progresstexas.org/blog/inspire-inclusion-celebrating-international-womens-day-2024-texas Thanks for listening and have a great weekend! All about all we do, and several fun ways to support our work, can be found at https://progresstexas.org/.