A sprawling residential development outside of Houston is in the national spotlight because of claims by far-right Republicans that it’s harboring undocumented immigrants. Residents there say the allegations are unfounded. But Gov. Greg Abbott has put laws targeting the development on the agenda of a special session of the state legislature.
Taking her kids to the Colony Ridge community center, Cynthia Silva told Spectrum News she actually feels safer living in the rural Texas region compared to Houston. She believes that in recent weeks people have been misinformed about her community.
“Neighbors help each other. If there's a tragedy, everybody comes to each other's rescue. If you need food, you will never go hungry here. It's absolutely a tremendous community feel that we didn't feel anywhere else,” Silva said.
Thirty miles northeast of downtown Houston, Colony Ridge is home to 40,000 people and as of late, it’s been the target of far-right circles. It has been in the spotlight after The Daily Wire, a conservative website, claimed Colony Ridge is a “magnet for illegal immigration.” The allegations quickly gained traction among some Republicans.
“There's a community called Colony Ridge in Texas, and apparently it has become basically a giant settlement spot for illegal immigrants,” said conservative host Ben Shapiro.
Texas Republicans in the U.S. House sent a letter urging Gov. Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton to investigate. And Republican president candidate Ron DeSantis weighed in on social media, writing, “Our national sovereignty is at stake. We must stop excusing inaction at the top. I will end this.”
“I mean, it's ridiculous if you understand how business works, because no one that comes across the border to America for the first time is going to be able to come here, put money down, make payments while they wait for infrastructure to finish, and then cough off, you know, an investment of $10,000 to $20,000 to move on to the property,” John Harris, CEO of Colony Ridge, told Spectrum News.
Harris said Colony Ridge’s groundbreaking took place more than a decade ago. His company offers direct financing to potential buyers with no credit or Social Security number, loan terms that are fueling the allegations about the development.
“Our philosophy is to let people get in, give them an opportunity to buy something as inexpensively as possible and build some equity so they can start their path to homeownership,” Harris said.
He said the vast majority of his customers are U.S. citizens, but he defends the loan terms, which he says are legal under state and federal laws. He additionally said that his customers pay taxes.
“We're really proud of this because our customers are proud people. We just provide them an opportunity. They don't get handouts or a bunch of free stuff here from us. They get an opportunity to buy something, an opportunity to pay their bills and pay their taxes," he said.
Harris, along with residents such as Silva, disagreed with the portrayals of high crime and prolific cartel activity in the area.
“I'd like to tell the country to not believe everything you read, definitely do your own research. I also would like the public to know that this area is an area of families that are already established and have jobs and families. They've been here for a while,” Silva said.
The development is just the latest flashpoint in Republicans’ hammering of the Biden administration’s handling of the southern border and the effect on communities across Texas and the country. Texas Democratic Party leaders are slamming Abbott’s special session agenda and say none of those proposed bills would ease the lives of working Texas families.