(Houston, Texas)—The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) condemns the Texas Supreme Court’s decision on Friday temporarily blocking Harris County’s Immigrant Legal Defense Fund (ILSF). The court’s decision cuts off a vital lifeline for Harris County families that has been in place since 2020.
The ILSF provides free legal services to Harris County residents facing deportation in immigration detention proceedings. The court’s decision strips away the due process rights for these residents, forcing them to navigate a complex immigration system alone. The Texas Supreme Court’s ruling puts the $1.3 million fund in limbo.
Since November 2025, the Texas Attorney has targeted the ILSF with baseless claims. Texas's lawsuit against Harris County for creating the ILSF is another page out of the Trump administration’s playbook to achieve mass deportation by violating the due process rights of immigrants. However, every court who has reviewed the merits of the lawsuit has ruled in favor of the county and the legality of the ILSF.
The ILSF serves the public because having meaningful access to courts matters for all Texans. For immigrants and families in deportation proceedings, having an attorney often means the difference between being able to stay safely in the country or being separated from their family, community, and the life they have built here. In Houston, immigrants with legal representation are nearly ten times more likely to win their cases than those forced to defend themselves alone.
The ILSF is a reflection of the commitment Harris County has shown toward its very diverse population who make the county wonderfully vibrant with many cultures. Immigrants contribute more than $2.5 billion in state and local taxes and nearly $10 billion in spending power in the Houston region alone. Ensuring legal representation for people in immigrant court is a common-sense economic policy that provides an alternative solution to the chaos and disruption caused by detention and removal.
As immigration enforcement increases and Houston residents are unlawfully arrested, detained, and deported, the ILSF is needed even more to protect the rights of residents. The ILRC remains committed to helping ensure the ILSF continues and the constitutional guarantee of due process for all is preserved.