Brian José Morales García has a birth certificate showing he was born in Denver. ICE agents accused him of lying and says he entered the country illegally.
The proposal would require counties who opt for hand counts to use ballots that can be scanned and tabulated by a voting machine.
With little in local tax revenue to help pay staff, rural Texas sheriffs are often forced to do more with less. Lawmakers hope a new grant program will help rebuild the ranks of rural law enforcement.
Some 50 Texas sheriffs and numerous elected officials have attended trainings on the unsupported notion that sheriffs can single-handedly overrule state and federal law. The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, which offered state peace officers credit for the seminars, is now investigating.