AUSTIN — Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office announced three major actions this week, ranging from a first-of-its-kind legal victory against TikTok to the arrest of noncitizens for illegal voting and a new investigation into a Williamson County land dispute, according to a series of releases from the Office of the Attorney General.
Texas Becomes First State to Hold TikTok Liable for Harming Children
Paxton’s office secured what it describes as the first ruling of its kind in the country, with District Judge Cory Liu finding TikTok liable for lying about its safety standards and concealing the true prevalence of inappropriate and explicit material on its platform, according to the release.
Paxton sued TikTok in January 2025, alleging the platform deceptively marketed itself as safe for minors despite regularly showing children inappropriate and explicit content. The office had also previously sued TikTok over alleged violations of the Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment Act, arguing the platform operated in a way that put the online safety and privacy of Texas children at risk.
According to the release, TikTok had claimed it would remove graphic videos depicting drugs, nudity, alcohol, injuries, and profanity, but such content remained accessible to minors on the platform, even under its “Restricted Mode” setting.
Paxton said TikTok sacrificed the safety and innocence of children in pursuit of engagement and user numbers, and said the company is now being held accountable. He said Texas is the first state to hold TikTok liable for lying to parents about platform safety and exposing children to harmful content, and pledged to continue pursuing social media companies that expose children to predators, inappropriate content, or addictive features.
The case now proceeds to trial, where the court will determine relief and penalties. According to the release, the trial is expected to be scheduled for next month.
Seven Noncitizens Arrested for Illegal Voting in 2024 Election
Paxton’s office announced the arrest of seven noncitizens indicted for illegal activity connected to the 2024 general election, the result of a years-long investigation into ballot harvesting operations and illegal voting activity across the state.
According to the release, findings from the Office of the Attorney General led to a joint effort with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, the FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations to charge the seven individuals. The U.S. Attorney’s Office indicted them last week.
Those arrested include Mexican citizen Carlos Salas Barrios, charged with voting by an alien; Nigerian national Joshua Nmelichukwu Akpom, charged with false statements in relation to naturalization; and five individuals charged with both voting by an alien and false statements of citizenship in order to register to vote, Nigerian national Helen Mayen Adams, Indian citizen Khalwinder Singh Bhengura, Mexican citizen Moises Anwar Arellano-Alba, Democratic Republic of the Congo national Celestin Kuasa Katubadi, and Mexican citizen Rocio Thrasher.
Paxton said foreign influence has no place in American elections and that his office will not tolerate attempts to rig elections or silence the will of American voters, adding that he will continue working to ensure free and fair elections in Texas. The charges outlined above remain allegations at this stage of the legal process.
Investigation Opened Into Taylor AI Data Center Built on Former Parkland
Paxton’s office also launched an investigation into a proposed AI data center development in Taylor, Texas, built on land originally conveyed more than 25 years ago for future use as public parkland.
According to the release, the Bland Family conveyed the property in 1999 to the Texas Parks and Recreation Foundation to be held in trust for future use as parkland by Williamson County, for $10. The property changed hands multiple times afterward, including a 2003 transfer to the City of Taylor, also for $10, and a 2009 conveyance to the Taylor Economic Development Corporation. In April 2025, the corporation sold the property for $10 million to NCP Travis TPP Project, LLC, a Delaware entity behind the proposed Blueprint Projects Data Centers development.
Paxton’s office is investigating whether the land can lawfully be used for private development of a large AI data center, and whether the trust and restriction outlined in the original 1999 deed were properly modified, released, or terminated as required by law. If the investigation finds the property remains subject to a charitable trust or other legal restriction, the release states Paxton will seek court intervention to enforce it.
Paxton said he will not allow any person or entity to disregard the rule of law or obligations owed to the public, and said he will do everything in his power to stop the development and hold accountable anyone found to have violated the law, if the investigation determines the project is unlawful.
