Austin, TX – The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Secure and Sovereign Nation (SSN) Campaign today announced their policy priorities for Texas’ 90th Legislative Session as part of their Liberty Action Agenda, designed to strengthen immigration enforcement, enhance public safety, and defend the rule of law.
“The Liberty Action Agenda gives Texas lawmakers a clear, enforceable roadmap to address the illegal immigration crisis at every level—from the workplace, to the courtroom, to city hall,” said SSN Campaign Director Selene Rodriguez. “Texans deserve leaders who will act decisively to defend their communities, and this agenda equips the Legislature with the tools to do exactly that.”
“My years in the Army and on the border taught me one thing: enforcement gaps cost lives,” said Ammon Blair, Army veteran, former Border Patrol agent, and Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. “The Liberty Action Agenda closes those gaps. These are serious, enforceable policies that give Texas the tools to defend its sovereignty and protect the men and women on the front lines of public safety.”
“Texas has an opportunity to set the national standard on immigration enforcement and homeland security,” said Rodriguez. “This agenda delivers the accountability, the enforcement mechanisms, and the political will to ensure that illegal aliens face real consequences and that Texans are put first.”
Secure and Sovereign Nation — Liberty Action Agenda
Expanding the Use of E-Verify in Texas: Mandates the use of E-Verify for all political subdivisions and seeks to require it for all employers in Texas.
Immigration Enforcement Cooperation: Requires all Texas law enforcement agencies to participate in the 287(g) program for immigration enforcement.
Illegal Alien Crime Penalty Enhancement: Enhances criminal penalties for illegal aliens convicted of crimes in Texas, creating a stronger deterrent against unlawful activity.
Citizenship Integrity and Legal Status Verification: Requires U.S. citizenship to hold public office or serve on state boards and commissions and mandates the use of federal verification systems to confirm lawful presence before distributing public benefits, ensuring that taxpayer resources are reserved for citizens and lawfully present individuals.
Texas Border Defense: Establishes a permanent, state-controlled homeland defense framework integrating specialized units, advanced surveillance, all-source intelligence, and coordinated response capabilities to operate independently or alongside federal authorities—ensuring Texas can proactively defend its sovereignty and counter transnational threats.
State Board of Immigration Enforcement: Creates a centralized governing body and State Immigration Enforcement Officer to oversee all immigration enforcement operations in Texas, with authority over rulemaking, budget allocation, interagency coordination, operational directives, and statewide accountability.
Empowering the Texas Division of Homeland Security: Expands the Texas Division of Homeland Security into a fully operational, governor-directed authority within DPS, with enhanced powers including rulemaking, rapid procurement, interagency tasking, intelligence coordination, and surge response capabilities to ensure unified statewide security operations.
Texas Internal Defense: Establishes a comprehensive internal defense framework to protect Texas from subversion, lawlessness, and threats posed by foreign adversaries, terrorist organizations, and transnational networks, securing the state’s people, infrastructure, and economic stability.
Defining the Cost of Immigration’s Impact on Public Systems: Requires standardized statewide data collection and reporting on the fiscal and operational impacts of immigration on public education and healthcare systems, including analysis of federal mandates such as Plyler v. Doe and the burden of uncompensated care, to support informed policymaking and resource allocation.
Condemning Mexico’s Alliance with Transnational Threat Networks: Formally recognizes the cartel–state nexus in Mexico as a hybrid national security threat and calls for a strategic shift toward coordinated state and federal action targeting transnational criminal and terrorist-aligned networks impacting Texas.