Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Harris County, accusing local officials of illegally allocating public money to a program that helps undocumented immigrants secure legal representation.
The lawsuit, filed in Harris County District Court, challenges the county’s Immigrant Legal Services Fund, which was created in 2020 and last month received an additional $1.3 million from county commissioners. The program distributes funds to five nonprofit organizations that provide attorneys to people facing deportation.
Paxton, who is running for U.S. Senate, called the program “evil and wicked” and argued it is unconstitutional, saying it “serves no public purpose” and improperly directs taxpayer money to private groups. He asked the court to immediately block Harris County from disbursing more funds and to bar future allocations.
The lawsuit is the latest in a series of high-profile legal fights Paxton has brought against programs that support immigrants and abortion access. Earlier this year, the 15th Court of Appeals sided with Paxton in a similar case involving San Antonio’s funding for organizations assisting Texans seeking abortions out of state.
Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said his office will defend the legal aid program, calling Paxton’s latest lawsuit “a cheap political stunt.”
“This program is perfectly legal,” Menefee said in a statement. “At a time when the president has unleashed ICE agents to terrorize immigrant neighborhoods, deport U.S. citizens, and trample the law, it’s shameful that Republican state officials are joining in instead of standing up for Texans.”
Harris County launched the Immigrant Legal Services Fund after becoming the largest county in the nation without a program to help undocumented residents secure legal representation. At the time, Austin, Dallas and San Antonio already had similar initiatives. The program was introduced by County Judge Lina Hidalgo and approved on a party-line vote.
“When you have a family at a deportation hearing and they don’t have an attorney, they’re deported at a much higher rate — like 90 percent of the time — compared to like 5 percent of the time when they do have an attorney,” Hidalgo said in 2020, according to the Houston Chronicle.
The county currently sends funds to five organizations: BakerRipley, the Galveston-Houston Immigrant Representation Project, Justice for All Immigrants, KIND, Inc. and the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services.
Supporters say the program has become more important amid a rise in immigration enforcement. The Harris County Jail leads the nation in ICE detainers — requests from federal agents to hold individuals for possible deportation — as federal and state officials have increased enforcement under President Donald Trump.
Commissioner Rodney Ellis said after the October funding vote that the program helps stabilize families caught in immigration proceedings.
“Having access to legal representation not only improves case outcomes but helps keep families together,” Ellis said, according to the Houston Chronicle. “In a county as diverse as ours, local government must step up to safeguard safety, justice, and the people we serve.”