Texas Tightens Grip on Noncitizens: New Rules Impact 1.7M

0:00It's April 2nd. This is El Paso News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with the story. Texas Republicans have rode out a wave of new rules over the past year, slamming the brakes on non-citizens getting occupational licenses, registering or buying cars, snagging commercial drivers licenses, and accessing in-state college tuition. These moves hit hard on 1.7 million undocumented folks, plus tens of thousands of refugees and DACA recipients with over 6,400 already losing their commercial licenses. Attorney General Ken Paxton jumped in right after the last legislative session, pushing courts to scrap in-state tuition for those not lawfully. Present, putting up to 18,500 students at risk. The Department of Public Safety cracked down on non-English speakers and non-permanent residents for trucker licenses, revoking hundreds tied to, crashes. Meanwhile, the DMV added tough ID checks for car sales and registrations, and licensing boards now bar most non-citizens without green cards from jobs,

1:05like electrician or cosmetologist. Immigration lawyers and advocates report massive confusion in fear, with family spacing job loss and instability, and think domestic violence survivors. Losing cosmetology paths they fought for. Small businesses, especially car dealers in Hispanic areas, see sales drop as buyers head out of state or drive unregistered, risking arrests, and deportations. Democrats call it the governor, legislating by backdoor rules, dodging the full legislative process. These changes come through agency tweaks and habit appointees, skipping normal votes, fueled by border surges and election heat. Officials say it's about protecting jobs and resources for citizens, complying with federal law. Eyes are now on potential next steps, like challenging the Supreme Court ruling that guarantees K-12 education for undocumented kids as Texas keeps, tightening the grip on non-citizen life.