Texas elected officials are demanding an investigation into a sprawling housing development near Houston that is allegedly causing “chaos” by attracting “illegal immigrants.”
Colony Ridge, 35 miles north of Houston, is home to 75,000 people in an area at least 50 percent larger than Manhattan.
The Post revealed the scale of the concern in September as neighbors claimed it was a “no-go zone,” home to criminals and drug cartels, and a magnet for “illegal immigration.”
Opponents accuse Colony Ridge developers, billionaire brothers John and Trey Harris of preying on people, especially immigrants, by advertising the fantasy of suburban home ownership in what they claim is a sprawling, poorly built, unsafe trailer park. from the environment. predatory lending practices.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has called for an investigation into Colony Ridge but no legislative action has been taken Critics say Abbott, who received more than $1.5 million in campaign contributions from developers, is a hypocrite and already knows about Colony Ridge.Annie Wermiel/ NY Post Map of shows the location of Colony Ridge in Texas.
Now both Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton have demanded that state lawmakers use their powers to investigate in the ongoing special legislative session.
Paxton, who avoided impeachment in September when the state Senate voted to acquit him at trial, wrote on Oct. 19 to state lawmakers and said, “The development appears to be attracting and enabling illegal alien settlements in the state of Texas and inconvenient neighboring cities. and school districts.
“Complaints from nearby communities about the scale of unmanaged development and external growth reveal that these unincorporated settlements have attracted too many people and caused too much chaos for the current arrangement to be accepted by the government.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote a strongly worded letter to the Texas legislature telling them Colony Ridge should be investigated but nothing concrete has happened yet.AP
He also said that Colony Ridge may be part of a trend, writing, “Texas has seen a growing trend of real estate developers buying large amounts of undeveloped land, creating primitive subdivisions, and selling vacant land in a practice often paired with a minimum offer. down payment, high interest owner financed loans.
“This loan requires some identity verification. Weak development codes for unincorporated areas mean residents can crowd onto properties and residential populations can grow quickly.”
Abbott said in a September interview that he plans to act on “any issue that needs to be enforced, in terms of the new law in the state of Texas, to make sure we never have a colony like this in our state” and called for Colony Ridge to be investigated in the recent special session of the state legislature.
Colony Ridge is located 50 square miles 35 north of Houston. Developers offer owner financing so people can buy land there without proof of citizenship. Many lots have tents or mobile homes on them.Robert Rehak/ ReduceFlooding.com Land looks easy to buy in Colony Ridge but foreclosure rates are high because owner financing offered by developers involves credit card style interest rates.NY Pos
But critics say that more than two weeks after the special session began, no bills have been filed or debated on the Colony Ridge issue — and that Abbott is among politicians who have received large donations from the Harris brothers.
The governor and his campaign have taken more than $1.5 million from the brothers, who started the 40-square-mile development on unincorporated land in Liberty County 15 years ago.
No opponents of Colony Ridge were invited to speak at a recent special session, only the developers themselves.
And the Texas House State Affairs Committee held a hearing on Colony Ridge but did not propose any legislation.
Developer William ‘Trey’ Harris has been accused of allowing illegal immigrants to buy land in Colony Ridge without presenting any documentation or proof of income. He was also accused of violating drainage regulations at the site. Dolcefino Consulting/YouTube Developer John Harris runs Colony Ridge with his brother, Trey.LinkedIn
Wayne Dolcefino, a former investigative television reporter, was hired three years ago by residents of Plum Grove, which borders Colony Ridge, to dig up information about how the development was built.
Residents identified drainage problems but said nothing had been done since.
He said Abbott and Paxton’s intervention and the special session were just for show and would not lead to change.
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Dolcefino told The Post Wednesday. “Abbott and everyone else knew this was going on.
“This is probably just a lot of CYA. Nobody can come in and take ownership of it now. The genie can’t be put back in the bottle.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
