Massive “Colony” of Illegal Aliens Outside Houston Could Turn into City of 200,000: Report

PLUM GROVE, TEXAS — Recent reports of a “colony” housing thousands of illegal aliens in a Houston-area community the size of Washington, D.C. prompted a fiery campaign response from Ron DeSantis on Thursday.

Colony Ridge is a “sprawling community” 50 miles north of Houston with a rapidly growing population currently “estimated to be anywhere between 50,000 to 75,000,” The Daily Wire reported over the weekend. Several other media outlets picked up on the story this week as well.

Reporter Spencer Lundquist documented his visit to the community in a viral Twitter thread posted on Monday.

“[Colony Ridge] goes by Terrenos Houston on Instagram, where marketing materials are entirely in Spanish,” Lundquist wrote, showing screenshots of an Instagram post “where they tell buyers to “own land in the ‘Estados Unidos’” and reach out on WhatsApp, an app tailored for international comms.”

“The area is also said to be a strategic hub for the Gulf and Sinaloa cartels 400 miles north of the border,” the thread continued. “[Colony Ridge] could eventually accommodate 200k people, with cartel elements undoubtedly blending in.”

“A HOMELAND SECURITY ISSUE”

Todd Bensman, a National Security Fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, told The Daily Wire: “The Mexican cartels are very active in that they run safe houses, they run drugs, they do marijuana grows, they commit crimes. This is a homeland security issue. It’s a public safety issue.”

“There’s very thin law enforcement presence in that area,” Bensman added. “It’s appealing because they plan to live and work illegally. … When people buy [homes in Colony Ridge], they’re buying peace of mind from law enforcement.”

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick told Texas radio host Michael Berry on Tuesday that he plans to ask Governor Greg Abbott to convene a special legislative session to address concerns about Colony Ridge.

“We can’t have entire cities of people who are here illegally with basically no law enforcement, in some cases I’m told no running water, it’s a very dangerous place to be,” Patrick said. “This is not what America was built on. This massive complex of people here illegally creating their own city north of Houston, it's just unacceptable.”

TERRENOS HOUSTON RESPONDS

The community is owned and operated by developer William “Trey” Harris – a wealthy political donor who gave $1.4 million to Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s campaign.

Colony Ridge attorney Brent Lane told the Daily Mail that Bensman’s allegations were “slanderous” and “unsubstantiated” but declined to clarify.

“The recent PR campaign against our company is based on lies fed to the media by rival land developers,” Terrenos Houston said in a statement. “These unsubstantiated accusations are defamatory and slanderous and will be treated as such.

“Our developments have put the American Dream of home ownership within reach for tens of thousands of middle and working-class Texas families.”

“THEY DON’T SPEAK ENGLISH”

Independent journalist Wayne Dolcefino published multiple reports on the community three years ago – exposing serious roadway and drainage problems purportedly stemming from the development. Following Dolcefino’s reporting, Lane reportedly filed a $1 million lawsuit against the people who hired the investigative reporter.

Trey Harris told The American Conservative in 2021 that “most Colony Ridge customers are born in Texas and US citizens.” The developer’s assertion was contrasted with one from a homeowner in the community, who said 75 percent of residents were illegal aliens.

LeeAnn Walker – the former mayor of Plum Grove, Texas, a town of fewer than 1,000 citizens that borders Colony Ridge – told the outlet: “You know how I know they are illegal? Because they are looking over the steering wheel, they drive 35 in a 55 and they don’t speak English.”