| 1 | 1 | | 88S30451 KSM-F |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | By: Oliverson H.C.R. No. 1 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | CONCURRENT RESOLUTION |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Numerous properties in the Colony Ridge development |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | of Liberty County have been sold to illegal immigrants, resulting |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | in a national security concern that threatens the safety and |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | quality of life in local communities; and |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | WHEREAS, Mortgage lenders are able to offer non-citizens |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | specialized loans that use individual tax identification numbers |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | instead of social security numbers; Colony Ridge Land, LLC, which |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | does business as Terrenos Houston, has sold land to customers using |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | ITIN loans, and its development's population has grown to include |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | an estimated 50,000 to 75,000 residents, many of whom are in the |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | country illegally; in addition, advertisements for Colony Ridge |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | properties have been published in Spanish through international |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | communication channels; and |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | WHEREAS, Colony Ridge and the surrounding area lack |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | sufficient law enforcement presence; this has attracted illegal |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | immigrants as well as cartel activity, and the Gulf and Sinaloa |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | cartels have reportedly purchased land in the development for safe |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | houses, which are used to smuggle drugs and people into the United |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | States; in addition, there is evidence of cartel involvement from |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | early in the development's history, and in 2021, the Drug |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | Enforcement Administration carried out the largest drug bust ever |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | in Liberty County when it raided a multimillion-dollar |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | methamphetamine manufacturing lab located inside a Colony Ridge |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | dwelling; other crimes that have occurred in the area include |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | murders, sexual assaults, and thefts; despite these issues, the |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | Liberty County Sheriff's Office has neglected to check immigration |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | status during routine stops; and |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | WHEREAS, Illegal immigration to Colony Ridge has led to |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | significant changes in the community's way of life; longtime |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | residents have reported disruptions such as excessive noise, |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | gunfire, and loud music; moreover, issues such as flooding, traffic |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | congestion, water pollution, and sewage problems have been |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | attributed to the rapid population growth; and |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | WHEREAS, The Cleveland Independent School District is |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | required to accept local students even if they are non-citizens, |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | and over the past four years, enrollment has increased from 6,584 to |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | 12,400; the school district has worked to accommodate the influx of |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | students by building new schools and is reportedly hiring H-1B |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | beneficiaries to serve as foreign language teachers; and |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | WHEREAS, Illegal immigration to the Colony Ridge area has |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | negatively impacted the health, safety, and welfare of local |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | residents, and more must be done to prevent illegal immigrants from |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | settling in Texas communities; now, therefore, be it |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | RESOLVED, That the 88th Legislature of the State of Texas, |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | 3rd Called Session, hereby call for the thorough investigation of |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | the Colony Ridge development in Liberty County and express support |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | for legislation that prohibits illegal immigrants from purchasing |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | land in communities across Texas. |
|---|