Texas Grad

All of those suits were based on thorough investigations, as well as complaints from a myriad of sources, including citizens, and local and state officials.

Legislation currently in debate among lawmakers would, among other things, require new subdivisions in the border areas to have adequate water, wastewater, utility and road systems and would increase civil and criminal penalties against colonia developers. By bringing to light the hardships suffered by colonia residents, especially children, we are effectively slowing the growth of these subdivisions. Already, we have initiated more than 80 lawsuits against developers who sold property before meeting local and state requirements. Members of the 27 families that live in the colonia told us that their children must walk almost two miles to catch a school bus, on a road where broken bottles, dangerous insects and poisonous snakes are a common sight. We also witnessed how residents obtain water for their daily needs, including bathing, from 55-gallon drums that may have once held toxic substances.

A Better Life for the Children of the Colonias

As Attorney General, I am committed to pursuing an aggressive program of litigation against developers of illegal subdivisions.

Not only are colonia residents affected by the unsanitary conditions in illegal subdivisions, but all Texans, as well as many Americans in other states, would potentially be affected if a Third World epidemic spread to other cities.

Also at issue was how to apply legal remedies to quell the proliferation of these illegal subdivisions and solve the economic and public health issues faced by border-area counties with large concentrations of colonias.

The residents inquired about getting the road paved, or at least leveled, as soon as possible, so the buses could come closer to the children's homes. Conference participants included the attorneys general of New Mexico, Tennessee and Arizona, as well as representatives of the U.

In March, we at the Office of the Texas Attorney General, together with the National Association of Attorneys General, held a conference in El Paso to address the public health issues created by the living conditions in colonias. Department of Justice, Housing and Urban Development, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and local health officials and community leaders.