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KFC to move headquarters to to Texas

Former CKE Restaurants CEO Andy Puzder gives an industry look inside how fast food companies are trying to keep up with inflation and criticizes Biden’s tax policy.

KFC, the company once known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is leaving the state for Texas.

The chain founded by Col. Harland Sanders is leaving its Louisville headquarters to set up shop in the Dallas suburb of Plano, Yum! Brands announced Tuesday.

Around 100 U.S. employees will be required to relocate over the next six months and another 90 who work remotely will be required to move over the next 18 months.

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The fried chicken chain announced that it will move its headquarters from Kentucky to Texas. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP via Getty Images)

KFC and Pizza Hut Global will both be headquartered in Plano, the company said. Yum! Brands and the KFC Foundation will maintain corporate offices in Louisville.

Taco Bell and the Habit Burger & Grill will remain headquartered in Irvine, California.

“These changes position us for sustainable growth and will help us better serve our customers, employees, franchisees and shareholders,” said Yum! Brands CEO David Gibbs. “Ultimately, bringing more of our people together on a consistent basis will maximize our unrivaled culture and talent as a competitive advantage. I’m confident this is another important step in growing our iconic restaurant brands globally.”

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A KFC restaurant in Xiamen, China (Reuters Marketplace)

The company isn’t abandoning Kentucky entirely. It will provide a $1 million endowment to the College of Business at the University of Louisville to fund Yum!-sponsored scholarships and further support the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence.

KFC will continue its brand presence in Louisville with the ambition of building a first-of-its-kind flagship restaurant, the company said.

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In 2020, Papa Johns moved its headquarters from Louisville to Atlanta. In February 2023, the pizza giant announced that it would keep staff in Louisville despite plans to sell the former headquarters building.

February 19, 2025
NYSE coming to Texas coming as Lone Star State continues to attract businesses

Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, explains how a Republican leadership in government can unleash prosperity, how the federal budget can be cut, and discusses former President Trump’s tax proposals.

Texas has in recent years become a significant home for companies looking to relocate, including the latest — the New York Stock Exchange’s “fully electronic equities change” NYSE Texas in Dallas.

The NYSE revealed Wednesday that it plans to add operations in Dallas by reincorporating its NYSE Chicago as NYSE Texas in the Lone Star State, saying the “fully electronic equities exchange” will “provide public companies with a listing and trading venue centered within the vibrant economy of the southwestern U.S.” once it goes live in the future.

NYSE Group President Lynn Martin said the exchange is “delighted to expand our presence in the Lone Star State,” touting Texas as the state “with the largest number of NYSE listings” and a “market leader in fostering a pro-business atmosphere.”

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange November 28, 2011. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid (UNITED STATES – Tags: BUSINESS) ( REUTERS/Brendan McDermid / Reuters Photos)

NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE PLANS EXCHANGE IN ‘PRO-BUSINESS’ TEXAS

A report released last year by the Federal Reserve Bank for Dallas found a net of over 7,300 firms moved into Texas between 2010 and 2019, putting it among the top states for business relocations.

The state has notched more firms moving into it than out of it since 2000, the report also said.

University of Texas at Dallas Accounting Assistant Professor Kirti Sinha told FOX Business said “several factors” have drawn companies to the Lone Star State.

“The first is, of course, the taxes. There is no personal income tax and corporate income taxes in Texas in general,” she said. “Then, second, I think our regulatory environment is, I would say, much more relaxed compared to some other states.”

“We have lower disclosure or regulatory oversight compared to other states, and I think also the way, for example, the governor has been signalling ‘come here, make this your home, and I’m here for you,’ those kind of give signal to companies that whatever the situation in terms of regulations right now, it’s going to stay like this in the future,” Sinha added. “That kind of gives them confidence.”

A Texas flag and American flag flown together on a building in Austin, Texas, March 11, 2023. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images / Getty Images)

The space that Texas has for manufacturing facilities and warehouses and its wage rates have also appealed to businesses, according to Sinha.

