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Tag: Steve McCraw

Unaccompanied Minors in DHS Holding Facilities, June, 2014

Texas Looks at Creating State-Level Immigration Laws

The Texas Legislature could look into new state-level immigration laws to give police more authority in immigration-related cases. During a meeting of the Texas House’s State Affairs Committee, Texas Deputy Attorney General Brantley Starr told legislators they could create state-level immigration laws if they were careful to carve out unique areas that did not conflict or step on federal immigration laws.

Sanctuary City Policies

Texas House Committee Dances Around Sanctuary City Issues, Asks Sheriffs for Solutions

The Director of the Department of Public Safety (DPS), Texas county sheriffs, and other invited witnesses were in the State Capitol on Thursday to testify before the House State Affairs Committee in an effort to find solutions to problems created by illegal aliens. The committee danced around the issue of sanctuary city policies but offered no real direction.

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Texas DPS Gets Tip Line to Track Possible Terrorists

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has established an internet based tip line to allow Texans to report suspicious behaviors that might lead to terrorism or other criminal activities. The move follows the attacks in Paris and the revelation by Breitbart Texas about Syrians who were caught crossing the Texas border with Mexico this week.

AP Photo

Texas DPS Director: People from Countries with ‘Known Terrorism Presence’ Cross Border

“Individuals that come across the Texas-Mexican border from a countries with a known terrorism presence and the answer to that is yes. We have individuals that we’ve needed to debrief in Pashto/Dari. Not a lot of Pashto and Dari speakers around. But you can’t think about the last attack; you have to think of the next attack and where our vulnerabilities are. So, we’re concerned about that.”

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Sandra Bland Hearing: Texas’ Top Cop Told ‘A Lot of People are Afraid of You Guys’

The Director of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), Steve McCraw, was told during a Texas House committee investigatory hearing – “A lot of people are afraid of you guys.” The hearing was called in the wake of the arrest of Sandra Bland by a Texas DPS trooper. The comment came from staunch conservative State Representative Jonathan Stickland (R-Bedford).

Perry's promise

Rick Perry’s Record on the Border

Nearly one year ago, then Texas Governor Rick Perry announced he was sending 1,000 soldiers from the Texas National Guard to “secure the border.” This action came during Perry’s last half of his fourteen years as Texas’ governor. Perry’s inconsistent record on border security and illegal immigration contains action, rhetoric and inaccurate assertions, as examined below.

Texas River Boat - Mission Texas

Report: Border Surge a Success; Permanent Troopers Now Needed

A leaked report from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) states that border surge was largely a success. The report cites numbers indicating a reduction in illegal immigrant border crossings and cartel activity. The report lays the foundation for Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s plan to increase the number of permanent DPS troopers along the Texas-Mexico border.

A Few Good Troopers

Texas DPS Looking for a Few Good Troopers

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is looking for a few good police officers to join the ranks of Texas Highway Patrol troopers. The DPS announced a new program under which currently certified peace officers can apply to be enrolled in a special accelerated course. The program is in response to Governor Greg Abbott’s plan to hire an additional 500 troopers to increase border security.

DPS Fingerprinting - KFDX3 Screenshot

Texas Rep Files Bill to Repeal DPS Fingerprinting Non-Criminal Drivers

Texas State Representative Tony Tinderholt (R-Arlington) filed a bill on Friday that would stop the practice by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) of fingerprinting all ten digits of all drivers. The DPS policy changed from only collecting thumbprints to collecting all ten digits in 2014. Privacy advocates immediately began to clamor about this privacy invasion. Tinderholt, who campaigned on transparency and government accountability, introduced this bill, HB 871, as his first piece of legislation as a freshman state rep.