Texas state lawmakers are charging ahead with what they call the nation’s strongest legislative effort yet to block hostile foreign powers, such as Iran, from buying land in the Lone Star State.
Championed by Republican state Rep. Cole Hefner and state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, Senate Bill 17 (SB17) is designed to stop governments and entities tied to Iran, China, North Korea and Russia from gaining land that could be used for military or intelligence purposes.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Hefner described SB17 as “model legislation” aimed at shutting down land purchases that pose a national security threat.
“This bill is about actions and affiliations, not race, not nationality,” Hefner said. “If you’re acting on behalf of a hostile foreign adversary, we’re going to take that land back.”
The bill is the latest eruption of a rightwing theory that hostile regimes are trying to buy land in the United States near military bases and other sensitive sites for hostile purposes. Hefner cited the 2021 case of a retired Chinese general acquiring over 140,000 acres near Laughlin Air Force Base.
“We’ve [also] seen the attempt of foreign actors or hostile foreign adversaries to buy land close to food processing plants,” Hefner said. “And it’s just something that we have found the more we dig into it, the more we find that there’s a lot of things we don’t know and a lot of vulnerabilities that are out there.”
The bill prohibits entities and individuals affiliated with governments designated as national security threats, based on the US Director of National Intelligence’s annual assessments, from buying real estate if those purchases pose risks to public health or safety.
The law empowers the state’s attorney general to investigate, block and even reverse such land deals through court-ordered receivership.
Under SB17, “real property” includes agricultural, commercial, industrial and residential land as well as mines, minerals, and timber.
Some bills introduced in some other states have barred anyone from Iran and the other hostile countries from even buying a private house. However, Hefner’s bill includes exemptions for foreign-born US citizens, lawful permanent residents (Green Card holders), and property intended as a personal homestead.
Foreign land ownership bills have passed in several states in recent years based on fear of hostile regimes buying up American land. For example, Nebraska enacted a bill in 2024 that restricts persons associated with countries of concern (including Iran) from buying land near military bases. Tennessee enacted a law on land acquisition by prohibited foreign parties. Utah enacted legislation to restrict foreign entities seeking to purchase land, focusing on China, Iran, North Korea and Russia. And Oklahoma’s new law last year blocks a “foreign government adversary” or company controlled through such a government from owning land in the state. Iran is cited as a “foreign government adversary.”
There has never been a proven case, however, of any foreign government using land bought in the United States for hostile purposes.
With regard to the Texas bill, Hefner said, “The strong points of our bill is that it can apply to anyone if we can prove they’re acting as an agent. So, even if they’re from a friendly country, but they’re acting on behalf of a foreign adversary, then they will be subject to the bill.”
The bill gives the state attorney general investigative powers, and authority to appoint receivers to manage or sell properties acquired in violation of the law.
Hefner pushed back hard on critics who claim the bill is xenophobic. “This has nothing to do with skin color or ethnicity,” he said. “It’s about protecting Texans and Americans from foreign espionage and influence.”
He also stressed that SB17 should not be seen as a partisan move. “It shouldn’t be a partisan issue. This is about national security. This is about keeping our citizens safe,” said Hefner. “It’s not about Republican or Democrat, it’s not liberal or conservative. It is just taking care of our people.
“And I believe that’s the, you know, the number one responsibility of the government is to make sure that people can live free and safe in their state.”
“We need to wake up,” he said. “This is about securing the homeland, not playing politics.”