“Texas has been working for decades to establish itself as the best place in America to do business. With one of the fastest-growing populations in the country, the highest number of Tier 1 research universities of any state in the country, and a business and regulatory environment that make it easy for companies to succeed, Texas is unmatched as a place to do business,” Nate Sharp, the dean of the Mays Business School at Texas A&M, told FOX Business.

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Among some of the big-name companies that moved their headquarters to Texas in recent years are Tesla, Fisher Investments and Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

Fisher Investments announced its move to the Lone Star State in 2023. The relocation was prompted by the Washington State Supreme Court upholding the state’s capital gains tax.

Hewlett Packard Enterprises in 2020 pointed to “opportunities for cost savings, and team members’ preferences about the future for work” for its own move to Texas.

In a more recent example, energy giant Chevron said in fall 2024 that it would be moving its headquarters to Texas from California. Andy Walz, Chevron’s president of America products, said California being a “tough place” to do business and “recruit people” played a part in its relocation decision, as well as the company looking to “drive better business outcomes.”

Sharp said the launch of NYSE Texas “will accelerate the growth of business” in the state and make it “even more attractive.”

Skyline of downtown Dallas, TX on a partly cloudy day. (Photo by: HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) (HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Nasdaq, another major stock exchange, also has a presence in Texas, and the TXSE Group is working to set up the Texas Stock Exchange in the state as well, filing its Form 1 registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission late last month.

THESE ARE THE BEST FIVE STATES TO START A BUSINESS IN 2025

“The whole listing process has become very complicated over the years, and having a physical office helps them talk to these companies more directly and gives them direct access,” Sinha told FOX Business.

She also said exchanges being in Texas “gives signals to investors that they can trust the system here, and so I think it is a very self-fulfilling kind of cycle, like ‘oh so the companies were coming, the New York Stock Exchange came’ and then that will bring in more investors and more companies.”

February 14, 2025
New York Stock Exchange announces NYSE Texas coming to Dallas

‘The Claman Countdown’ panelists Bankim Chadha and Scott Redler analyze market metrics.

New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) Texas, “a fully electronic equities exchange,” is coming to Dallas.

The announcement came Wednesday, and stated the NYSE Chicago “will reincorporate in Texas and be renamed NYSE Texas,” providing companies with a new venue to list their securities.

Several high-profile firms, including Elon Musk’s Tesla, and SpaceX, have relocated their headquarters to Texas, attracted by the state’s perceived favorable legal and regulatory environment.

“As the state with the largest number of NYSE listings, representing over $3.7 trillion in market value for our community, Texas is a market leader in fostering a pro-business atmosphere,” Lynn Martin, president of NYSE Group, said in a statement.

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Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) at the opening bell in New York City on February 12, 2025. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP / Getty Images)

“We are delighted to expand our presence in the Lone Star State, which plays a key role in driving our U.S. economy forward” Martin continued.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott met with NYSE leaders on Monday to discuss the launch, local FOX 4 reported.

“With the launch of NYSE Texas, we will expand our financial might in the United States and cement our great state as an economic powerhouse on the global stage,” Abbott said, according to FOX 4.

PRESIDENT TRUMP, INDIA’S MODI TO TACKLE TRADE, TARIFF TENSIONS AT HIGH-STAKES MEETING

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott , who previously appeared on FOX Business, responded to the move to bring NYSE Texas to Dallas. (FOX Business / Fox News)

A potential competitor is already in the works, as the Texas Stock Exchange (TXSE), a new venture backed by financial giants including BlackRock, Citadel Securities and Charles Schwab, is targeting a 2026 launch after submitting paperwork late last month to operate as a national securities exchange, Reuters reported.

It will also be a fully electronic equity exchange headquartered in Dallas.

