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Tag: Lesley Briones

  • CAIR Will Continue Civil Rights Work Despite Abbott’s Terrorism Declaration [UPDATE] – Houston Press

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    Editor’s Note: The Muslim Legal Fund of America and the CAIR Legal Defense Fund announced Thursday that they have filed a federal lawsuit against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton to block enforcement of Abbott’s “unconstitutional and defamatory” November 18 proclamation, which they say falsely declared the Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations a “foreign terrorist organization” and threatened various civil penalties against the civil rights organization if it continues to serve the people of Texas.

    Original story:

    Being Muslim doesn’t make one a terrorist, but that didn’t stop Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott from condemning two prominent civil rights groups this week, prompting an immediate response from one that the allegations are defamatory and have no basis in law or fact. 

    Abbott issued a proclamation on Tuesday designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations. This designation authorizes heightened enforcement against both groups and their affiliates and prohibits them from purchasing or acquiring land in Texas, according to a press release. 

    The Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR have “long made their goals clear: to forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam’s ‘mastership of the world,’” Abbott said in a statement. 

    “The actions taken by the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR to support terrorism across the globe and subvert our laws through violence, intimidation, and harassment are unacceptable,” he said. “These radical extremists are not welcome in our state and are now prohibited from acquiring any real property interest in Texas.”

    It’s an unusual move on Abbott’s part, since, under the Immigration and Nationality Act, only the U.S. secretary of state can officially designate foreign terrorist organizations following consultation with the attorney general and treasury secretary.

    The impact of the action by Abbott is limited to Texas law enforcement and authorizes the state attorney general to sue organizations deemed affiliated with CAIR or the Muslim Brotherhood, the Guardian reported this week.

    In his proclamation, Abbott referenced comments by Muslim Brotherhood founders that supported “fighting of the non-believers.” The governor also cited that Hamas, a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, orchestrated a 2023 terrorist attack in Israel in which nearly 400 people were killed. 

    Abbott said he targeted CAIR because the organization was named in 2007 as having ties to the Holy Land Foundation, a group that was shut down for sending millions of dollars to Hamas. CAIR has denied the allegations and was not indicted. 

    Habiba Noor, a lecturer at Trinity University, told the Texas Tribune this week that Abbott is using an “Islamophobic toolbox” to rehash conspiracy theories in an effort to criminalize Muslims. One such conspiracy theory, the lecturer said, is that CAIR is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. 

    CAIR, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, responded by saying in a letter that Abbott didn’t have the authority to unilaterally declare Americans or American institutions terrorist groups. 

    CAIR Texas said its civil rights work would continue undeterred. A spokesperson for CAIR Houston did not immediately respond to voicemails and emails seeking comment on Wednesday. 

    “Greg Abbott is an Israel First politician who has spent months stoking anti-Muslim hysteria to smear American Muslims critical of the Israeli government,” CAIR National said in a statement. “Mr. Abbott has once again shown that his top priority is advancing anti-Muslim bigotry, not serving the people of Texas. His latest publicity stunt has no basis in fact or law, nor can it stop our civil rights work.”

    At press time, the Muslim Brotherhood had not issued a response to Abbott’s proclamation. In 2015, the group was banned in Egypt, where it was founded, and declared a terrorist organization. The Muslim Brotherhood supports charitable causes and has said that its aim is the establishment of a state ruled by Sharia law. 

    Sharia is an Islamic legal and moral code that serves as a path for Muslims to live according to God’s will, as derived from the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. 

    And that’s a problem for Abbott, who, one day after designating the Muslim groups as terrorists, called for an investigation into “possible criminal violations by Sharia tribunals masquerading as legal courts and … purporting to enforce Sharia law” in Collin and Dallas counties. 

    Texas Republicans, including Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, have attempted for months to thwart the construction of a 400-acre Muslim community called EPIC City near Plano, calling it a “Sharia compound.” 

    Abbott signed a bill into law in September prohibiting “residential property developments like EPIC City from creating Sharia compounds and defrauding and discriminating against Texans.” No evidence has been produced that the organizers of EPIC City, which would include 1,000 residential units, a school and a mosque, intended to operate under Sharia law. 

    The project appears to be on hold because of numerous legal challenges and state investigations.

    Harris County commissioners Rodney Ellis, Adrian Garcia and Lesley Briones jumped into the fray late Tuesday evening, issuing a statement that Abbott’s proclamation against the Muslim organizations “is a reckless action that fuels fear and runs contrary to Harris County’s success as the country’s most diverse metro area. It also has no basis in the law.”

