Federal immigration authorities on Monday planned to conduct a targeted operation on "criminals & illegal immigrants" in a housing development outside of Houston that’s been under scrutiny from conservative lawmakers and media for selling land to undocumented people, Gov. Greg Abbott said. It remained unclear late Monday whether anyone had been arrested, as nearly half a dozen law enforcement and government agencies were silent on details, News From The States reports. But Abbott wrote in a social media post that he had worked with President Donald Trump's immigration adviser, Tom Homan, “for months” to target Colony Ridge, a majority Latino 33,000-acre development some 30 miles outside of the nation’s fourth-largest city in neighboring Liberty County. Conservative influencers and Texas lawmakers had long dubbed it as a safe haven for undocumented people, often painting it as a cartel-run crime hub.
Spokespersons for Abbott referred questions about the operation to the Department of Homeland Security, which did not respond to emails seeking information. The Texas Department of Public Safety, whose troopers were assisting federal agents, referred an initial inquiry to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which did not respond to emails. Any widespread arrests targeting residents of Colony Ridge for their immigration status would be among the most aggressive law enforcement actions to date since the development became right-wing lightning rod in 2023. As calls for action mounted in 2023, Abbott directed the state Legislature to address the development during special sessions. But lawmakers showed little appetite to do much of anything after testimony from Liberty County officials and the developer disputed claims circulating in right-wing circles.