Ticker Security Last Change Change %

TSLA TESLA INC. 336.51 +8.01 +2.44%

The Tesla Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, US, on Thursday, June 23, 2022. NYSE Group President Lynn Martin said Texas is the state with the largest number of NYSE listings. (Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg / Getty Images)

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“We have known all along that Texas is the best place to do business,” a TXSE spokesperson said in a statement obtained by Reuters following the news. “The Texas Stock Exchange is harnessing this momentum to build a national securities exchange in our home state.”

Reuters contributed to this report.

February 13, 2025
Convicted sex offender wanted for allegedly groping Texas girl

A man with a lengthy criminal history who was previously on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hold is on the run after being accused of groping a 7-year-old Texas girl as she walked home from school.

Carlos Jose Ayala Morales, 43, has been charged with felony attempted indecency with a child, the Houston Police Department said. He is accused of grabbing the girl Jan. 27 while she was on her way home from her elementary school, Fox Houston reported.

The girl and her mother told the news outlet she was walking behind her older sister and a friend. They said the man ran up, groped her and ran away. The girl didn’t scream because she was in shock and told her older sister when they got home.

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Carlos Jose Ayala Morales, 43, is accused of groping a young Houston girl. (Houston Police Department)

“A man came behind me, and he touched my private parts,” the girl told the station.

“I hope he’s caught and put away much longer, so he can’t hurt other children,” her mother said.

Morales has a lengthy criminal history. In 2017, he was charged with four counts of indecency with a child and evading arrest.

At the time, police believed Morales, who they called Ayala, was linked to “at least 10 sexual assault incidents in the northeast Houston and Harris County areas.”

Authorities were investigating a string of “sexual assaults of school-aged juvenile females, 7-15 years of age, as they traveled to and from school,” according to the news outlet.

FEDERAL COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN FROM SENDING DETAINED VENEZUELAN IMMIGRANTS TO GUANTÁNAMO BAY

Carlos Jose Ayala Morales, 43, was captured on surveillance video before groping a young Texas girl, police said. (Houston Police Department )

“Ayala would come up behind the victims and inappropriately touch them through their clothing,” a police news release states.

In one incident, Ayala attempted to abduct one of the victims, a 7 year-old female, as she walked home from school with her 9-year-old brother,” police said.

“Reading that made me so scared, because that could have been [my child],” the victim’s mother said.

When he was arrested in 2017, ICE filed a detainer request for Morales, a Honduran citizen, which was lifted when he was convicted.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice told FOX 26 Ayala was transferred to prison to serve concurrent seven-year sentences for indecency with a child by exposure, three counts of indecency with a child, evading arrest, detention with a vehicle and burglary.

Carlos Jose Ayala Morales was seen following a young girl he grabbed, police said. (Houston Police Department)

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In February 2024, he was released into ICE custody.

Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE.

February 13, 2025
New study ranks Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Texas cities among the best to get married

Brilliant Earth CEO Beth Gerstein explains how she’s using the blockchain to source her jewels on ‘The Claman Countdown.’

With Valentine’s Day this week, it’s a good time of year to keep an eye on trends in the wedding industry.

That’s why WalletHub recently published a list of the best places to get married in 2025. With the average cost of a wedding growing to $35,000 in 2024, couples may want to stay flexible on where to tie the knot – and some cities have a better bang for your buck than others.

Analysts compared 182 U.S. cities on multiple criteria, including: how much the average wedding costs; how many affordable wedding venues and vendors per capita a city has; and the price of a three-star hotel room.

Here are the top 50 best places to get married, ranked from least to best.

