The Tennessee Conservative Staff
Information has surfaced that Lee Reeves, one of the Republican candidates vying for the open seat in Williamson County’s District 65, is the owner and operator of a business called Triumph Equity Management in Reeves’ former city of Houston, Texas.
Based on exclusive information shared with The Tennessee Conservative, an apartment complex owned by Reeves’ company has been discovered to house illegal immigrants.
According to franchise tax records, Triumph Equity Management, the sole owner of which appears to be Reeves, owns a 142-unit apartment complex located at 7111 Hillcroft Ave, Houston TX.
Reeves admitted to his ownership in an interview with Micheal Patrick Leahy last month, when he was explained what it is he does for a living, in addition to other aspects of his background.
In the statements given to Leahy, Reeves does indicate that he has “investors” in the property, but there is no inference that those “investors” rank as co-owners or have decision making power with regard to company policies for tenant applications.
This building, based on the information sent to The Tennessee Conservative, has illegal immigrants renting units at about an 80% occupancy rate.
Reeves, who launched his campaign in the Republican primary against competitors Brian Beathard and Michelle Foreman earlier this spring, has stated that his central policy goals for his term should he be elected, are to de magnetize the state of Tennessee against illegal immigration.
At the candidate forum last month, Reeves was asked the question, “If you could be known for one signature piece of legislation, what would it be?”
Reeves answered the question, “It’s a great question, I’ll tell you what my first piece of legislation would be, and it would be to demagnetize our state to illegal border crossers by creating a new criminal statute.. to make entry into the state by somebody here illegally first a misdemeanor and upon additional violations, a felony.”
He added, “I think it’s important, Oklahoma just passed a similar law, Texas just passed a similar law, and I think we can do that here and become the last place somebody who crosses that border illegally wants to go.”
Reeves has made similar statements in other public appearances including the interview with Leahy linked above.
In an audio clip sent to The Tennessee Conservative News, courtesy of The Lion of Judah, a Christian opposition research firm, an unnamed person contacted the Las Velas at Hillcroft Apartments and asked if the complex would rent a unit to a person who does not have legal status or “undocumented” persons, and the leasing agent goes on to explain that they will take “Any type of identification that they have from their country would be enough. Some places it does have to be current.”
The individual then asks for clarification, to be certain there are already other illegal immigrants living there, because they want to be “comfortable” with the surroundings.
The leasing agent responds, “Yes, so here in this area on Southwest, on Hillcroft and Bellaire, I would say about 80 or maybe more than 80 now, percent of people are coming fresh from their country.”
Later in the conversation when the subject of identification comes up again, the leasing agent explains, “So, we do have a lot of people that use their identification from their country. The majority of our residents do not have Social Security or IT numbers. So that would not be an issue. It’s just, the IT number and the Social Security for us is just to do the credit check to lower deposits.”
In other words, the only reason they would be in need of those two pieces of information is not to confirm status, but to determine credit eligibility.
The leasing agent then lets the individual know, all that is really needed is ID from their country of origin and if their employer can pay them with a check for proof of income.
The Tennessee Conservative reached out to Reeves for a response and he had this to say:
“Sadly, opposition groups have now resorted to deceptive tactics in response to the tremendous momentum of our campaign.
Here are the facts: I’m one of twenty-two investors in a business that strictly follows all federal and state laws and regulations. Unfortunately, federal fair housing laws create legal liability for property owners who attempt to verify immigration status. This situation further highlights why we must use every resource we can to discourage illegal immigration, including protecting and not punishing business owners who seek to be part of the solution.
I’m the only candidate in this race who, like President Trump, has made immigration a top priority and who has offered a specific plan to demagnetize Tennessee to illegal immigrants. I understand these issues better than both of my opponents, which is why I’m the only candidate discussing illegal immigration in detail. I’m ready to be a leading voice in this fight on Day One as State Representative.”
In reviewing the reference Reeves makes to federal law and why he is compelled to rent to those who do not have legal status, TTC discovered that Texas law allows all landlords to require full background and credit checks for all of their residents which requires Social Security or ITIN numbers from residents. This requirement simply needs to be supplied to the applicant in writing.
Based on the conversation with the leasing agent at Reeves complex, they choose not to take advantage of the state law which would give them the information they need on a person’s immigration status, without expressly having to compel an applicant to provide proof.
In addition, supporters of Reeves contend that the area where the complex is has more recently become a haven for illegals, due to Biden administration policies and an open border.
Reeves moved to Houston in 2012 and purchased the property in 2016.
Here, here, and here are articles that indicate with relative certainty that the area where the property is located has for several years been problematic with regard to violence and crime due to its proximity to the state border shared with Mexico.
This makes Reeves contention that he could not have known what he was buying and what issues would ensue, doubtful at best.
Reeves endorsements include Governor Bill Lee, Americans For Prosperity, Latinos For Tennessee, and Robby Starbuck.
The Tennessee Conservative also reached out to Reeves opponents Brian Beathard and Michelle Foreman to see if they had any response to the information.
Michelle Foreman sent the following statement:
“It is shocking, but more so, disappointing to hear that a Republican candidate in Williamson County is housing illegals in another state while claiming to be fighting on the issue in Tennessee. Mr. Reeves seems to cover for his actions by invoking the Fair Housing Act as federal law. To me, that argument would be similar to operating an abortion clinic under the protection of Roe v Wade. Just like abortion is immoral regardless of any federal law or court action, so is housing illegal immigrants immoral and destructive to the security of our communities regardless of the Fair Housing Act. During my campaign, I have vowed to take on the federal government on principle. For me, that also means that I do not allow myself to profit or in any way gain by immoral means, no matter what the federal government has to say about it. We need principled fighters in the legislature, not opportunists.”
Brian Beathard had this statement:
“Too often people say one thing and do another. When they don’t have a local record, it’s a big roll of the dice to vote for someone you don’t know.”
Early voting will begin in Tennessee on July 12th and run through July 27th. Primary election day is August 1st.