CAPAC Chair Statement on Florida Law Banning Chinese Nationals from Purchasing Land, Need for Federal Legislation
WASHINGTON, D.C.— On May 8, 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis signed Florida Senate Bill 264 into law. This new state law prohibits Chinese citizens, along with foreign nationals from Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela and Syria, from buying farmland or any property within 10 miles of a military installation or infrastructure such as a seaport or airport. Additionally, Chinese individuals who do not have U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent resident status are prohibited from owning Florida property altogether. Chinese visa holders are allowed to own one home, but must complete a special registration with the state government.
In February, CAPAC’s leadership issued a joint statement in response to such efforts restricting land and property ownership of foreign nationals, including Chinese nationals. In March, CAPAC Chair Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) joined CAPAC Members Reps. Al Green (TX-09) and Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) for a Houston, TX, townhall on land ownership bills, including Texas Senate Bill 147.
Today, Chair Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) released the following statement:
“I am incredibly outraged by the signing of SB 264 into law. This is the latest state-level effort to restrict the property ownership of Chinese home seekers, who are aspiring small business owners, students, and families seeking to build better lives for themselves here in America. In addition, SB 264 places a disproportionate burden on current Chinese homeowners who now must register their property with a state agency. And as a result of SB 264, Asian Americans living in Florida will now likely face undue suspicion when purchasing property, including potential racial profiling by realtors, lenders, and other professionals in the real estate industry.
“The government’s scapegoating and stripping of the land ownership rights of Asian American communities are stains on our nation’s history. SB 264 repeats this shameful discrimination and further stokes current anti-Asian sentiment by equating Chinese people with certain immigration statuses as agents of the Chinese Communist Party. That is why I am currently working with CAPAC Housing Task Force Chair Rep. Al Green of Texas to introduce a bill to preempt at the federal level such discriminatory state laws, and reaffirm my commitment to ensuring the safety of our communities.”
“Let me be clear—elected officials must be vigilant about addressing specific threats that foreign state-owned enterprises and entities, companies, and individuals with ties to the foreign government pose to our national security, but policies that target and profile individuals and communities because of their national origin, race, ethnicity, or immigration status, however, are discriminatory and wholly unconstitutional. They harken back to nativist anti-Asian alien land laws in the 19th and 20th centuries after Chinese immigrants first arrived here, and later, a xenophobic suspicion of Japanese Americans during World War II that also led to their blanket incarceration. I will continue to fight for the civil rights of our communities, including the right to purchase and own property, and stand up against all attempts to racially profile our communities.”