THIS MIDWESTERN STATE IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE BEST PLACES TO RETIRE, NEW STUDY SAYS: SEE THE LIST

The average cost of a wedding in the U.S. is around $35,000, according to The Knot and WalletHub. (iStock / iStock)

50. Memphis, Tennessee

49. Albuquerque, New Mexico

48. Minneapolis, Minnesota

47. Indianapolis, Indiana

46. Jacksonville, Florida

45. Birmingham, Alabama

44. Kansas City, Missouri

43. Chattanooga, Tennessee

42. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

41. Reno, Nevada

40. St. Petersburg, Florida

39. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

38. Springfield, Missouri

37. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

36. Columbia, South Carolina

35. Honolulu, Hawaii

34. El Paso, Texas

33. Charleston, South Carolina

32. New York, New York

31. Knoxville, Tennessee

30. Seattle, Washington

29. Washington, D.C.

28. Tulsa, Oklahoma

STUDY RANKS US STATES WITH MOST FINANCIALLY-DISTRESSED RESIDENTS — SEE THE LIST

WalletHub compared 182 U.S. cities to see which ones were the best value for hosting weddings in. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images / Getty Images)

27. Richmond, Virginia

26. Charlotte, North Carolina

25. Scottsdale, Arizona

24. Salt Lake City, Utah

23. Dallas, Texas

22. Nashville, Tennessee

21. Sacramento, California

20. San Antonio, Texas

19. Tucson, Arizona

18. Portland, Oregon

17. Denver, Colorado

16. Cincinnati, Ohio

15. Phoenix, Arizona

14. St. Louis, Missouri

13. Chicago, Illinois

12. San Diego, California

11. Los Angeles, California

10. Fort Lauderdale, Florida

9. New Orleans, Louisiana

8. Houston, Texas

7. San Francisco, California

6. Austin, Texas

5. Tampa, Florida

4. Atlanta, Georgia

3. Miami, Florida

2. Las Vegas, Nevada

1. Orlando, Florida

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Analysts found that Orlando not only offers an abundance of wedding services, such as party equipment rentals, videographers and DJs, but that it’s also an ideal destination for out-of-town guests.

“Orlando is a good place for out-of-town guests to stay in because it has the second-highest number of hotels per capita in the country and its three-star hotels can be surprisingly cheap for a big city,” the study found. “Plus, guests who want to stay for more than just the wedding can enjoy Orlando’s abundant attractions – it ranks second among the most fun cities and is the third-best city for foodies.”

Likewise, WalletHub ranked Sin City very highly, considering it the number one most fun city in America – and with the amount of attractions and affordable restaurants, it’s a good-value location for weddings as well.

The price of wedding vendors was a key criterion in WalletHub’s study. (iStock / iStock)

“Another thing to note is that while Las Vegas definitely isn’t the cheapest city for holding your wedding, it’s also not as expensive as you might think – the average cost of having a wedding is the 38th-cheapest out of the more than 180 cities in our study,” the report explained.

Miami was ranked as the third-best city for weddings, considering the abundance of wedding vendors in South Florida and the Magic City’s reputation as being one of the best U.S. food cities.

“In addition, staying in Miami is not too taxing on guests’ wallets,” the study noted. “The lowest price for a 3-star hotel room is $81, the 12th-lowest in the country, and Miami has an abundance of affordable restaurants rated at least 4.5 stars.”

The most expensive cities to get married in included: Oakland, California; Oxnard, California; Pearl City, Hawaii; Fremont, California; Santa Rosa, California, and San Jose, California.

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Orlando was a top-40 city in terms of wedding affordability, WalletHub found. (iStock / iStock)

“When weddings can cost tens of thousands of dollars and prices have only become even more outrageously inflated in recent years, it pays to hold your wedding in a city that’s affordable, both for those paying for the wedding and for guests who will need to make accommodations,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo advised. “Certain cities also make wedding planning easier with an abundance of options for wedding essentials, from florists to videographers to venues.”

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“The more options a city has, the more likely you are to receive competitive pricing and to find places that can work with your optimal schedule.”

February 9, 2025
Cooper Manning jokes hospital named after his family saw a lot of his son, Texas star QB Arch Manning

NEW ORLEANS – The Manning family is a staple in New Orleans since the patriarch, Archie, was drafted 54 years ago by the Saints to be their quarterback.

The family’s accomplishments on the field, which includes their three sons — Cooper, Peyton and Eli — are widely known, but they’re also active in the community.

