Texas Attorney General Sues Harris County Over Immigrant Legal Aid Program
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Harris County, which includes Houston, over the county’s use of funds intended to assist immigrants who are facing deportation. Specifically, the county’s Immigrant Legal Services Fund Program, launched in 2020, allocates money to five organizations to help these immigrants obtain legal representation.
Recently, the county approved an additional $1.3 million to continue supporting this initiative. Paxton has labeled the program “evil” and unconstitutional in his public statements.
In his words, “To prevent the Trump administration from deporting illegal aliens, we must stop the left-wing extremists who are robbing Texans. Not only is this blatantly unconstitutional, this is evil and wicked.” He added that millions of undocumented immigrants entered the country during the previous administration and should be sent back to their countries of origin.
This lawsuit is just one among several Paxton has initiated against groups that support immigrant rights. The Harris County Attorney, Christian Menefee, pushed back against the lawsuit, arguing that the program is entirely legal. He vowed that his office would defend the county in court. In his statement, he criticized the lawsuit as merely a political maneuver: “As the president deploys ICE agents to terrorize immigrant neighborhoods, deport Americans, and override the law, it is shameful that Republican state officials are complicit instead of standing up for Texans.”
Notably, Harris County Jail holds the highest number of ICE detainees in the country, as federal and state officials continue to pursue mass deportation strategies initiated during Trump’s tenure. Prior to the introduction of the Immigrant Legal Services Fund, Harris County was the largest in the nation without any program to aid immigrants in accessing legal counsel. The initiative was passed along party lines.
County Judge Lina Hidalgo, who advocated for the program, noted that the chances of deportation vastly increase—up to 90%—if a family member appears at a deportation hearing without an attorney, compared to only about 5% if they have legal representation.
In the lawsuit, Paxton claims that the funding for these programs serves no public purpose and unfairly channels public money to private entities to help individuals fight deportation. He seeks a court ruling to halt the county from distributing any more funds to these organizations.
Following the recent funding approval, Harris County Mayor Rodney Ellis stated that the financial support is crucial due to an uptick in raids on immigrants. “Having access to legal representation not only improves the outcome of cases, but also helps keep families together,” he emphasized. “In a diverse county like ours, local governments must be proactive in protecting safety, justice, and the people we serve.”
