Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched another legal battle against a county’s immigrant legal defense fund, this time targeting Bexar County over more than half a million dollars earmarked for deportation defense services.
The lawsuit, filed on February 4, 2026, challenges Bexar County’s December allocation of $566,181 to its Immigration Legal Services fund — money that Paxton contends violates both state law and the Texas Constitution. The total funding for immigrant legal defense in the county could ultimately exceed $1 million.
A Growing Legal Showdown
“Leftists in Bexar County have no authority to use taxpayer dollars to fund their radical, criminal-loving agenda,” Paxton declared in a statement accompanying the lawsuit. “State funds cannot underwrite deportation-defense services for individuals unlawfully present in the country. This use of hardworking Texans’ dollars is a flagrant violation of state law and the Texas Constitution.”
The contested funds were approved by Bexar County Commissioners during their December 16, 2025, meeting, when they voted to reallocate approximately $500,000 to American Gateways, a nonprofit organization providing immigration legal services. This wasn’t the county’s first foray into such funding — records show Bexar County initially established the program in May 2024 with $1 million split between two nonprofit legal aid organizations.
What’s driving this escalating conflict between state and local governments? At its core lies a fundamental disagreement about the proper use of taxpayer funds and local authority in immigration matters.
Pattern of Legal Challenges
Paxton’s lawsuit against Bexar County follows a similar legal challenge he mounted against Harris County just months earlier. In November 2025, the Attorney General sued Harris County over its allocation of $1.3 million for immigrant legal assistance, making nearly identical allegations of constitutional violations.
That earlier case hit a roadblock in December when a district court denied Paxton’s request for a preliminary injunction that would have immediately halted the program. The Harris County precedent suggests Bexar County officials may have reason for cautious optimism, though legal experts note each case will ultimately be decided on its specific merits.
County defenders of these programs argue they’re well within their authority to allocate resources as they see fit to serve their communities’ needs. They contend that providing legal representation ensures due process, regardless of immigration status.
$1 million — that’s how much Bexar County leaders recently voted to continue funding the Immigrant Legal Defense Fund, which pays nonprofit attorneys to represent immigrants facing deportation proceedings. This latest allocation appears to be what triggered Paxton’s legal response.
Broader Implications
The legal battles in Bexar and Harris counties represent just two fronts in a wider conflict playing out across Texas and other states with significant immigrant populations. Local jurisdictions increasingly find themselves caught between community advocacy for immigrant support and state-level opposition to such measures.
For residents of these counties, the outcome could determine whether local tax dollars continue funding legal representation for immigrants facing deportation — a service advocates say is essential for fair proceedings in an extraordinarily complex legal system where many defendants lack resources for private attorneys.
As this case moves through the courts, one thing remains clear: the tension between state and local control over immigration-adjacent policies shows no signs of resolution anytime soon.