During the Louisiana Legacy Gala Wednesday night, it was announced that Children’s Hospital New Orleans would be renamed Manning Family Children’s in tribute to the family’s longstanding commitment to serving children in the community.

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A crowd applauds panelists onstage at Raising Cane’s Louisiana Legacy at Louisiana NOW Pavilion Feb. 5, 2025, in New Orleans. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images for Raising Cane’s)

One of the main pillars of the hospital is never turning a child away, and it treated 585,000 children last year. During a press conference after the announcement, Cooper Manning explained how great the hospital is because his son, Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning, needed some treatment in the past.

“I can tell you Arch spent a lot of time at Children’s Hospital, and I was there taking him to get stitches. And we’ve spent a lot of time here,” Cooper said, jokingly. “Children’s Hospital is right down the street from us, and Arch is sad he couldn’t be here tonight.

“It’s a special spot, and my other son, Heid, we grew up practicing on that field and seeing the helicopter come in and all the kids taking a knee when they see the helicopter landing and going out with someone young.

“It’s part of the fabric of our youth growing up in New Orleans, and this is an unbelievable facility. We’re just flattered to be a part of it.”

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The Louisiana Legacy event celebrated Archie and Olivia Manning with the inaugural Louisiana Legacy Award for their commitment to the well-being of children and their families across the state and the country.

New Orleans-born and Baton Rouge-raised Todd Graves, the founder of Raising Cane’s, donated $1 million to Walker’s Imaginarium, which will be a first-of-its-kind interactive children’s museum within the hospital that’s named after Walker Beery, who fought terminal brain cancer before his death.

Graves called Archie Manning his idol and someone he always wanted to emulate in the community and spoke about the hospital’s mission.

(L-R) Cooper Manning, Todd Graves, Olivia Manning, Eli Manning and Archie Manning celebrate hospital renaming. (Raising Cane’s)

“They gave great care for 600,000 kids this year, and they don’t stop at that,” he said. “They keep building every year, taking care of more and more children regardless of whether you can afford it or not. For us, and for me living here in the states and one day, God willing, I’m going to have grandkids and great-grandkids, having this world-class care in our backyard is invaluable.”

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Archie added, “I can speak on behalf of my entire family. It’s very hard to put into words. To have a hospital named after you, this is not like making second-team All-SEC or anything like that. We just have such admiration for this hospital and the people and the leadership. For them to do this for our family, it’s one of the greatest things that’s happened in my life.”

Archie said the hospital honor beats all the football accomplishments.

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“I think it was in 2007, we dedicated Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis. And, in 2009, I think it was, we dedicated Eli Manning Children’s Clinics in Jackson, Miss. After both of those events, I told my sons that this is your finest hour, and I meant that. Football, in Peyton’s case, they’d just won a Super Bowl, and then Eli. I said, ‘What’s going on here is your finest hour.’

“Without a doubt, I can say this happening tonight and renaming this hospital is our family’s finest hour, and we’re very appreciative.”

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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

February 7, 2025
Texas Dem launches first Trump impeachment articles over Gaza

Democratic Rep. Al Green, the Houston, Texas, congressman who made three attempts to impeach President Donald Trump during his first term, initiated his first impeachment effort in 2025.

Green rose to address the House on Wednesday and said “ethnic cleansing in Gaza is not a joke, especially when it emanates from the President of the United States.”

“And [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] should be ashamed, knowing the history of his people, to stand there and allow such things to be said.”

Green went on to say his formal impeachment articles are for “dastardly deeds proposed and dastardly deeds done.”

REP. AL GREEN SAYS PRESIDENT IS ‘NO BETTER THAN’ KKK IN WAKE OF ‘LYNCHING’ TWEET

Democratic Rep. Al Green (Roll Call)

Trump had announced Tuesday the U.S. would “take over” war-torn Gaza and allow Palestinians to relocate while it is being essentially repaired.

“I also rise to say that the impeachment movement is going to be a grass up movement, not a top down… I did it before, I laid the foundation for impeachment, and it was done. Nobody knows more about it than I,” Green went on.

