August 12, 2026
Dear Judge Hidalgo and Commissioners,
We, the undersigned organizations and community leaders, write to express our strong support for continued Harris County immigration legal services. In recent years, these services have been provided through three programs: the Immigrant Legal Services Fund (ILSF), Survivor Services in Immigration Law (SSIL), and the Immigration and Naturalization Services Fund (INSF). We are extremely concerned about legal attacks on the ILSF and the expiration of funding for the INSF. We urge the County to use every available legal and administrative resource to defend the ILSF, and to renew the County’s investment into the critical legal access that these programs have provided.
For over four years, the ILSF has served as a lifeline for Harris County families navigating an increasingly complex and punitive immigration system. The ILSF represents a shared commitment between our local government and community to ensure that due process and fairness are not reserved only for those who can afford them. During that same time, the SSIL has guaranteed that vulnerable survivors of violence also have support to find safety and dignity in Harris County. More recently, the INSF has supported well over one thousand eligible Houstonians to take the momentous step of applying for U.S. citizenship.
Harris County’s investment in immigration legal services is especially important for unaccompanied children and youth who have fled abuse, neglect, trafficking, violence, and other forms of exploitation. Many of these children arrive in the United States alone and must navigate extraordinarily complex legal proceedings without the support of a parent or guardian. Through the ILSF, legal providers help children access critical protections under U.S. law, including relief available to survivors of trafficking, abuse, abandonment, and persecution.
Everyone deserves a fair day in court. For Houstonians navigating the immigration system, legal representation is often the only way to guarantee due process.
For immigrants facing deportation, having an attorney can mean the difference between having their rights upheld under the law and remaining legally with their families or permanent separation from their children, communities, and livelihoods. In fiscal year 2025, Harris County residents with legal representation were more than eight times more likely to win their cases than those left to defend themselves alone. Yet, over 60 percent of Harris County residents with cases pending in immigration court do not have an attorney. The critical success of the ILSF, for both the people who receive services and the community as a whole, can be seen in the story of M, a lawful permanent resident, who came to the U.S. when he was approximately five years old. As an adult he decided to pursue his passion, which consists of working with his hands as a roofer and home remodeling contractor. This allowed M to financially support his aging parents and youngest brother, who uses a wheelchair. His mother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and underwent brain surgery approximately three years ago, which resulted in little success. M’s father is occasionally unable to assist his wife with her daily living tasks or take care of himself. M acted as their caregiver. Unfortunately, M was arrested during a period of depression, which led to his detention at the Montgomery Processing Center. With the help of the ILSF attorney, M was able to win his immigration case, and the social worker who supported him was able to provide resources, including where to find mental health help. He is now happy and providing support to his family.
Lack of stable immigration status means that many immigrants are more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation as they become targets of violence and are often afraid to call for help or access services. Studies show that immigrant women and girls in the United States may be twice as likely to experience domestic violence than the general population, and they’re less likely to leave their abusers due to fear of immigration consequences, such as being deported and separated from their children. With Harris County’s intimate partner homicides on the rise in the last several years, the SSIL has been a critical lifeline for survivors and their children to access safety.
In 2023, the Migration Policy Institute estimated that nearly a quarter of Harris County’s diverse immigrant population was eligible to naturalize. Becoming a U.S. citizen allows people who have made the United States their home to achieve stability and more fully participate in American society. Additionally, research shows that naturalization not only boosts household income but is good for the overall economy as well. Through the County’s investment into this large sector of the population, Harris County has been able to support those who otherwise would not be able to afford the legal fees to naturalize.
