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In the weeks that followed, I was able to talk with people across our community about their concerns and opinions on these issues and more.  A few highlights included joining representatives from AT&T for a laptop distribution event for students in the Breakthrough Houston program, headquartered in TX07; my annual August visit with members of the Texas Farm Bureau, visits in the office with community leaders and advocates; my annual Black Business Month visits, this year with the Greater Houston Black Chamber of Commerce and the TX07-based Guess Group; the Houston Jewish Community Leadership Forum and Elected Official Meet and Greet.  I saw neighbors out and about across the district and appreciated seeing and hearing from so many people.  Even though it was hot, it was great to be home. 

While I was home, I also visited the Department of Homeland Security’s Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe.  People detained by ICE agents across our region are often taken to the Montgomery Processing Center.  It is the law that Members of Congress must be permitted access to ensure fair treatment and inspect conditions. I returned to the facility for an oversight visit, but Congress must act to change the immigration laws that and oversee the policies that are leading to unjust outcomes for people across our community and country.

With immigration detention and family separation on the minds of so many people across our district, I traveled to the ICE Detention Center in Dilley, Texas for an oversight visit with Congressman Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20) and members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus.  Texas holds the largest detained population of any state, averaging approximately 13,400 people per day in ICE custody as of mid-September 2025, held across a rapidly expanding network of facilities.  Since 2025, the Democratic Women’s Caucus has sent six oversight letters to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) calling out its mistreatment of pregnant detainees, insufficient access to healthcare, and violence against women.  The safety and dignity of women and children is central to the Democratic Women’s Caucus’s work, and we remain committed to advancing access to adequate healthcare, food, and safe, dignified living conditions for all.

After our visit, we held a press conference to share what we saw there and to make clear that the trauma that people in detention and in communities across the country are experiencing because of the cruel policies this administration is implementing cannot continue.  You can see some of it here.

And even farther afield, I joined a bipartisan Congressional Delegation on a trip to Alaska to talk about energy issues of all kinds, important to my work on the Energy and Commerce Committee and to our community in Houston, of course.  The trip was centered on meetings and discussions with experts on energy on the scale and geography of new U.S. electricity demand, with a focus on questions around data centers; the future of U.S. energy security, including the future of domestic production and infrastructure, the role of LNG in global markets and geopolitical strategy, and the policy considerations surrounding continued development of domestic supply; the grid of the future, addressing the investments, technologies, and regulatory reforms needed to build the grid the country needs; the decline of globalization and the rise of security concerns in supply chains that underpin our energy system, including critical minerals, battery manufacturing, solar components, enriched uranium, the industrial inputs required for grid buildout, and the question of how to reduce dependence on China; and how energy policy, environmental change, and national security intersect in the Arctic, including the roles of the United States, Russia, China, and Arctic allies; the implications for energy infrastructure and resource development; and the opportunities for American leadership in the region and beyond.  It was a tremendous opportunity to learn so much and engage on some of the biggest energy issues we face.  And to see climate and social impacts in our visits to glaciers and to the North Slope to visit with Native Alaskan communities.  And, as you might imagine, it was a lot cooler than it was in Houston!  But Houston and Houston’s leadership role in all of these issues was a hot topic, and I was glad to be there to share perspectives from the energy capital of the world.

Since I last wrote to you, I joined my colleagues in two amicus briefs in federal courts: the first in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia challenging a Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel opinion declaring the Presidential Records Act unconstitutional, and the second, in the Supreme Court of the United States supporting the respondents in St. Mary’s Catholic Parish v. Roy, where the court will consider standards for granting religious exemptions from nondiscrimination laws.

Big news! Our team has now resolved more than 17,000 matters for TX-07 residents!  We regularly assist 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 Business Administration, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Internal Revenue Service, and other federal government agencies.  I am grateful to the residents of Texas’ Seventh Congressional District who have put their trust in us, and I am proud of our team.

Even though the Hill was quieter, our team in Washington still held more than two dozen meetings, including with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and National Society of Professional Engineers (pictured below).  Back home in the district, our team was out and about, helping constituents and attending community events, including a few pictures below the opening of Asia’s House–an LGBTQI+ emergency shelter, an art exhibition at HOPE Clinic, Piney Point Civic Club’s meeting, a Back-to-School Health Fair in Alief, and meeting with them in our district office, including Delta Sigma Theta’s Suburban Houston-Fort Bend Alumnae Chapter on its Social Action Day.

As I noted at the beginning, the House will be back in session next week, and I will be back in Washington.  I’ll send my report next Friday, and hope you will sign up to receive it.  That requirement kicks in 60 days before an election, which means now is a good time for make sure you are prepared.

Regardless of how you vote, your participation matters, and your vote shapes the future of our community and country.  Now is the time to make sure you are ready to do so.

1. Register to Vote: If you have not registered to vote, or if you recently moved or changed your name, you can find the forms to register and information about voter registration online at www.votetexas.gov.  The last day to register to vote is October 5, 2026.  But why wait?  If you are eligible to vote and not yet registered, or if you’ve recently moved, take a minute to start your registration today.
2. Check Your Registration Status: It’s a good idea to check your current registration status to make sure everything is in order when you are ready to vote.  You do that on the Texas Secretary of State’s website here.

As always, I am proud to represent you and I am here to help you.  Please call my office at (713) 353-8680 or (202) 225-2571 or email here at any time to ask for assistance or share your thoughts.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes,