Texas Comptroller Don Huffines is calling on President Donald Trump, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to audit every state and local government entity in Texas.
According to Huffines, his agency uncovered “what appears to be decades of systemic failures in the agency’s employment eligibility verification practices and its compliance with federal Form I-9 requirements.”
Form I-9, also known as Employment Eligibility Verification, is a federal document used to ensure that all U.S. employers are hiring individuals who are legally authorized to work in the United States and to prevent the employment of unauthorized workers.
The document was introduced under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 and is required for all paid employees hired in the U.S. to confirm they are legally allowed to work in the U.S.
The scope of Huffines’ investigation is still being determined; however, his office says the “problems may date back as far as 20 years and leave taxpayers facing approximately $5 million or more in federal civil penalties.”
Once the agency learned of the problems and concerns it began consulting with independent outside legal counsel to conduct a full investigation.
Huffines assumed office Aug. 1, 2026, after acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock resigned in July 2026. Gov. Greg Abbott appointed him to take over the agency.
“My message to Texans never changed: audit government, expose corruption. It is your money,” Huffines said. “I said I could not wait to clean out the garage. This just scratches the surface of the waste and neglect my administration has found.”
“This is what decades of neglect and weak leadership from the mushy middle look like. Our officials were desperate to stay in power and desperate for the approval of elitists and lobbyists, so they never looked under the hood, and taxpayers are left holding the bag,” Huffines continued. “If 90 days of auditing found this in one agency, Texans should ask what is sitting in all the others. We are the outsiders who found it, and sunlight is the best disinfectant.”
Huffines said his agency’s findings suggest “people inside government” knew of these failures and hid them from the public.
With his findings, Huffines is now asking Trump, DHS, and ICE to review the employment eligibility of every government employee in the state.
“I invite President Trump and ICE to review the employment eligibility of every government employee in Texas,” Huffines said. “The state of Texas needs to pay its fines for violating federal I-9 requirements, just like every business has to. And every government entity out of compliance should be audited and pay up too.”
Huffines lost the race to Democrat Sarah Eckhardt in a vote of 51.3% to 46.2%. He will exit office in January 2027, marking the first time in decades a Democrat will oversee the state’s revenue forecasts, tax collections, and government purchases.
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[ H/T The Daily Signal ]
