Hey y’all,

I’m sure many of you heard that the James Beard Awards announced its 2026 list of semifinalists. I know some of you may want to try out the restaurants and bars for yourself, so I added all of these North Texas nominees into this interactive map to make your taste-testing journey a breeze. 

If you want more tools like this, let me know by tapping the map or giving this email a thumbs up at the end.

State Rep. James Talarico, left, and US Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Democratic primary candidates for US Senate, participate in a debate at the Texas AFL-CIO COPE Convention in Georgetown, Texas, on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune via POOL)

By Katie Serrano

Hours after ICE agents killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti on Saturday morning in Minneapolis, Minnesota, two Democratic US Senate candidates expressed concern for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s activities during a primary debate.

US Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Dallas) and State Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin) called for overhauling the federal agency. 

“We need to clean house from top to bottom,” Crockett said. “ This is the fifth highest funded military force in the entire world, and what are they doing? They’re killing people in the middle of the street.”

“ICE shot a mother in the face, ICE kidnapped a five-year old boy, ICE executed a man in broad daylight on our streets just this morning,” Talarico said. ”We need comprehensive immigration reform in this country, and we need to remake this broken immigration system in our own image.”

Both Crockett and Talarico called for the impeachment of US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who oversees the federal agency.

💌 With love, from Texas: Dallas Wings star and Minnesota native Paige Bueckers is donating $50,000 to help families in her hometown of Hopkins cope with the stresses of the ongoing ICE occupation. (Twincities.com) 

👏 Jobs aplenty in Plano: WalletHub looked at cities with the best job market and listed Plano as one of the best cities to be in to find a job. The study looked at the number of headquarters and regional offices in the city, as well as unemployment rates, job automation risk, and commute time. (Culture Map Dallas)

🙅‍♂️ Hutchins ICE facility: Local faith leaders have come together in opposition to the proposed ICE facility in a warehouse space in the Dallas County town of Hutchins. They cite inhumane conditions for detainees and the effects on the town and its people. (KERA)

Immigration enforcement in the US has captured headlines for months now.

Have recent stories changed the way you look at ICE and immigration policy in this country?

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Joi Louviere with reporting by Katie Serrano. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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