AUSTIN, Texas — A controversial bill, Senate Bill 17, is sparking heated debates in the Texas House.
If passed, the bill would ban citizens, businesses, and government entities from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea from buying property in Texas.
The bill has already cleared the Senate, but it faces opposition from critics who say it echoes discriminatory laws from over a century ago.
Democratic Representative Gene Wu of Houston voiced strong objections on the House floor. “When this legislature passed these same laws 100 years ago, they targeted people ineligible for citizenship.
Back then, that meant Chinese and Japanese immigrants,” Wu said, referencing historical laws that excluded Asian immigrants from property ownership.
Supporters of the bill, like Republican Representative Jeff Leach from Collin County, argue the measure is about addressing actions and affiliations, not discriminating based on ethnicity. “This is about people’s actions or inactions and their affiliations,” Leach said. Wu fired back, asking, “Where they were born? Where they live? Where they are a citizen of?” Leach confirmed it involves citizenship and residency.
Civil rights groups, including Asian Texans for Justice, have condemned the bill.
Advocates like Averie Bishop warn that it brings back harmful echoes of the past. “This kind of exclusionary approach and language resurrects historical injustices. It risks alienating entire communities,” Bishop said.
Critics argue the bill could make it harder for immigrants without green cards or citizenship to settle and contribute to Texas’s economy.
They also fear it will harm Texas’s reputation as a welcoming state for diverse communities.
The debate highlights a growing tension between national security concerns and civil rights protections, with both sides raising critical questions about the bill’s potential impact.
As the debate continues, Texans are watching closely, wondering how the outcome will shape the state’s future.