Legislation Introduced To Dedicate $40 Million In Law Enforcement Efforts To Colony Ridge, Border Security

 Members of the Texas legislature introduced legislation that would earmark $40 million in state funds to support Department of Public Safety border security operations as well as operations in Colony Ridge, a massive land development that has become a magnet for illegal immigrants.

The news came after Governor Greg Abbott called for a fourth special legislative session, the second that highlighted Colony Ridge by name in the aftermath of investigations from The Daily Wire that found the rapidly expanding development has become a hotbed for crime, and that authorities are overwhelmed by the growing population.

Abbott is specifically calling for legislation that will provide “additional funding for the Department of Public Safety for border security operations, including additional overtime expenses and costs due to an increased law enforcement presence to preserve public safety and security in the Colony Ridge development.”

Texas State Senator Joan Huffman and State Representative Jacey Jetton announced pieces of matching legislation that would provide $40 million to DPS for “border security operations and to ensure public safety and security in the Colony Ridge development.” The bill states that the sum would be dedicated to “additional overtime expenses and costs due to an increased law enforcement presence” in the development. The legislation would also “provide an additional $1.5 billion in funding for border security operations and the construction of a border wall.”

Governor Abbott directed DPS to place agents in and around Colony Ridge following reporting from The Daily Wire that highlighted the development’s blatant marketing appeals to noncitizens and the Colony Ridge developer’s massive donations to the governor.

But the legislation does not address many of the concerns detailed in a letter from 25 U.S. Congressmen, the entirety of the Republican delegation from Texas, nor the concerns of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who enumerated his stance in a letter of his own.

The Congressional letter honed in on the development’s business model, explaining that  Colony Ridge “markets owner-financed loans with no credit checks or proof of legal residency, making the location an optimal haven for illegal immigrants amid a historic border crisis.”

“This form of real estate development and financing has created an attractive opportunity for noncitizens to cross the border and settle in Texas,” Paxton similarly charged. “The development appears to be attracting and enabling illegal alien settlement in the state of Texas and distressing neighboring cities and school districts.”