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Ken Paxton, the new and recently reinstated attorney general for Texas, has prioritized dismantling an ever-expanding enclave of undocumented immigrants north of Houston.
It was on Just The News’ podcast, “John Solomon Reports,” that AG Paxton appeared and said that dealing with the colony, known as Colony Ridge, is a “top priority” for him and the office to which he has only returned a week ago, following a failed impeachment attempt.
In the same Just The News interview, Paxton told Solomon that he is trying to “figure out if there’s a mechanism by which our office can intervene and do something about it.”
He did relent that if “that’s not a possibility, then obviously, there’s the legislature, we’ve got special sessions coming up that they could potentially help us with that. So we’re looking at all our possible options, both legally, and also, potentially legislatively if we don’t have options that are viable.”
Paxton also told Solomon that while Texas was trying to prevent illegal immigration and had barbed wires put up, “the federal government came and cut it down to let everybody in.” He added that the government is “supposed to be helping [Texas], not the cartels.”
He then stated, pointedly, that this “won’t just affect the border states, it’s gonna affect the entire country and I think as people feel that and they see it in their own communities,” then saying that he “doesn’t know how [the communities] can’t hold the Biden administration accountable.”
The Daily Wire, which has been conducting an investigation into the situation in the colony, reported that “Colony Ridge covers nearly 60 square miles, or about the size of Washington, D.C.”
Their reporting states that a “Texas land developer has established a sprawling settlement north of Houston where thousands of illegal immigrants are believed to have settled, raising concerns among experts and elected officials that the development 400 miles in the interior of the United States could become a strategic asset for cartels.”
In another interview, this time with Michael Berry, Paxton said that not only is it “completely insane that they can set up these villages with illegal immigrants.” but also that “The legislature could address this and should address this. Because right now, we don’t have a real clear path to being able to stop it, even though it’s completely insane that they can set up these villages with illegal immigrants.”
Things seem to have gotten so bad that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis posted a venom-soaked tweet:
Texas Representative Chip Roy, in his own interview with The Daily Wire, called their report “highly concerning” and said, “I’m not in a position to fully articulate exactly what’s happening other than it is problematic and a continuation of these wide open border policies.”
Despite growing calls for action on Colony Ridge, it remains uncertain how Governor Abbott plans to address the issue. The Texas Tribune reports that he is currently expected to convene a special legislative session to address education policy in Texas, but it remains to be seen whether the situation at Colony Ridge will be added to the agenda.
The situation at Colony Ridge serves as a focal point in the ongoing debate over immigration and border security. As Attorney General Paxton and other Republican leaders continue to call for action, the future of this massive housing development and the challenges it presents remain uncertain, leaving many to question the course of action that will ultimately be taken to address these issues.
