Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s office threatened to withhold $530,000 in funding from the city of Grand Prairie unless a scheduled Muslim-only water park event was called off. Following the warning, the event was canceled.
In a May 6 letter to Mayor Ron Jensen, the governor’s office highlighted that Epic Waters Indoor Water Park—a city-owned facility—was hosting a “DFW Epic Eid” event. Promotional flyers explicitly restricted attendance, using phrases like “MUSLIM ONLY EVENT,” “FOR MUSLIMS ONLY,” and “CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC.” Additionally, the advertisements mandated that female attendees wear “burkinis,” a type of swimwear that complies with Islamic dress codes.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE 🚨
Governor Greg Abbott’s office has sent a letter to the city of Grand Prairie threatening to pull their public safety grants if they don’t cancel the planned “Muslim-only” water park day, citing state and federal statutes relating to civil rights and… pic.twitter.com/8TUGgGnbWl
— Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) May 6, 2026
The event’s website explicitly stated that the entire waterpark had been “exclusively reserved for Muslims,” which Governor Abbott’s letter flagged as open religious discrimination.
Grand Prairie currently holds five active grants through the Governor’s Public Safety Office. The terms of these grants require the city to comply with all state and federal civil rights and nondiscrimination laws. Failing to cancel the event would have forced the city to refund the $530,000 it had received so far that year. On social media, Abbott reinforced the stance, stating that allowing the city-owned facility to be closed to the general public was a clear instance of religious discrimination.
A city-owned water park in Grand Prairie openly advertised a “MUSLIMS ONLY” event — closed to the general public.
That’s religious discrimination. It’s unconstitutional. I signed HB 4211 into law — banning Muslim only no-go zones in Texas.
The City must cancel the event and… https://t.co/W9NY9PAAjE
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 6, 2026
Governor Abbott declared the event unconstitutional, citing HB 4211—a law he signed to ban exclusive religious zones in Texas. He issued a firm ultimatum: the city had until May 11th to cancel the event and promise never to host a similar one, or forfeit $530,000 in state grants. “Let this be a lesson to local officials: Facilities funded by ALL taxpayers are not just for a subset of Texans,” Abbott stated.
Later that day, Blaze Media commentator Sara Gonzales, who originally broke the story, announced on X that the event had been called off, writing, “The Muslim-only waterpark event is canceled! We did it!” while thanking the governor for stepping in.
The Muslim-only waterpark event is canceled! We did it!
Thank you, @GregAbbott_TX! 🙌🏼 pic.twitter.com/MGWgTgiF5G
— Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) May 7, 2026
In recent years, the large-scale immigration of Muslims and Hindus into Texas has sparked local controversy. In response to what they view as an Islamic cultural and political incursion, a group of Texas Republican lawmakers launched a “Sharia Free Texas” caucus earlier this year, aiming to preserve the state’s historic Christian identity.