September 15, 2023
Legislation that originally would have prevented Iranians from buying homes in Texas died in May when the state House of Representatives refused to even consider it. At the same time, a group of Chinese living in Florida have sued that state after it passed legislation that would stop Chinese, Iranians and a few other nationalities from buying property in the state even personal residences and a federal judge has refused to block the law from taking effect.
Now, the US Congress has stepped in and passed legislation that would require a federal regulatory body to review and approve any effort by Iranians, Chinese, Russians or North Koreans to buy farmland valued at $5 million or more. But it exempts purchases of personal homes.
The bills in Texas and Florida and a multitude of other states are part of the latest fad-fear of foreigners among Republican legislators. The main concern is that hostile foreigners will buy up farmland in the US with the supposed aim of reducing food production.
The target is mainly Chinese, but the bills have been aimed at “hostile” countries, and thus also strike at Iranians, Russians, North Koreans, Syrians, Venezuelans and Cubans in most states.
Some of the bills would only cover people who do not have US citizenship or a Green Card. Others would cover anyone with citizenship from one of those countries. Some of the bills only cover the purchase of farmland; others cover even the purchase of a personal home.
At least 27 states are considering such bills. But only Florida has actually passed a bill and Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed it with great fanfare and enthusiastically endorsed it.
A group of Chinese living in Florida swiftly organized and filed suit against the state May 22, asserting that the Florida law is unconstitutional and violates a federal law that bans housing discrimination based on race or national origin. The Florida law would ban most Iranians and citizens of other hostile countries from owning any property even a family home within five miles of any military installation, power plant, airport or refinery the fear being that such people might try to disrupt US infrastructure. People from the targeted countries who own homes within the five-mile area would have to sell their property and move out.
Meanwhile in Texas, where the fad fear originated, the legislation there passed the Senate easily but died when the House of Representatives declined even to take it up.
The bill initially proposed a ban on all citizens of nations deemed threats to the United States China, Iran, North Korea and Russia from owning any property.
The bill was eventually watered down to ban only ownership of agricultural and oil leases by citizens of those nations. It passed the Senate April 26 with support from all Republicans but only one Democrat.
But the House never even held a hearing on it.
A statement from Asian Texans for Justice issued a statement saying, “While our community has succeeded in stopping this terrible bill, it does not undo the racist and xenophobic rhetoric lobbed by elected officials. We will continue to stand up against discrimination and racism against the Asian American community.”
Concerns over Chinese ownership of land in Texas spiked after lawmakers learned that a real estate tycoon based in China purchased about 140,000 acres of farmland near Laughlin Air Force Base.
Pushback on the Senate bill ramped up after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted that he would sign the bill if it passed.