By Aaron J. Pluto
Centrally situated between the bustling Texan cities of Austin, Dallas, and Houston, Fairfield Lake State Park has long been celebrated for its natural splendor and the presence of historical landmarks, including the resting places of Civil War and World War veterans. However, the park’s cherished status as a public natural haven may soon be compromised. In a transaction that transpired in February, the park was acquired for $110 million, with intentions to transform its grounds into a private residential community.
The proposed transformation has ignited a chorus of disapproval from local officials and environmental advocates alike, who are staunchly opposed to the transformation of this state treasure into an exclusive gated community, accessible only to affluent residents. Yet, these concerns may merely scratch the surface of the reservations that the State of Texas should entertain regarding this deal, as recent revelations have raised unsettling questions about the deal’s links to Chinese financial backing.
Senator Lois Kolkhorst of Texas has emerged as a stalwart defender of American assets against Chinese acquisition, having earlier introduced legislation to restrict farmland sales to China. In a recent op-ed, she elucidated a series of red flags surrounding the Fairfield Lake State Park deal, highlighting the fact that the majority of the funding for this purchase, nearly 90%, originated from the CMB Infrastructure Investment Group (CMB). This group is renowned for aiding investors in obtaining green cards through the EB-5 visa program, which permits individuals with substantial capital to seek authorization to work, study, and reside in the United States by investing $1 million in any U.S. business or $500,000 in a rural area.
As a former intelligence professional, the EB-5 program sends alarming signals. The New York Times, along with other journalists, government agencies, and national security experts, has documented how this program has been exploited by special interests, particularly the Chinese Communist Party, to infiltrate spies onto U.S. soil.
Senator Kolkhorst is not alone in her concerns about the EB-5 program. Senator Ted Cruz has also drawn attention to how high-ranking officials at Huawei have utilized this program to secure visas for Chinese officials, all while the company’s now-banned products continue to facilitate the CCP’s data collection endeavors on American soil.
However, the potential Fairfield Lake State Park deal presents a more ominous specter than most Chinese land acquisitions. The Securities and Exchange Commission has already reprimanded CMB’s CEO for illegal investor recruitment practices and for failing to adhere to the agency’s disclosure requirements pertaining to public safety. Even more disconcerting is the CEO’s public pronouncements of business interests tied to China.
Until these pressing questions are addressed, I implore Texas leaders to halt proceedings on the Fairfield Lake State Park deal.
Texas stands at the epicenter of China’s eyebrow-raising strategy to acquire American land, providing the country with hundreds of thousands of acres on U.S. soil to further its espionage activities and protect the assets of anti-American foreign businesses while China’s own economy falters. Although Texas recently triumphed in preventing a billionaire and former Chinese Liberation Army officer from purchasing 140,000 acres of land near Laughlin Air Force Base, the Air Force’s largest pilot training facility, the state remains a prime target for CCP influence.
Out of the 383,935 acres of U.S. farmland acquired by China, which has garnered widespread scrutiny within the defense community, approximately half—191,919 acres—are located in Texas. Declassified military sources have already revealed CCP efforts to influence the Texas legislature and obstruct scrutiny of Chinese land acquisitions. It is evident that these land acquisitions demand our vigilant attention.
In an article addressing the Fairfield Lake State Park deal, Alex Gray, former Chief of Staff of the National Security Council, cautioned in The Washington Times, stating that “If the Chinese can infiltrate and take over a state park in the Lone Star State, they can succeed in taking over any part of our country. Our national security depends on whether we have the capacity to adapt and respond as they do.”
It is imperative that we heed these warnings and remain vigilant to all signs of trouble before we find ourselves ensnared by the machinations of the Chinese Communist Party.
Aaron J. Pluto, a Texas-based international security expert, is a former military officer, diplomat and intelligence professional.