    “Harris County has thrived as a welcoming place for all. People come here from around the world,” the three Democratic commissioners said in a joint statement. “Not only do we contribute to their success, but they contribute to ours. We all work together to build a safe, prosperous community. The governor’s rhetoric fractures community trust and undermines the safety and cohesion that government is meant to protect.”

    Numerous elected officials from Houston and Harris County attended a Muslim celebration to break fast at the end of Ramadan this year. Credit: Daniel J. Cohen

    Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, who is competing in a January runoff election to fill the unexpired term of the late Sylvester Turner in U.S. Congressional District 18, said Abbott’s announcement was discriminatory and unconstitutional. 

    “He’s putting entire communities at risk by spreading fear instead of facts,” Menefee said in a statement. “Governor Abbott is again breaking down the trust we need to keep our neighborhoods stable. I denounce his decision and call on him to reverse it.” 

    In its response to Abbott, CAIR National said that the governor’s office has spent months stoking anti-Muslim hysteria to smear American Muslims critical of the Israeli government. The organization said it plans to continue opposing all forms of bigotry, speaking out against injustice and defending the Constitution’s guarantees of free speech. 

    CAIR has previously taken legal action against the state, most recently last year in defense of anti-genocide protesters at the University of Houston and University of Texas at Dallas. 

    “We have successfully sued you three different times for shredding the First Amendment for the benefit of the Israeli government, and we are ready to do so again if you attempt to turn this publicity stunt into actual policy,” the statement reads, in a direct message to Abbott. 

    This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.

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    April Towery

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  • Sean Teare: Care About Fighting Crime? Start with Feeding Families – Houston Press

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    Last week, I stood alongside Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones and dozens of volunteers at a special food distribution hosted by West Houston Assistance Ministries.

    We loaded boxes of donated food into cars that stretched for blocks for families hurt by the halt in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits due to the shutdown of the federal government. The desperation was palpable. That day, volunteers distributed food for more than 1,000 hungry families, including federal employees being forced to work without pay. 

    Across the greater Houston area, nearly 900,000 people rely on SNAP benefits to put food on the table. That number alone is staggering — but it becomes even more urgent when you consider that SNAP provides nine times more food assistance than all the food banks in the United States combined, including children, elderly and disabled people.

    When those benefits were suspended or significantly reduced, the strain on local resources became overwhelming. As Reverend Mark Brown, CEO of West Houston Assistance Ministries, told us: while food banks are doing everything they can, they simply cannot fill the gap left by SNAP. He described the current situation as a “humanitarian crisis,” calling the need for food in Houston “enormous.” 

    I couldn’t agree more. 

    For me, this isn’t just a humanitarian challenge — it’s a public safety issue. Common sense tells us that when we neglect to support the most vulnerable among us with basic resources for survival, the conditions for crime thrive.

    According to one study, for every 1 percent increase in food insecurity, violent crime rises by 12 percent. Conversely, evidence shows that when food is readily available, neighborhoods are safer, stronger and benefit from lower rates of violent crime. Of course, that doesn’t mean hunger causes crime, nor that those struggling to feed their families are destined for criminality.

    But it does highlight a critical truth: anyone serious about reducing violent crime should also care about attacking its root causes — poverty, lack of education, inadequate infrastructure, and limited upward mobility. I call these challenges “crime drivers” that, if left to fester, will reverse the progress we’re making to break the cycle of crime and violence. 

    And we have made progress. Violent crime has been declining over the past few years, thanks to the hard work of law enforcement, prosecutors, and so many local organizations working on crime prevention programs. The Harris County Commissioners Court deserves credit, too, for funding programs that are smart on crime, not just tough on it.

    They’ve invested in gun violence interruption programs through the Harris County Health Department — initiatives proven to stop the cycle of gun crime before it starts. They’ve supported nuisance abatement efforts that tear down abandoned properties, which often become magnets for criminal activity. And they’ve funded infrastructure improvements like sidewalks and lighting — simple changes that make neighborhoods safer. 

    As a career prosecutor, I’ve spent years holding violent offenders accountable. I’m not afraid to put dangerous people behind bars. But I also know that if we want to stop the revolving door of crime, we must do more than debate bond reform. We must double down on mental health and substance use treatment, fight domestic violence with urgency, and meaningfully address the root causes of crime. This approach doesn’t just make our communities safer, it saves taxpayer dollars, reduces the dangerous court backlog, and gives deserving individuals a real chance to rebuild their lives. 

    So today, I’m asking you to join us by doing something simple. Donate your time, your money, or your food to the local nonprofits doing the quiet, heroic work of feeding families and stabilizing communities. Because when we feed, clothe, and shelter our neighbors, we’re not just helping them survive, we’re building a safer, stronger Harris County for everyone. 

