Immigration

HB 54 would require U.S. citizenship for individuals appointed to or serving in certain public offices within Texas state or local government, including positions on advisory boards or task forces. It applies to roles in the state executive, legislative, or judicial branches and to political subdivisions (like cities or counties), but excludes offices with constitutional qualification requirements. Current non-citizen officeholders in affected roles would lose their positions on the bill’s effective date unless they become U.S. citizens before then. The law would take effect 91 days after the end of the current legislative session.

HB 130 requires the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to perform rapid DNA tests (using buccal swabs) on individuals detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Texas-Mexico border who are suspected of human trafficking offenses under Texas Penal Code Chapter 20A. The bill mandates that DPS destroy all biological samples after testing and prohibits Texas from storing DNA results in any database or sharing them with federal systems like CODIS. Results may only be provided to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for immigration enforcement purposes. The program requires DHS funding to operate and explicitly bans Texas from building a DNA database or using the results for any purpose beyond federal immigration enforcement.