Bexar County, TX Immigrant Legal Defense Fund (San Antonio)

Policy ID

BEX-LA-2025-12

Local Response

Bexar County

Legislative Action

Deportation Defense, Legal Services

Short Description

Bexar County funds an Immigrant Legal Defense Fund providing removal-defense representation to residents facing deportation. The country secured roughly $1 million for this in 2022, with the program launching in 2024. In mid-December 2025 the Commissioners Court allocated more than $566,000 to its Immigration Legal Services program, paid to the nonprofit American Gateways.

Date Adopted

12/01/2025

Updates

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the county on February 4, 2026 to shut the fund; courts have upheld its constitutionality, but the appropriation lapsed at the end of February 2026 and advocates are pressing commissioners to restore it as San Antonio ranks among the top U.S. cities for ICE arrests.