Colony Ridge 'illegal immigrant' town springs up in Texas as local developer sells border crossers property 'without asking them for documentation - with FOUR cartels now operating there'
By Bethan Sexton For Dailymail.Com
| Updated:
A Texas developer has been accused of creating a sprawling illegal migrant town by selling off land to border crossers without asking for any paperwork.
William 'Trey' Harris sells plots at Colony Ridge by allowing buyers to purchase land without the need to prove income or credit, it is alleged.
Critics say the scheme - around 20 miles northeast of Downtown Houston - has drawn in thousands of illegal migrants, as well as cartel activity.
Meanwhile, migrant encounters in July were up 26.9 per cent compared to June, which experts have linked to the settlement's expansion.
Senior National Security Fellow Todd Bensman claimed Harris has been selling off plots direct to a borrowers for a few hundred dollars without conducting any background checks.
DailyMail.com has contacted Harris' lawyer for a comment. He said 'heinous' allegations had been made against the developer, but has yet to clarify further.
The sprawling settlement at Colony Ridge in Liberty County (seen from the sky) is estimated to be home to around 75,000 people, many of whom are thought to be illegal immigrants ... LIKE THE OKLAHOMA LAND RUSH OF THE 1890'S ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THEIR ILLEGAL!!!
He told Fox News this means 'pretty much anyone can come in' and this has resulted in at least four cartels setting up operations at the site.
Harris offers the land through development company Terranos Houston using Spanish language marketing.
Currently the settlement is estimated to be around 60 square miles in size and home to up to 75,000 people. It is unclear how many of those are illegal immigrants.
While the initial payment is relatively cheap, borrowers then face interest rates of up to ten per cent and more.
Bensman added that the expansion has been going on 'under the radar' for 'the last ten years'.
He said: 'It is probably thousands and thousands of acres under development right now... I'm guessing that they expect to be able to sell to a lot of the folks that are coming over right now.'
The current migrant surge within the country led to President Biden temporarily shutting down ports after thousands of border crossings each day left shelters at capacity.
Shocking footage showed 2,000 migrants entering the country at Eagle Pass on Monday, while another 1,700 people crossing some 500 miles away at El Paso.
Custom and Border Protection (CBP) announced 'temporary suspension' at the busy Bridge of the Americas (BOTA) port shared between El Paso and Ciudad Juárez.
Developer William 'Trey' Harris has been accused of allowing illegal migrants to purchase land at Colony Ridge, TX without presenting any documentation or proof of income
Development company Terranos Houston offers plots of Colony Ridge (pictured from above) through Spanish language adverts
Migrant expert Todd Bensman warned that the Colony Ridge settlement is a hotbed of crime with at least four known cartels operating there
Thousands of migrant crossing have led to the temporary closure of the Bridge of America Port Pictured: Migrants attempting to cross a the border at Ciudad Juárez, Mexico on Monday
The crossings come despite President Biden vowing to clamp down on illegal migration.
His CBP One app was touted as a way to control the crossings, but did little to reduce the number of entries.
The app allows migrants to apply for asylum on their phones and schedule an appointment to legally enter the U.S. at a port of entry to make their asylum claims.
