In response to an open records request, the Harris County Housing & Community Development department revealed that it spent $2,071,676.21 in 2024 paying for legal services for illegal aliens. 

The services are also available for illegal aliens with criminal records. 

Harris County first spent $2,000,000 launching a program called the Immigrant Legal Services Fund (ILSF) in 2020 and has been making payments to the fund since then.  

ILSF provides free legal representation in Harris County for people facing deportation from Houston-area detention centers.

“The goal of this program is to create a system in immigration court where everyone who needs an attorney gets one: regardless of the strength of their case or the person’s criminal record,” ILSF writes on their website.

Under the “Removal Defense Services” section on the county website, the county lists six nonprofits that it partners with to provide legal defense to illegal aliens facing removal.

“Harris County is committed to continuing support of the Immigration Legal Services Fund, which funds nonprofits that provide legal and wraparound services to immigrants,” said Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones at the December 10 commissioners court meeting.

Texas Scorecard reached out to every member of the commissioners court for comment regarding the money spent in 2024 and asked if taxpayers could expect even higher costs as the Trump Administration enforces immigration law.

Commissioner Tom Ramsey’s office was the only one to respond. Ramsey is the sole Republican on the court.

“Commissioner Ramsey has voted no on every item that uses taxpayer dollars for immigration defense. In addition to calling for full support of ICE, he’ll be motioning to stop funding immigration legal services, too; however, it would take a Court majority to take effect, so he would need two additional votes to support him.”

Local pastor and activist Richard Vega told Texas Scorecard, “It is deeply disappointing to see that our local county commissioners have chosen to allocate $2 million in taxpayer funds to provide legal services for non-citizens, regardless of their criminal background. This decision represents a clear misappropriation of funds in Harris County.”

An analysis recently found that the average Harris County homeowner saw a 25 percent increase in just their county property taxes after appraisals and the county’s tax rate increase were included.

Vega said taxpayer dollars “should prioritize the needs of law-abiding citizens and address critical issues such as crime and infrastructure facing our community. This misuse of resources is a disservice to the hardworking residents of Harris County who expect their taxes to be spent responsibly and ethically.”

Joseph Trimmer

Joseph is a journalist for Texas Scorecard reporting from Houston. With a background in business, Joseph is passionate about covering issues impacting citizens.

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