As challenges continue surfacing as a result of record levels of illegal border crossings, “Colony Ridge Communities”—the land development company responsible for providing loans for the construction of one of the largest illegal alien settlements in America—is funded by one of Gov. Greg Abbott’s major donors.
Liberty County, just North of Houston, is home to the fastest-growing Hispanic population in the country and one of the fastest-growing school districts in Texas. In 2020, the Colony Ridge settlement included approximately 20,000 residents and now includes an estimated 75,000.
Vast Texas forest clear cuts make way for a comparatively modest expansion of what many consider the largest illegal alien community in America. Already home to anestimated 75,000 mostly illegal aliens, Liberty County’s “Colony Ridge” is obviously bullish on the future pic.twitter.com/EkfeQ2oegY
— Todd Bensman (@BensmanTodd) June 13, 2023
Colony Ridge is known for its dealings and associations with Gulf and Sinaloa cartels. In 2013, 300 acres of Liberty County lands were used to host the “largest and most sophisticated marijuana-growing operation” in U.S. history. The area broke another record in July 2021, when the Drug Enforcement Administration raided a multimillion-dollar methamphetamine manufacturing lab in Colony Ridge.
Terrenos Houston, the marketing program for Colony Ridge, advertises to illegal aliens by indicating they do not require traditional bank loans, nor do they need Social Security numbers or a proven job history. Instead, they operate through owner-financed lots for illegal aliens who don’t qualify for certain loans.
The company is particularly active on international media platforms and produces marketing videos in Spanish, promoting incentives like discounts and video tours of their new schools.
Such a massive influx of children has created the need for more schools, with the land development company building six for Cleveland Independent School District thus far.
News and satire publication Current Revolt made the connection between William Harris, a main stakeholder in Colony Ridge, and his $300,000 yearly contributions to Abbott’s political campaign since 2018.
The publication insinuated that Colony Ridge, which profits off of illegal aliens, intends to maintain a successful business by investing in Abbott, who has yet to effectively crack down on illegal border crossings.
Advocacy groups like Texans for Strong Borders say Colony Ridge’s success is a side effect of policies that provide illegal aliens with financial incentives and loopholes to remain in the country.
“ITIN Loans serve as a specific loan type that circumvents the need for an SSN during the application process. This loophole has been exploited by illegal aliens in collusion with developers, allowing them to evade detection. In TX, it’s time to ban the use of ITIN loans,” Texans for Strong Borders wrote on Twitter.
With a new special session of the Legislature starting soon, those same organizations are calling on lawmakers to expand border security efforts to end incentives for illegal aliens.