One community member who was supported with INSF funds, shows how this support creates engaged citizens who are invested in their community’s success. P was born in Mexico and immigrated to the United States in 1997 with her children to reunite with her husband. She entered the country as a lawful permanent resident after her husband petitioned for her, and she proudly maintained that status for 28 years. With encouragement from her daughter, P was ready to take the final step in her immigration journey and apply for naturalization. Thanks to an INSF-funded attorney, P received support throughout the process to become a U.S. citizen. Her team met with P and carefully prepared and filed her naturalization application with a fee waiver application. Two months later, P was scheduled for her naturalization interview. Prior to the interview, P’s attorney prepared civics flashcards for her, set up a practice naturalization interview, and accompanied her to the naturalization interview. Having diligently studied, P correctly answered all the civics test questions. She recently attended her oath ceremony and is now a U.S. citizen. With the certainty of being able to remain in the country she has called home for almost 30 years, P is excited about what the future holds for her and her family.
Unfortunately, the already desperate need for these programs has increased drastically in the years they have been in operation. ICE arrests in the Houston Area of Responsibility increased from 928 in December 2024 to 1,675 in February 2026, an increase of 80%. Last year, the Harris County Jail turned 5,400 people over to ICE custody. This unprecedented rate of ICE arrests means that families are facing permanent separation. Survivors of crime are increasingly isolated and stuck in dangerous situations. And people who have valid immigration status and are following the path to lawful permanent residence or U.S. citizenship are unsure if they will be given a fair shot. This is not the time to abandon vulnerable Harris County residents, especially as ICE increasingly conducts indiscriminate arrests, often without adequate cause and in violation of individuals’ rights, and when local law enforcement is collaborating beyond what it is required by law.
All together the ILSF, SSIL, and INSF have supported thousands of Harris County families with expert legal support. They fund many legal practitioners who would not be able to provide this service without the County’s investment. These successes have helped make Harris County a stronger, safer, and more prosperous community.
Beyond its moral imperative, these legal funds make economic sense. According to the American Immigration Council, immigrants contribute more than $2.5 billion in state and local taxes and nearly $10 billion in spending power in the Houston region alone. Deportations destabilize our local economy—leading to lost wages, foreclosed homes, and shuttered small businesses. Keeping families together keeps Harris County thriving.
In this environment of increasing violence during immigration enforcement operations, we are deeply concerned about the community’s access to high-quality legal representation. Divestment in this moment is the opposite of what our communities need. Our communities need now, more than ever, access to fairness, justice, and due process in the legal system. We ask the Commissioners Court to stand firm, defend the ILSF, and reaffirm its commitment to local legal aid for Harris County’s immigrant families.
For Harris County children, the County’s continued investment is particularly vital at this moment, as federal funding that supports legal representation for unaccompanied children is imperiled. This creates significant uncertainty and reduces available legal resources for some of the most vulnerable young people in our community. Without continued funding, vulnerable children with pending cases could lose representation at pivotal moments in their legal journey, jeopardizing their ability to reunify with their families, obtain safety, stability,and lawful status. Continued investment ensures that children are not left to face life-altering legal proceedings alone and preserves access to experienced advocates who help protect their rights and support their long-term well-being in our community.
Harris County’s three immigrant legal service funds are a reflection of who we are as a county—compassionate, just, and committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of status, has the right to due process.
Thank you for your leadership and for continuing to protect the values that make Harris County strong.
In solidarity,
- Houston Leads Coalition
- ACT 4 SA
- African Public Affairs Committee
- American Gateways
- Austin Region Justice for Our Neighbors
- BakerRipley
- Church World Service
- CRECEN
- Galveston-Houston Immigrant Representation Project
- Grassroots Leadership & Texas Advocates for Justice
- Houston DSA
- Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative
- Immigrant Legal Resource Center
- Justice for all Immigrants
- Kids in Need of Defense
- Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice Texas
- LaUnidad11
- Local Progress Texas
- Madres del Parque
- Mi Familia en Accion
- New Economy for Working Houston
- New England Justice for Our Neighbors
- OCA-Greater Houston
- Peoples’ Counsel
- Revolución Violeta
- Somos Spring Branch
- Tahirih Justice Center
- Texas Black Migrant Ecosystem
- Texas Civil Rights Project
- Texas Immigration Law Council
- Texas Organizing Project (TOP)
- Woori Juntos
- Workers Defense Action Fund