“And I know that it time for us to lay the foundation again. On some issues, it is better to stand alone than not stand at all on this issue. I stand alone. But I stand for justice.”

Other Democrats appeared lukewarm to Green’s current bid.

“It’s not a focus of our caucus,” said House Democratic Caucus Chair Peter Aguilar, D-Calif.

Green’s previous attempts were separate from those successful impeachments forwarded by now-California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff and others – which related to Trump’s 2019 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the 2021 Capitol riot.

One Green resolution centered on 2019 Trump tweets deriding members of the left-wing Squad, wherein the president remarked “they [should] go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”

During a House Judiciary Committee hearing at the time of one of Green’s previous impeachment attempts, Republican staff posted a banner of the Democrat’s own words:

“I’m concerned that if we don’t impeach this president, he will get re-elected,” Green had said.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins – then the panel’s ranking member – listed Green’s comments as one of several in remarks criticizing Democrats for trying to usurp the power of the voting booth through political maneuvering.

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“For Democrats, it has been and will always be, to paraphrase Lewis Carroll: ‘Sentence first, verdict later,’” Collins said at the time.

During the Obama administration, the late Rep. Walter Jones Jr., R-N.C., similarly repeatedly called for President Barack Obama’s impeachment over issues ranging from the use of drones to troop casualties in Syria.

Fox News Digital reached out to Green’s office and was told “it is a matter of time” when the articles would be filed.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].

February 5, 2025
Trump holding Oval Office meeting with Texas Gov. Abbott over ‘securing the southern border’

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott meets at the White House on Wednesday with President Donald Trump to discuss their efforts to beef up security along America’s southern border with Mexico.

“Governor Abbott is meeting with President Trump to discuss their continued partnership in securing the southern border and keeping Americans safe,” Abbott press secretary Andrew Mahaleris told Fox News Digital when asked about the Oval Office get-together.

Ahead of his meeting with Trump, the three-term conservative Lone Star State governor met with Tom Homan, the president’s border czar.

TEXAS’ ABBOTT MAKES MAJOR MOVE IN BORDER SECURITY BATTLE

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and former President Donald Trump attend a briefing with state officials and law enforcement at the Weslaco Department of Public Safety, before touring the U.S.-Mexico border wall on June 30, 2021, in Weslaco, Texas. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via AP, Pool)

“Looking forward to meeting with President Trump today. Earlier this morning, I spoke with Tom Homan about immigration enforcement strategies. Today, and the coming days, should be great for Texas,” Abbott wrote in a social media post.

It would be hard to find another governor who has done more to support, and help implement and endorse, Trump’s hardline border security and immigration agenda.

Texas, under Abbott’s leadership, has spent billions of dollars on border security the past couple of years under Operation Lone Star. And now the GOP-dominated legislature is proposing allocating an additional $6.5 million to implement Trump’s border and immigration agenda.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott listens to former President Trump during a visit to an unfinished section of border wall, in Pharr, Texas, June 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

And this week, Abbott, in an unprecedented move, gave Texas National Guard soldiers the power to arrest undocumented immigrants in coordination with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Trump, speaking to an overflow crowd of supporters gathered at the U.S. Capitol for his inauguration last month, praised Abbott.

“He’s doing a great job. He’s doing a phenomenal job, but now you’re going to have a partner that’s going to work with you,” Trump said.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott at the U.S.-Mexico border. (Twitter/Greg Abbott)

And Abbott returned the compliment this past weekend, as he delivered his State of the State address.

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“We have a president who will partner with Texas to deny illegal entry,” Abbott said. “To support that mission, I have ordered Texas state agencies to assist the Trump administration with arresting, jailing and deporting illegal immigrants.”

February 5, 2025
Hegseth declares ‘new era’ under Trump in visit to southern border in Texas

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday visited the southern border, declaring a “new era of determination” as the Trump administration doubles down on its efforts to secure the border and stop illegal immigration.

