Texas Developer Selling Border Land to Mexican Nationals Without Credit Checks or Citizenship

A Texas land developer is under scrutiny for marketing southern border land to Mexican nationals many of whom may not be in the country legally using a sales strategy that mirrors the controversial Colony Ridge development model.

Cayetano Development, based in Austin, is actively encouraging non-citizens to "own a piece of American land" in the Rio Grande Valley and other key regions along the southern border. Their pitch? You don’t need U.S. citizenship, a credit score, or even a social security number.

“Within a few weeks you could literally own a piece of American land,” one Cayetano ad reads.

The company explicitly accepts foreign documentation, including Mexico’s “tarjeta consular,” a consulate-issued ID commonly held by illegal aliens. Their website and social media posts promote seller-financed land deals for less than $1,000 down—with no background checks or verification of legal status.

This isn’t just a loophole. It’s a deliberate business model designed to bypass federal and state regulations, allowing foreign nationals to quietly buy up American soil—much of it right on the border.

And Cayetano isn’t alone. Their approach closely mirrors the Colony Ridge model, a 34,000-acre development outside Houston known for marketing directly to illegal immigrants. That community was recently the subject of immigration enforcement raids, where nearly 120 illegal aliens were arrested.

Cayetano’s ties to the broader seller-finance land lobbying machine run deep:

• The company is affiliated with the Texas Land Developers Association (TLDA), a lobbying group that actively opposes reforms that would require identity and income verification.

• Cayetano CEO Kyndel Bennett sits on the TLDA board and has donated heavily to the group's PAC.

• John Mays, Cayetano’s Vice President, was included in a leaked internal email where former TLDA head Scot Campbell admitted the industry depends on unqualified, undocumented buyers. “We will not be able to sell our developments if each of our buyers have to have SS#’s and we have to qualify each buyer… It will kill our industry,” Campbell wrote.

These developments are more than just land sales they’re quietly reshaping the border landscape, and creating sprawling, loosely regulated communities filled with foreign nationals who may have entered the U.S. illegally.

Cayetano is now selling land just outside Laredo and McAllen, with some properties located between colonias, poor and often lawless communities described by the Texas Attorney General’s Office as “substandard housing developments” lacking basic infrastructure and sanitation.

Cayetano’s process is tailor-made for foreign buyers:

• Interest rates from 9.9% to 11.9%

• No banks, no credit checks

• Payments over 30 years

• Outreach conducted via WhatsApp, the preferred platform for international and undocumented communication

This isn’t just bad business it’s a threat to American sovereignty. As Texas works to stop illegal border crossings and secure its communities, real estate developers are cashing in by inviting foreign nationals to put down permanent roots right in the heart of Texas.

And while Democrats turn a blind eye, some Republicans like State Rep. Ryan Guillen, who received donations from Cayetano’s CEO, remain silent.

The question isn’t whether this land scheme is legal it’s whether it’s destroying the integrity of our nation’s borders in slow motion.

We need stronger laws, real enforcement, and leaders willing to stand up to developers selling out America.

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