Bill introduction comes as SPR has undergone two major emergency drawdowns in four years—first during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and now during the war in Iran—and sits at its lowest level since the 1980s Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) and Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11) introduced the 21st Century Strategic Petroleum Reserve Act (21st Century SPR Act) to direct the U.S. Depart... Read More »
Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) announced that her office has successfully resolved more than 17,000 matters for residents of Texas’ Seventh Congressional District. Her office assists residents with matters before federal agencies, including obtaining benefits from Social Security, Medicare, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as addressing matters before the Small Busines... Read More »
A federal judge has ruled Houston's minority business contracting program unconstitutional, declaring city officials will no longer be able to take race into consideration in the awarding of city contracts. The Minority, Women and Small Business Enterprise program is designed to even the playing field for these businesses. Houston since 1984 has set goals to give certain percentages of various typ... Read More »
ICE says the Transportation Security Administration is sharing data that’s essential to immigration enforcement at airports across the country, and some immigrant attorneys in Houston are now advising clients to avoid travel. What families and attorneys are seeing at Hobby At Houston’s Hobby Airport, immigration attorney Dalya Alabbassi says she’s handled a case in which a father was detained at t... Read More »
Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) joined Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) and members of the House Democratic Women's Caucus (DWC) at a press conference with FWD.US and Families Belong Together, following their visit to the Dilley Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Detention Center. The oversight visit follows reports of inhumane treatment of children and families at the facili... Read More »
Like many rising high school seniors have done this summer, Alim Garipov packed his bags and headed to Hobby Airport on Friday, July 17, preparing to set off on a series of college tours. As an "A" student with ambitious goals, he had his sights set on several top schools, including the Ivy League universities Harvard, Princeton and Yale. But the trip would never take off. Instead, he spent the we... Read More »
Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) joined Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Adriano Espaillat, House Committee on Homeland Security Ranking Member Bennie Thompson, and Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) for an oversight forum on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) use of force and abuse of power, following the tragic killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by ICE in Houston on ... Read More »
Democratic members of Houston’s Congressional delegation called for a major overhaul of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s tactics and cautioned that immigrants are being “hunted down” during an oversight forum Friday. The panel was spearheaded by U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, in the aftermath of the July 7 fatal shooting by ICE agents of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican immigrant a... Read More »
Today, Alim Garipov, a Bellaire High School student, was released from ICE detention following a community-wide advocacy effort. Immigration lawyer Olsa Alikaj-Cano of Cano Immigration PLLC, Congresswoman Fletcher (TX-07), and Alim’s family released the following joint statement: “We are relieved and grateful that Alim has finally been released from detention and reunited with his family. “This ou... Read More »
Alim Garipov, a Bellaire High School student detained by ICE agents Friday night, has been released from custody, according to a lawmaker, the boy’s family and his attorney. Garipov was released and reunited with his family Monday, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher said in a joint statement with Garipov’s family and Olsa Alikaj-Cano, an immigration attorney. The statement gave credit to a “tireless, e... Read More »
The push to build a massive underground tunnel system to protect Houston from the kinds of floodwaters Hurricane Harvey brought nearly nine years ago is far from over. After years of delays in getting the project moving, U.S. Reps. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston, and Morgan Luttrell, R-Magnolia, are trying a new approach. The lawmakers have teamed up to include a provision in a big water resources spe... Read More »
Today, the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure passed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2026. Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) and Congressman Morgan Luttrell (TX-08) led the effort to include a provision directing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to expedite a Chief’s Report evaluating a single large underground water conveyance tunnel to reduce flood risk ... Read More »
Monday, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) joined Commissioner Rodney Ellis, State Representative Ann Johnson, Mayor Andy Chan, Mayor Susan Sample, and Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) Executive Director Marcus Y. Stuckett, P.E., CFM, to break ground on the Poor Farm Ditch project. The project will repair one of the county’s oldest stormwater drainage ditches, increasing the channel... Read More »
Harris County has officially started tearing into one of its oldest problem spots, breaking ground on the Poor Farm Ditch modernization project on July 13, 2026, in Southside Place. The roughly $32.7 million effort is designed to cut flood risk inside the Loop and protect about 500 homes in West University Place and Southside Place, wrapping up years of planning and funding wrangling that finally ... Read More »
