AfghanEvac Explainer · Texas
Texas built few backstops. Know exactly what you can still get.
When the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act cut food and health assistance for humanitarian statuses, Texas added little of its own to soften it. That makes knowing your options and your rights more important here, not less. Here is what the law cut, what Texas still offers, and where Afghan families can get help. Read this alongside our national explainer at afghanevac.org/obbb.
What Texas still offers
The coverage that survives here.
The federal law did not erase everything, and some Texas and local programs still stand. Ask about each of these.
Lawfully residing children
Texas covers lawfully residing immigrant children up to age 19 in Medicaid and CHIP, with no five-year wait. It has not adopted the same option for pregnant women. Federal guidance (CMS, April 2026) confirms this children’s coverage continues after October 1, 2026.
CHIP Perinatal
Texas covers prenatal care through CHIP Perinatal for pregnant women who do not qualify for Medicaid because of immigration status, up to 202% of the poverty level. This unborn-child CHIP option is not restricted by the federal law, though you should confirm current rules when you apply.
Emergency Medicaid
Emergency Medicaid covers treatment of emergency conditions, including labor and delivery, regardless of immigration status, for those who meet the other income rules.
County safety-net hospitals and clinics
County systems like Harris Health (Houston), Parkland (Dallas), University Health (San Antonio), and Central Health (Austin), along with community health centers, serve residents based on county residency and income. Each program sets its own rules, so ask what documents it accepts.
You can decline the status question. Since November 2024, Texas hospitals must ask about immigration status under Executive Order GA-46, but you may decline to answer, and your care does not depend on how you answer.
Where the gap is widest
What Texas chose not to backfill.
These are the places where Texas added nothing to catch people the federal law cut.
No SNAP replacement
Texas has not created a state-funded food program to replace SNAP for immigrants cut off by the federal law. For food, the fastest doors are food banks, which generally do not check immigration status.
Few adult health pathways
Texas is one of the ten states that did not expand Medicaid, so many adults have no Medicaid pathway at all, regardless of immigration status. Community clinics and county hospitals become the main option.
Pregnant women, under the children’s option
Unlike the children’s coverage, Texas did not adopt the option for lawfully residing pregnant women. Prenatal care runs through CHIP Perinatal and emergency Medicaid instead.
The federal cliffs land here too
SNAP is already gone for these groups, federal Medicaid and CHIP end October 1, 2026, and ACA credits and Medicare end in January 2027. See the national explainer for the full timeline.
What to do in Texas
Check every door, and check it early.
Because Texas leaves more to local systems, the work of finding help falls more on you. Start here.
Start at 2-1-1 Texas and YourTexasBenefits
Dial 211 for referrals to food, health, and local help anywhere in the state, and use YourTexasBenefits to apply for or check what you still qualify for. Ask directly which programs remain open to your status.
Keep your children enrolled
Texas covers lawfully residing immigrant children in Medicaid and CHIP. If you have kids, do not let their coverage lapse, and respond to every renewal notice.
If you are pregnant, ask about CHIP Perinatal and emergency Medicaid
Prenatal care may be available through CHIP Perinatal, and emergency Medicaid covers labor and delivery. Ask your county or a community health center how to enroll.
Use your county hospital system and a community health center
For everyday care, county safety-net systems and federally funded health centers serve patients based on county residency and income, on a sliding scale. Each sets its own rules, so ask what documents it accepts.
Make sure you were not cut off illegally
The state must send written notice before coverage ends, and you have the right to a fair hearing. If your status still qualifies, or the notice looks wrong, challenge it and respond by every deadline.
Get to permanent status
A green card is what restores federal eligibility. Use V-PRIC to see your pathway, and the free and low-cost legal organizations below to move your case.
Where to turn
Texas organizations serving Afghan families.
These organizations offer legal help, resettlement support, and benefits navigation. Many are stretched thin after federal funding cuts, so use email alongside phone and be persistent.
Statewide starting points
2-1-1 Texas
Free statewide referral line for food, health, rent, and social services. The front door to local help.
YourTexasBenefits (Texas HHSC)
Apply for or manage SNAP, Medicaid, and CHIP, and check what your household still qualifies for.
Texas Office for Refugees
Statewide refugee program information and a provider directory. Catholic Charities Fort Worth’s term as statewide administrator ends September 30, 2026, and no successor has been named publicly, so confirm current services.
Houston and the Gulf Coast
Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston
713-533-4900 · imgh.org/refugees
Refugee resettlement and newcomer services across greater Houston.
YMCA International Services (Houston)
713-758-9280 · ymcahouston.org/locations/ymca-international-services/programs
Refugee resettlement plus immigration and legal services.
The Alliance for Multicultural Community Services
713-776-4700 · thealliancetx.org/refugee-services
Resettlement, integration, and workforce services for refugees and immigrants.
Tahirih Justice Center (Houston)
Free legal services for immigrant survivors of gender-based violence, with an Afghan asylum project.
Dallas and Fort Worth
IRC in Dallas
214-461-9781 · rescue.org/united-states/dallas-tx
Resettlement and immigration legal services.
Catholic Charities Fort Worth, Refugee Services
817-534-0814 · catholiccharitiesfortworth.org
Resettlement and refugee services in North Texas.
Human Rights Initiative of North Texas
Free legal services for asylum seekers and survivors.
World Relief North Texas
817-532-2231 · worldrelief.org/texas
Resettlement and integration services in Dallas and Fort Worth.
Austin, Central Texas, and San Antonio
American Gateways
Free and low-cost immigration legal services, including asylum and SIV cases, with offices in Austin and San Antonio.
RAICES
833-372-4237 · raicestexas.org
Large nonprofit legal and refugee services provider based in San Antonio, with statewide reach.
Center for Refugee Services (San Antonio)
San Antonio nonprofit that has registered thousands of Afghan families. English classes, jobs, health enrollment, and emergency aid.
The Refugee Collective (Austin)
Austin social enterprise creating jobs and community for refugees, formerly the Multicultural Refugee Coalition.
Verify before you rely. Demand is high and federal funding was cut in 2025, so confirm hours, capacity, and current phone numbers before traveling to any office.
Go deeper
The national picture, and your pathway.
This Texas guide sits alongside our national explainer of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. For the full breakdown of what changed federally and how permanent status restores benefits, start there, and use V-PRIC to map your pathway.
This guide summarizes Texas and federal policy for informational purposes and is not legal advice. It reflects the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21, enacted July 4, 2025) and Texas program rules as of September 24, 2026. Eligibility rules, state programs, and the Texas refugee program administrator change frequently and often turn on your specific immigration category and county. Confirm your own situation with your county benefits office, a qualified immigration attorney, or a Department of Justice accredited representative. AfghanEvac is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.