Talia Schwartz, Senior
Recently, in response to a Chinese billionaire buying 130,000 acres of land in Texas with the goal of building a wind farm, the state of Texas passed a ban on infrastructure projects that could have potential ties to China. Furthermore, to widen the ban on infrastructure connected to China, a Republican state senator proposed a ban that would include stopping Chinese citizens and companies from “buying land, homes or any other real estate in Texas.” Texas politicians such as Gov. Greg Abbott have already vocalized their support in regard to the potential ban and have agreed to sign a future bill. A counterargument to this ban claims that foreign investment and foreign land ownership, especially by Chinese buyers, have become crucial across the country and to the economy. Tensions between China and the United States have been on the rise recently due to divisive issues such as “ international trade, recognition of Taiwan and the war in Ukraine.” Such tensions have contributed to calls for a closer watch on Chinese investments in the United States, with the goal of increasing homeland security. These calls have come from politicians, including Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia and Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida; in Youngkin’s recent State of the Commonwealth speech, he claimed that Virginia’s politicians should aim to prevent “preforeign entities” tied to the Chinese government from purchasing farmland.” China isn’t the only country that has been targeted recently by Texas politicians. Several proposed laws target other countries, such as North Korea and Russia, who are also considered to be security threats.
Texas’ proposed bill, which would prevent Chinese foreign investment in the state, would go as far as negatively impacting Chinese immigrants, preventing them from potentially buying a home. “A 2021 census survey estimated that about 150,000 foreign-born Chinese are living in Texas,” indicating that the written bill would hurt a large portion of immigrants. Consequently, the bill would attack individual people who have no known connection to China. People skeptical of the bill also argue that it is unconstitutional and discriminatory due to its direct harm to Chinese immigrants, dual citizens, and even green card holders.
I do not support this bill, for it clearly contradicts the due process and equal protection laws as stated in the Constitution. Therefore, this bill remains a contentious debate amongst policymakers in Texas.
Source: New York Times