Chinese in Texas Protest Proposed State Law Prohibiting Buying of Property

Protesters marched through Houston's Chinatown to oppose a proposed Texas bill that would prohibit Chinese, Russian, North Korean, and Iranian citizens or businesses from buying property in the state.

According to a recent report by the Taipei Times, the demonstration, which drew around 300 people, was aimed at the legislation's discriminatory nature and its potential impact on immigrants' rights.

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Advocates of the Texas bill say it is necessary for national security, while opponents argue that it is an unjust attack on immigrant communities.

But many people who have dual citizenship had strong reactions to the proposed Texas bill SB 147:

“I worked 18 years,” said Frank Win, a 31-year-old scientist. “I paid my tax. You know, I’m working hard, and we just had a little boy last July. So we’re thinking about buying a new house for him.”

“But now this bill came out, it’s suddenly like, all my American dreams have been smashed,"

The tensions between the United States and China on a variety of issues, including Taiwan, have further fueled concerns for some Chinese residents in Texas.

According to the Texas Standard Texas state senator, Lois Kolkhorst introduced the bill that would ban citizens of China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia from buying land in Texas, which has also gained support from Governor Greg Abbott.

This comes amid growing concerns about foreign ownership of land, particularly by Chinese companies, near military installations in the US. The bill has faced criticism for potentially being discriminatory against legal residents of the US from these countries.

Other states including Arizona, and Arkansas, have also considered bills to address foreign land ownership, with most primarily targeting agricultural land or foreign governments.

Attempting to find a middle-of-the-road approach, there is a separate, more moderate measure being considered in the Texas Legislature that would add agricultural land to "critical infrastructure" which is already illegal for foreign nationals to buy.