Texas Opens Criminal Investigation of Muslim-Led Development

Texas leaders are throwing every roadblock they can at a Muslim-led master-planned community near Dallas.

State officials launched a barrage of investigations into the East Plano Islamic Center and its proposed Epic City master-planned community development, including a criminal investigation, without explanation.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Rangers to probe the North Texas mosque and affiliated entities for “potential criminal activities,” marking the fifth investigation his administration has undertaken against the development in the last week, the Texas Tribune reported.

The governor’s office accused the group of “scheming to evade law enforcement scrutiny” Monday but offered no details on what laws were broken.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality found Epic City and its affiliated entities failed to obtain required authorizations or permits needed for construction of the project, Abbott said on X Tuesday.

Epic City has seven days to cease construction of the “illegal project” or “face the full weight of the law,” the post said.

Plans for the Plano mosque’s development call for a 1,000-plus home residential community in Josephine, about 40 miles northeast of Dallas. The proposed project includes single- and multi-family housing, a mosque, senior living, commercial spaces, a K-12 school, community college, sports facilities and an outreach center.

The probe follows previous claims from Abbott that a dozen state agencies were investigating the mosque and Epic City. The governor elaborated on the investigations Monday, saying the Texas Attorney General’s office was probing for potential violations of consumer protection laws.

The Texas Workforce Commission is investigating alleged discrimination under the Texas Fair Housing Act, and the Texas State Securities Board is looking for potential financial misconduct; the Texas Funeral Service Commission sent a cease-and-desist, citing unauthorized funeral services, Abbott said.

Abbott also previously mentioned laws being debated in the Texas legislature meant to prevent “foreign adversaries” from buying land in Texas, but the citizenship status of the project’s backers has not been confirmed.

The state’s aggressive scrutiny of Epic has raised alarm among civil rights advocates and community members, many of whom note the vague accusations come amid broader political rhetoric targeting Muslim communities.

A Collin County Commissioners Court hearing is set to be held to discuss the project next week.

Epic City representatives have not yet commented on the governor’s latest offensive. If built, the development would be among the largest Islam-centered community proposals in Texas.

— Judah Duke