Bexar County’s decision to fund immigrant legal services highlights a debate over taxpayer dollars and potential legal challenges.
BEXAR COUNTY, Texas — Bexar County commissioners voted this week to continue funding legal services for migrants facing deportation, a decision that drew criticism from at least one county leader concerned about how taxpayer dollars are being used.
Commissioners approved reallocating about $560,000 to the nonprofit American Gateways, an organization that provides legal representation to immigrants in removal proceedings. The vote passed with one dissenting vote from Precinct 3 Commissioner Grant Moody.
Moody said he opposes the funding because there are no restrictions on who can receive services.
“The reality is there are no restrictions, no restraints on who can participate in the program,” Moody said. “You have a program using taxpayer dollars that are potentially keeping violent repeat offenders here in the United States defending them from deportation, and that’s just crazy.”
Moody said he repeatedly asked for safeguards to ensure individuals with criminal histories are not receiving assistance. During Tuesday’s meeting, an attorney with American Gateways told commissioners the organization’s current clients include six children.
“The vast majority of our clients are families — children who were arrested while lawfully attending immigration court proceedings,” said Laura Flores-Dixit, an attorney with the nonprofit.
Bexar County first began funding immigration legal services in May 2024, setting aside $1 million to be split between two nonprofits, including American Gateways. The initiative was led by Precinct 2 Commissioner Justin Rodriguez.
“We are not making an adjudication as a court, as a commissioners court, on who is here legally or not,” Rodriguez said. “What we are simply saying is there is a process that needs to happen, and through that process they need to be represented by someone with expertise.”
Bexar County is the second county in Texas to create this type of fund. Harris County launched a similar program in 2020, but Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Harris County last month, challenging the legality of the program.
On Tuesday, a judge rejected a temporary injunction which would have halted the program but the case can still move forward.
Moody said he believes Bexar County could be Paxton’s next target.
“We already know the state’s going to win, and we’re going to waste more taxpayer dollars playing this game in Austin,” Moody said.
Rodriguez said the county should not be deterred by political pressure.
“I think we can’t be paralyzed by threats — by political threats,” he said. “We have to focus on what is the right thing from a policy perspective to do for our community.”
County leaders said the current funding is expected to last through the end of February. Rodriguez said commissioners plan to revisit the program at that time to determine next steps.