A Harris County judge on Friday rejected Ken Paxton’s lawsuit seeking to shut down an immigrant rights group in Houston, the latest in a string of court losses for Republican attorneys general who have sought to shut down groups that help immigrants.
U.S. District Judge Ravi K. Sandile issued a one-paragraph order denying Paxton’s request to revoke FIEL’s corporate registration and “dissolve its existence.” Judge Sandile did not explain his decision.
Paxton alleged that FIEL Houston has “systematically” ignored nonprofit rules by being too aggressive in opposing state laws and political candidates. His lawsuit pointed to a series of social media posts in which FIEL called former President Donald Trump “El Hijo del Diablo,” or “the devil’s son,” Gov. Greg Abbott a “violent, racist fascist,” and repeatedly opposed SB 4, the state’s court-blocked immigration deportation law.
FIEL responded by alleging that Paxton retaliated against it because the group had challenged state election law, including in a lawsuit that specifically named Paxton as a defendant.
The group argued the lawsuit was part of the attorney general’s campaign to target immigrant-advocacy groups. Paxton has so far unsuccessfully sought to close several Catholic immigrant shelters along the border that he says are involved in human trafficking.
“Mr. Paxton has filed a series of lawsuits targeting nonprofits whose content and mission he disagrees with, and has lost each one,” the group said in a court filing. “These are not ‘content-neutral’ state actions based on political stance or conduct.”
Neither FIEL nor the attorney general’s office immediately responded to requests for comment.
