Texas’ most populous county to set up immigrant defense fund

By JUAN A. LOZANO Associated Press
HOUSTON (AP) — Texas’ most populous county and one of the most diverse in the U.S. has approved a plan to create and fund a program that will offer legal services for immigrants, including many who are in the country illegally and fighting deportation. Harris County commissioners in Houston voted on Tuesday to approve the Immigration Legal Services Program during a meeting in which community groups as well as religious and labor leaders spoke in favor of the program. Officials say over 25% of Harris County residents are foreign born, including an estimated 412,000 residents in the country illegally who account for nearly 10% of the county’s labor force.