STATEMENT: Jack Reynolds Blasts Geren’s 25-Year Border Failure as Cartel Violence Spills Over

STATEMENT FROM JACK REYNOLDS, CANDIDATE FOR TXHD99

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, February 27, 2025
Contact: Jack for Texas, jack@jack4tx.org

Location – Azle, TX (TXHD 99). A Texas rancher’s death near Brownsville from a cartel IED just across our border exposes the deadly consequences of Charlie Geren’s 25-year failure to secure our border. The chaos at our border isn’t just a distant problem – it’s hitting Texas hard, spilling chaos into the state. Charlie Geren’s 25 years of weak leadership are part of the problem. Colony Ridge, a massive development near Houston, revealed another festering wound: over 100 arrests, including suspects linked to homicide, drug trafficking, and child exploitation. These aren’t just random tragedies— it’s a glaring sign of a border crisis that’s spiraled out of control due to ineffective leadership in the Texas House. Charlie Geren has had decades to act, but he is too busy protecting his pals.

Take his friend Ernest Bailes, for example – he is neck-deep in Colony Ridge’s mess. Baile’s pushed the 2017 law that birthed this crime hub, a favor our own Attorney General, Ken Paxton, called out as enriching developers at Texans’ expense. For 25 years, Geren’s cozy network has failed to secure our border, letting cartel violence creep closer and crime fester in our own backyard. This is not leadership – it is a betrayal.

For a quarter-century, Geren has sat idly by, offering little more than platitudes and empty promises while cartels grow bolder, planting explosives devices along the border and turning places like Colony Ridge into hubs for crime and illegal immigration. These two incidents and many others show how deep the rot goes when leadership refuses to confront the issues facing Texas families. Geren’s weak leadership has left Texans defenseless, and now a life has been snuffed out because he’s failed to deliver. Enough!

Geren’s Failure – 25 years of excuses, not results. Cartel activity is surging – IEDs, violence, criminal networks in Colony Ridge, chaos – and he’s done virtually nothing to stop it.
The Reality – A quarter-century in office, and our border is a war zone—IEDs in Brownsville, criminal networks in Colony Ridge.
The Stakes – Bombing Texas ranchers and establishing criminal networks in Texas communities stand as stark warnings that every day Geren remains in power, cartels tighten their grip, and Texas families suffer.
My Commitment – Lock down the border, arm law enforcement with what they need, and crush cartel threats – no hesitation, no apologies.

I’m Jack Reynolds, and I’m running to deliver the leadership we need. Texans need a leader who acts, not a career politician who sits by as our state bleeds. The Brownsville tragedy and the Colony Ridge raid are wake-up calls we can’t ignore. Join me at Jack4TX.org to demand the security we deserve.

Jack Reynolds
Candidate for Texas House District 99, 2026

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