A Texas state representative has accused Gov. Greg Abbott of accepting funds in order to assist the developer of the residential development Colony Ridge said to house thousands of unlawful migrants.

Rep. Ernest Bailes (R-Shepherd) posted on social media claiming that the Colony Ridge developer asked him to designate the area an “Opportunity Zone, so that his development would be eligible for increased federal funding to promote the growth of said development.” However, Bailes claims he denied the request because “we couldn’t [handle] the growth as it was and sure didn’t need any more.”

Bailes alleges that the developer then made a $50,000 contribution to Abbott, which “bought him a sit-down lunch in the Governor’s Mansion,” which he claims resulted in Abbott approving the designation.

Bailes further alleges, “Governor Abbott has quite happily accepted in excess of $1.5 million dollars [sic] from the developer of Colony Ridge since that first $50,000 contribution. I could say that I was shocked to hear this when I first heard the news, though I really wasn’t too surprised.”

Abbott responded to the allegations during a campaign event for Hillary Hickland, saying, “Ernest Bailes is very defensive right now because he’s the one who created Colony Ridge that led to an influx of illegal immigrants in the area, and he did nothing about it,” as posted by Brad Johnson on X. “Ernest Bailes has failed his district. He’s repeatedly voted with Democrats.”

Bailes, along with Sen. Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville), previously assisted the developer of Colony Ridge through the creation of a Municipal Management District and a Municipal Utility District, which allowed developers to authorize public debt to build infrastructure, according to The Texan.

Colony Ridge has become a hot-button issue due to concerns that the majority of the population is made up of unlawful migrants and reports of high crime levels related to gang activity, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.

These concerns resulted in hearings about the housing development in both the Texas House of Representatives and Senate.

John Harris, CEO of Colony Ridge, disputes the claims about the high number of unlawful migrants, saying the allegations are “just not true.”

“If they borrow money from us, 77% have either a Social Security number or a tax ID number, and we don’t ask [their immigration status]. That’s the real reason we never know the actual number because we’re not allowed to ask. It’s illegal for us to ask,” he explained, per KFDM.

“Illegal immigration is something we’re not a fan of, and neither are my customers.”

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