Texas
Texas refugee aid group sues to unfreeze $36 million in federal funds
/static.texastribune.org/media/files/06636cf174a9a58a11fac2914c218dbb/Afghan%20Refugees%20REUTERS%20TT.jpg?ssl=1 "Texas refugee aid group sues to unfreeze million in federal funds")
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Catholic Charities Fort Worth, a nonprofit organization that serves as Texas’ refugee resettlement office, has sued the Trump administration, claiming the federal government has withheld more than $36 million in grants, leading its partners to lay off workers and close some offices.
The nonprofit has been in charge of the state’s refugee resettlement programs since 2017. The state dropped out of the program in 2016, leaving a network of organizations to help refugees acclimate to Texas.
The lawsuit, filed on Monday in federal district court in Washington, D.C., names the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. The charity claims 750 people have been laid off or furloughed at its partner organizations since the Department of Health and Human Services froze the funds earlier this year.
“These funds, mandated by law for organizations contracted by the federal government to care for these individuals and families, are crucial for providing essential services to those fleeing persecution in their home countries,” said a statement by both Catholic Charities CEO Michael Iglio and Jeff Demers, state refugee coordinator of the Texas Office for Refugees.
The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to The Texas Tribune’s email request for comment on the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, Catholic Charities Fort Worth has tried to access the funds more than 14 times since Jan. 29 without success. Catholic Charities Fort Worth says in its lawsuit that the federal government’s “unlawful behavior” defies the Constitution and has caused “real-world harm” to the 100,000 people living in Texas who depend on the charity.
The organization “also faces irreparable damage to its reputation, to its ability to work with the community, and to its relationship with its subrecipients and with the federally-documented and lawfully-admitted individuals and families it serves,” the lawsuit says.
Through an executive order, the Trump administration paused the federal government’s refugee program. However, a federal judge, ruling in a different lawsuit, ordered the Trump administration to restore federal funding for grants and other programs it had abruptly frozen. Since then, other organizations have received federal funds, according to Catholic Charities Fort Worth’s lawsuit.
Disclosure: Catholic Charities Fort Worth has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
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Texas
Brazoria County deputy shoots, kills Texas State University student after car chase, report says
BRAZORIA COUNTY, Texas – A Texas State University student was shot and killed by a Brazoria County Sheriff’s deputy early Monday morning after an attempted traffic stop in Lake Jackson.
The news was first reported by The University Star, Texas State’s student-run newspaper.
In a Tuesday statement to KSAT, the university identified the student as John Gabriel Mendoza Jr., 18. He was a freshman who studied management, according to the school.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, classmates, and all those affected by this tragedy,” the university said in its statement.
Deputies attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle just after midnight Monday near Farm-to-Market 2004 and This Way Street in Lake Jackson, the sheriff’s office said.
The driver of the vehicle, who was identified as Mendoza by The University Star, did not stop, deputies said. The deputies then chased after the vehicle for approximately a mile into a neighborhood located in the 100 block of Indian Warrior Trail.
According to the sheriff’s office, the driver went inside a home’s garage and parked before a deputy approached the vehicle, the release said.
The deputy then pulled out his firearm and shot into the vehicle. The sheriff’s office said the gunfire struck the driver.
The University Star reported that Mendoza was the one shot. He was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The deputy who pulled the trigger has since been placed on administrative leave in accordance with the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office policy.
KSAT reached out to the Lake Jackson Police Department and the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office for more information, but neither agency has responded at this time.
The shooting investigation is being led by the Texas Rangers, according to a Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office news release.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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Copyright 2026 by KSAT – All rights reserved.
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