Probably nothing good, but how much of that remains to be seen.
A newly elected state representative this week suggested Colony Ridge, a 33,000 acre majority-Latino residential development in Liberty County, will be a focus of immigration enforcement for President-Elect Donald Trump’s administration.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, state Rep.-elect Janis Holt included a photo of herself and Tom Homan, pledging to address “the challenges posed by Colony Ridge.”
Homan, who ran the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for nearly two years under the first Trump administration, has been chosen by Trump as his “border czar.” He will be tasked with carrying out the incoming president’s mass deportation plans.
“I enjoyed my conversation with Border Czar Tom Homan. We will coordinate with his office and attack this issue head on (sic),” Holt wrote. It is unclear where and when the photo was taken.
[…]
In September 2023, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick responded to months of conservative media reports by flying a helicopter over the development with the Texas Department of Public Safety and affirmed right-wing critics’ complaints that Colony Ridge is a borderline “sanctuary city” for immigrants citing misleading and false crime statistics.
Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the Texas Legislature to address Colony Ridge during a special session in the fall of 2023, but lawmakers only increased the number of DPS officers patrolling the development.
Alain Cisneros, a campaign coordinator for FIEL, an immigrant rights nonprofit, said Holt’s post about Colony Ridge is an example of politicians trying to score points with their party on hot topics like immigration.
“What we see is that it’s causing another psychosis, a panic, (that) everything is related to mass deportations,” Cisneros said in Spanish.
Jasmina Yadyra, who immigrated from Honduras 25 years ago and moved to the Liberty County development in 2021, said on Friday there should be stricter regulations surrounding immigration to the United States.
“Just as good people come, bad people also come and then they go to their home countries as if nothing happened,” she said in Spanish. “There should be order.”
The majority of Colony Ridge residents want quiet lives, Yadrya said.
“This is a place where we want to live in peace,” she said. “It is a very beautiful place that must be taken care of. It’s our home since we immigrated and we want to contribute to a grand nation like the U.S.”
Former residents Keilah and SuEllen Sanchez commended Holt’s attention to Colony Ridge. The sisters said Holt marks a significant shift from her predecessor, former Rep. Ernest Bailes, who they believe was aligned directly with the development.
“However, there are critical factors that must be considered when addressing Colony Ridge and its impact on both its residents and the broader community,” they wrote in a text message to the Landing. “It is important to recognize that while illegal immigration is a significant issue in Colony Ridge, not all residents are undocumented immigrants.”
Cisneros said years of right-wing rhetoric surrounding Colony Ridge has unfairly blamed residents for violence and disorder while ignoring what she called a predatory lending scheme that has taken advantage of the development’s residents over the past decade.
John and William “Trey” Harris, who did not respond to a request for comment, own the development, which is being sued by the Department of Justice and Texas. The brothers are accused of targeting largely Latino land buyers in what state Attorney General Ken Paxton has called a “bait-and-switch” sales scheme.
John Harris previously told the Landing the lawsuits were baseless and inflammatory.
See here for all previous Colony Ridge blogging. There are the allegations of rampant crime and gang activity, which have not been corroborated by the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office. There are allegations that the population of Colony Ridge is disproportionately comprised of undocumented immigrants, which honestly makes no sense and is also disputed by Liberty County officials. And then there are the allegations that the developers, who are facing multiple lawsuits, have engaged in misleading and predatory lending practices and other disreputable business. All of this comes with a heaping layer of right wing hysteria, which has had its usual distortion effect on the facts. Into all this comes the even more right-wing Legislature, and the whole Trump 2.0 debacle, which may or may not have the determination and capability to carry off deportations at unprecedented levels. I don’t know what Colony Ridge will look like in a couple of years, but it could be very different in ways that I think are more likely to be bad than good. I’ll keep an eye on it.
Deportations by best year for a president:
Obama = 400,000
Trump 267,000
Adrian Garcia, now a commissioner when he was sheriff, led the nation in deportations from his jails.
Lane Lewis, Harris County Democratic Chair, locked the doors to the office and refused to meet with DREAMERs.
All of a sudden, progressives care about illegal immigration.
A Harris County Democratic party official wrote that she was going “Wetback hunting.” She was not removed.
They may target those people who live there who are here illegally and put on a big show. And some people may pretend that they care.
“Adrian Garcia, now a commissioner when he was sheriff, led the nation in deportations from his jails.”
No one will disagree that people that don’t play well and cause trouble should be deported.
There is a difference in deporting trouble makers vs hunting down people going about their life, no?
Everyone seems to think that their “good” undocumented neighbor, yard worker, restaurant worker, gym trainer, construction worker, or student Dreamer will be spared deportation, and that only “bad” violent criminals will be forced out. I would not count on that. I expect a lot of theatrical removals for publicity and to encourage some folks to self-deport, followed by massive and disruptive removals.
Yeah, Robert, everyone deported from Harris County was a hardened criminal. Do you work for Adrian? I know a woman who got arrested when she disagreed with her neighbor who did not want to press charges. That woman was forced to leave behind a baby less than a year old. You keep telling yourself that only hardened criminals were deported.
Hunting down people? Do you mean workplace raids? So, if they are brought into jail and not here legally, does that suit you? Even if they have had to go to trial or have been found guilty of crimes?
Maria Jimenez: On Secure Communities
“But Maria Jimenez, a longtime advocate for immigrants in Houston, said the Secure Communities program, along with a second federal program that allows certain local law enforcement officials to act as federal immigration agents, has done just what Mr. Smith and other conservatives want. “In casting the net so broadly,” she said, “it will be a de facto immigration enforcement program by local police.”
That is exactly what was happening when Adrian Garcia was sheriff. Gonzalez changed Garcia’s policy of deporting.
For your information, Robert, almost everyone who is a first-generation citizen’s parents came here illegally or stayed here after their welcome was over.