Catholic legal aid group for immigrants nears collapse as US withholds funds

EL PASO, Texas (RNS and El Paso Matters) — For 40 years, a ministry of the Catholic Diocese of El Paso has provided legal assistance to hundreds of thousands of immigrants. Now, the ministry, Estrella del Paso, says the Trump administration’s refusal to pay more than $765,000 owed in reimbursements is pushing the organization to the edge of collapse.

The lack of reimbursements since December 2025 has eaten up Estrella del Paso’s cash reserves and may force it to close altogether, said Melissa Lopez, the executive director of the nonprofit, formerly known as Diocesan Migrant Refugee Services. An April 2025 preliminary injunction by a California federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s plans to defund legal services for unaccompanied children.

Shuttering Estrella del Paso would mean tens of thousands of immigrants would lose legal services, she said.

When asked what that would mean to people who rely on their legal assistance, Lopez gave a one-word answer. “Deportation.”

“The system is so rigged against people right now that, without legal representation, they are very much at risk of being deported. That risk is high as it is, but in the case of not having any…