Texas County Spent $1.3 Million Defending Illegal Immigrants

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is taking aim at Harris County for what he calls a blatant misuse of public funds allocating $1.3 million in taxpayer money to defend illegal immigrants from deportation. According to a lawsuit filed by Paxton’s office, the state’s largest county handed that money over to a group of far-left organizations whose goal is to block immigration enforcement efforts.

The October decision by the Harris County Commissioners Court greenlit a program to pay organizations like BakerRipley, Galveston-Houston Immigrant Representation Project, Justice for All Immigrants, KIND, Inc., and RAICES. These groups were tasked with providing legal defense to illegal immigrants, many of whom are in detention or already facing removal proceedings.

• Paxton called the move “evil and wicked,” slamming the court for using hard-earned taxpayer money to shield individuals who broke federal immigration law.

• The program was renewed in a 4-1 vote last month, with the sole Republican on the court, Tom Ramsey, standing in opposition.

• Paxton emphasized that the allocation serves "no public purpose" and violates the Texas Constitution, which forbids gifts of public funds that do not serve a legitimate governmental interest.

“This is not just unconstitutional it’s a moral betrayal,” Paxton stated. “The people of Texas are being forced to subsidize the legal defense of foreign nationals who have no legal right to be here.”

This lawsuit comes as Paxton mounts a primary challenge for Senate, aiming to unseat longtime incumbent John Cornyn. His stance on border security and illegal immigration remains a cornerstone of his campaign at a time when millions have crossed the southern border under Biden’s failed open-border policies.

Meanwhile, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee tried to spin the controversy as a matter of “due process” and “compassion,” even going so far as to claim that ICE is “terrorizing” immigrant communities. But what Menefee and the Democrat-led county commissioners seem to ignore is that compassion doesn’t mean defying the law or putting the interests of illegal immigrants ahead of American citizens.

Over 8.6 million illegal crossings have been recorded since Biden took office, and at least 1.7 million known “gotaways” have evaded Border Patrol entirely. This is not compassion it’s chaos. And worse, it’s being bankrolled with your tax dollars if local leftist politicians have their way.

The truth is simple: the American taxpayer should not be forced to pay for the legal defense of those who break our laws. The left may cloak their agenda in words like “equity” and “justice,” but all they’re really doing is undermining the rule of law and rewarding lawlessness.

If we want our communities to be safe, our laws to mean something, and our borders to be respected, it starts with holding rogue counties like Harris accountable.

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