Feds crack down on criminals and illegal immigrants in Houston-Area development, Abbott reveals
On Monday morning, a state and federal law enforcement operation targeting criminals and illegal immigrants was held in Colony Ridge.
The Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, has informed that federals targeted Colony Ridge, in a law enforcement raid. The main goal was to search for criminals and illegal immigrants. Abbott posted a tweet on his X (formerly Twitter) account in which he stated the operation had long been in the works alongside law enforcement officer Tom Homan.
On Monday, federals entered Colony Ridge, a housing development outside of Houston. This area has been under scrutiny from conservative media and politicians alike, due to the selling of land to undocumented people. It was also at the forefront of anti-immigration rhetoric from Abbott and other state officials during the 2024 election season.
Feds target criminals and illegal immigrants in Colony Ridge
The 33,000 acres has a population of mostly Latino residents, and it is a development area in Liberty County. Texas lawmakers had labeled it as a sanctuary for undocumented people, even describing it as a cartel-run crime hub.
Back in 2023, there were claims that the neighborhood had a massive population of undocumented immigrants. The co-owner of Colony Ridge, Trey Harris, said at the time that most of the property owners were U.S. citizens. Harris also assured he was giving low-income families an opportunity to be homeowners, as he just sells the property and the buyer is in charge of building its home.
Texas Governor Abbott and his view on crime and immigrants
Governor Abbott worked on this operation with Trump Administration “border czar” Tom Homan. However, it is unclear if the operation was successful, as an exact number of detained people was not provided. Currently, the spokespersons for the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Texas Department of Public Safety and Abbott have not responded to requests for more data.
Houston Landing reporters at the development spotted many traffic stops by state troopers, as well as over a dozen DPS and unmarked law enforcement vehicles patrolling Colony Ridge. In any case, no officials identifying themselves as federal immigration enforcement agents were seen during the operation.