    This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.

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    By Sean Teare, Harris County District Attorney

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  • In Lina Hidalgo’s World, Early Childhood Programs Are Still the No. 1 Priority

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    Harris County is days away from adopting its $2.7 billion budget, sinking in debt, and grappling over how to prioritize flood control projects, but County Judge Lina Hidalgo can’t stop talking about an early childhood program she tried — and failed — to fund through a tax increase earlier this year.

    The Democratic judge has been at odds for months with Commissioners Lesley Briones and Adrian Garcia, members of her own political party, as well as Republican Commissioner Tom Ramsey. At the heart of most of the arguments is money.

    Briones and Garcia, who are both up for re-election in 2026, were noticeably absent from Hidalgo’s State of the County address last Friday. The event, sponsored by Greater Houston Partnership, was billed as an opportunity to hear from the judge on infrastructure, storm resilience, and economic mobility. Hidalgo, however, spent more than half of her allotted 40 minutes directing guests at the Marriott Marquis to a PowerPoint presentation on early childhood education.

    The judge is clearly still salty about a thwarted attempt on August 7 to let voters decide on a one-penny tax for the kids’ education program funded by American Rescue Plan Act dollars that expire next year.

    Commissioners Ramsey, Briones and Garcia — referred to by Hidalgo as the “GOP three” — not only rejected the judge’s plea to continue funding the program but denounced her effort to involve children to sway votes, saying her behavior was inappropriate. Ramsey proposed a censure of the judge, which was supported by Briones and Garcia.

    “We need to get better leadership,” Ramsey said at the time. “We don’t have time for this.”

    click to enlarge

    When Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, center, delivered her State of the County address last week, Rodney Ellis was the only commissioner who attended.

    Photo by April Towery

    Commissioners Court is scheduled to adopt its budget and tax rate on September 18.

    Since the August discussion on the childhood education program, the Harris County Commissioners Court has moved on to other budget debates, primarily centered on how to combat a $200 million deficit and how to compete with law enforcement pay at the Houston Police Department.

    Well, most of the Commissioners Court has moved on.

    “To get politicians to agree on something like putting [money] into early childhood education is harder than getting toddlers to agree on bedtime,” Hidalgo said at last week’s State of the County.

    The judge touched briefly on public safety, noting that she and Commissioner Ellis proposed $100 million in raises for county law enforcement, a measure that passed and is included in the proposed budget.

    But Hidalgo and Ellis voted against doubling the salaries of Harris County’s eight constables, who have asked for pay hikes to $290,000 per year, which amounts to more than the annual salary for Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and just slightly less than that of Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz. That measure passed 3-2 and is also included in the proposed budget slated for adoption next week.

    Briones and Garcia have indicated they support “pay parity” and are concerned about losing law enforcement officers to the Houston Police Department. A recently approved $1 billion Houston police contract includes a 36.5 percent raise for officers spread across five years.

    It was clear at last week’s event that Hidalgo wanted to avoid the rift among county officials and instead talk about the childhood education program, as she asked the audience to support her in ensuring that the matter is on the ballot in 2026.

    “You all understand that our workforce depends on what we do right now for those kids who are going to grow up and be in the future workforce,” she said. “You are the movers and shakers who are going to be able to spread the word about what we’re trying to do. Also, a lot of you have been able to get to where you are while raising children, so you know how hard it is.”

    The penny tax Hidalgo proposed would have cost the average Harris County homeowner roughly $24 more a year in taxes, and it would have provided educational opportunities for about 25,000 families, she said.

    “I may not be a mom, and I’m certainly not a teacher, but I do understand the importance of early childhood education, and I don’t think you have to be a parent or a teacher or somebody who works with kids in order to do so,” she said.

    The judge outlined data showing that the program is successful and voters would have supported it, according to a poll.

    “Early childhood education is popular because everyone understands how important it is,” she said. “What this shows you, in my mind, is a bipartisan reticence at the politician level to support early childhood education, when, at the community level, there is huge support for it. This disconnect between politics and the needs of the community does not stick with one party or the other.”

    “These kids are going to lose access to the programs,” she added. “It’s really important that we put this on the ballot in November of 2026. There is no excuse not to do it.”

    Following Hidalgo’s presentation, the judge dodged a question from Greater Houston Partnership president and CEO Steve Kean about whether she’ll seek re-election to a third term.

    “I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to break news on that here today, but it’s coming very, very, very, very soon,” she said.

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    April Towery

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