“Because of President Donald Trump, this is a new era at the southern border, a new era of determination, a new era of cooperation. And at the Defense Department, we are proud to be a part of it,” Hegseth told reporters at a press conference in El Paso, Texas after Hegseth had toured the border.

Hegseth emphasized that, rather than focusing on foreign territory, the administration wanted to focus first on U.S. sovereignty.

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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visits Texas border to inspect the efforts against irregular migrants with Tom Homan, who is in charge of border security in Texas, United States on February 03, 2025. ((Photo by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth/Anadolu via Getty Images))

“Guys and gals of my generation have spent decades in foreign countries guarding other people’s borders. It’s about time we secure our own border,” he said.

Trump deployed the U.S. military to the border on his first day in office, with over 1,500 troops joining forces already there. It’s part of a blitz that has correlated with a sharp drop in encounters at the southern border.

Hegseth said the men and women dispatched to the border are excited to be there.

“They’re motivated to be here because they’re defending their friends, their family, their communities, their church, their schools, their loved ones from an invasion of people whose intentions we don’t know,” he said. “We are going to get control of this border.”

NEW SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO PAUSES REFUGEE OPERATIONS, RAMPS UP VISA VETTING

A group of people cross the US-Mexico border from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, into Sunland Park, New Mexico, US, on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. (Justin Hamel/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Hegseth’s visit to the southern border is the latest migration-focused trip by a Trump Cabinet official.

His trip comes after DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was at the southern border in Del Rio, Texas on Saturday. She said she was there to see “firsthand what’s happening and how we can best support our Border Patrol agents.”

“Under President [Trump] the days of open borders are over,” she said.

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Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had a migration-packed first week in office, left Saturday for his first overseas trip to Latin America.

His visit includes trips to Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. He is expected to return Thursday, and issues including migration, drug trafficking and gang violence are expected to be at the top of his agenda.

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Hegseth spoke alongside border czar Tom Homan, who said what was occurring with the use of the military and other government agencies to facilitate security and deportations is a “game changer.”

“We will finally succeed and have an operational control of our southern border with this president in charge,” he said.

Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.

He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter.

February 3, 2025
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President Donald Trump’s administration has reached a deal to grant the Texas National Guard new authority to make immigration arrests this weekend.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott referenced the deal on social media, saying it would “boost manpower for border security.” Under the agreement, Texas National Guard troops would be able to arrest illegal immigrants so long as there is a U.S. immigration officer or Border Patrol agent present. U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Abbott said the deal was “effective immediately” as of Sunday night.

The deal is only the latest front in Trump’s nationwide blitz against illegal immigration. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other border security groups have leaned into their deportation efforts since Trump gained office.

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Venezuelan immigrant Louis Sanchez asks Texas National Guard troops to let his family pass through razor wire after they crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Trump’s 2024 campaign promised to curb illegal immigration that flourished under the Biden administration. The 47th President promised to deport migrants, including those who had long rap sheets or ties to gangs or terrorist organizations.

On the first day of his second term, Trump issued ten executive orders aimed at overhauling U.S. immigration law and policy. Less than a week back in the Oval Office, Trump touted that he is keeping his promises.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed dozens of executive orders on his first day in office. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)

“Within hours of taking the oath of office, I declared a national emergency at our southern border. I sent active duty troops on the border to help repel the invasion. Tom Homan is leading the charge. You know that. We like Tom Homan. Doing a great job,” Trump said at a recent rally.

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“We immediately halted all illegal entry and began sending every border trespasser and violator back to the places from which they came. I signed an order that will designate the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. It’s a big deal, it’s a big deal. Biden didn’t want to do that,” he added. “Biden didn’t know he was alive. He didn’t want to do it.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is working with President Trump’s administration to curb illegal immigration. (Getty Images)

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Federal officials deported some 7,300 illegal immigrants in the opening week of Trump’s administration alone.

Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.

February 3, 2025