Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against the Harris County Commissioners Court, accusing the county of unlawfully allocating more than $1.3 million in taxpayer funds to organizations opposing the deportation of illegal immigrants.
In a 4-1 vote, the Commissioners Court approved $1,344,751 in public funds for distribution to several nonprofit groups, including the Galveston-Houston Immigration Representation Project, Justice for All Immigrants, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), and BakerRipley.
These organizations provide legal and advocacy services to individuals facing deportation.
Paxton claims that the allocations violate the Texas Constitution, arguing that the expenditures serve to legitimate public purpose and instead amount to unconstitutional gifts of public funds.
"We must stop the left-wing radicals who are robbing Texans to prevent illegals from being deported by the Trump Administration," said Paxton. "Beyond just being blatantly unconstitutional, this is evil and wicked."
The lawsuit seeks to block the distribution of funds and calls for accountability from Harris County officials who supported the measure. According to Paxton's office, the Texas Constitution explicitly prohibits governmental entities from providing taxpayer money to private organizations that do not serve a lawful public purpose.
The case underscores growing tensions between state officials and local governments over immigration policy, as Texas continues to pursue legal and legislative measures aimed at enforcing federal deportation laws and curbing the use of public funds for immigration-related defense efforts.
