# Misguided outrage? Texas Dems decry bill outlawing foreign land ownership as racist **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 26, 2023, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misguided-outrage-texas-dems-decry-bill-outlawing-foreign-land-ownership-as-racist/978834 "2023-01-26T16:14:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2023, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misguided-outrage-texas-dems-decry-bill-outlawing-foreign-land-ownership-as-racist/978834/81 "2023-01-27T18:25:39Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > If they intend to stay permanently then their immigration status would reflect that. I did say that the bill should be rewritten to address that. Assuming of course that the sponsors of the bill aren’t lying when they say that it’s not intended to be against Chinese citizens on the path to citizenship or permanent residency. If they are lying, then I agree with you. Then why not write it that way in the first place as several other similar bills have in the past? These bills limiting foreign ownership (primarily from China) have been passed around for a few years. Why the change now? Performative politics? If it’s performative politics, it is certainly taking advantage of racist elements among Republican voters and motivated by racial animus. Because there was no reason not to limit this to commercial and government interests in the first place if it was purely about national interests. ETA: Also, it was very deliberate - Kolkhorst is [on record](https://www.expressnews.com/politics/article/texas-senator-china-land-buys-17742081.php) that this is also to prevent individuals from acting as agents for those nations. But she appears ready to back down in the face of significant opposition. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2023, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misguided-outrage-texas-dems-decry-bill-outlawing-foreign-land-ownership-as-racist/978834/82 "2023-01-27T18:32:14Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Yes, this is definitely a big problem with North Koreans. Iran and NK is just window dressing sure, but Russian ownership of US real estate is not insignificant. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s in the billions. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2023, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misguided-outrage-texas-dems-decry-bill-outlawing-foreign-land-ownership-as-racist/978834/83 "2023-01-27T18:33:22Z")
Florida is proposing something similar but it sounds like it just applies to agricultural lands and lands around military bases. [https://www.flsenate.gov/Media/PressRelease/Show/4378](https://www.flsenate.gov/Media/PressRelease/Show/4378) I also remember reading recently that in AZ there is an issue with aggressive groundwater withdrawals by a Russian company that is irrigating land to grow cattle feed to ship back to Russia. The Texas bill it pertains to vacant land or is actually prohibiting homeownership? ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2023, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misguided-outrage-texas-dems-decry-bill-outlawing-foreign-land-ownership-as-racist/978834/84 "2023-01-27T18:33:30Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > Iran and NK is just window dressing sure, but Russian ownership of US real estate is not insignificant. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s in the billions. Cite? I gave one above - for agricultural land, which is still a concern passed around right wing circles, Russian, Iranian, and NK ownership _combined_ amounts to less than 3000 acres in the US. Compared to over 300,000 for China. > [@chela](#): > > The Texas bill it pertains to vacant land or is actually prohibiting homeownership? As written, any property ownership by citizens of those countries. The stated intent of the bill’s author is, as I cited, to prevent individuals from acting as covert agents to purchase property on behalf of those nations. ETA: Note that this is not ex post facto. If they already own the property, it won’t be seized or anything like that. There are limits, even for the Lege. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2023, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misguided-outrage-texas-dems-decry-bill-outlawing-foreign-land-ownership-as-racist/978834/85 "2023-01-27T18:57:17Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > The majority of Chinese citizens in the US are probably international students, and they are not likely to be looking to actually own property in the US, since most of them are not intending to stay hear once they graduate. They can and usually rent. In some cases it’s probably more cost effective for a long-term student w/ family to own a house if they are in a post-graduate program, and I think cases like that might merit more discretion as opposed to a blanket ban. Chinese who are actually immigrating to the US with the intention of gaining permanent residency and citizenship should not be barred from owning property if they have non-temporary immigrant status, I’m not sure how this bill covers those cases. I think you’ve got some stuff mixed up here. First, I see no evidence that “the majority of Chinese citizens in the US are probably international students.” I suspect the majority are tourists; but if we exclude tourists, we have a huge number of folks with work visas. I’m having trouble finding the statistics; can anyone else? Second, folks who have work visas (or other forms of permanent residency) may very well want to buy houses or small businesses. If they’re allowed to do so by their visa, but not allowed to do so by the state of Texas, that’s outrageous and possibly unconstitutional. Third, you say you’re not sure how the bill covers cases of permanent residents owning property, but I’m not sure why you’re not clear on it. You quoted the bill: > [@the bill](#): > > Notwithstanding any other law, the following may not purchase or > otherwise acquire title to real property in this state: > … > (4) an individual who is a citizen of China, Iran, North Korea, or Russia. There’s no ambiguity there. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2023, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misguided-outrage-texas-dems-decry-bill-outlawing-foreign-land-ownership-as-racist/978834/86 "2023-01-27T19:00:02Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Cite? > **[‘It’s a complete black box’: Russian oligarchs pour money into U.S. real...](https://www.nbcnews.com/business/real-estate/russian-money-flows-us-real-estate-rcna17723)** > > Despite new sanctions, Russians have spent years pouring funds into properties It’s probably mostly oligarchs, but money is money, and Russia was added to the list. And the US Govt has been trying to go after it: > **[Biden Announces Seizure of Russian-Owned Real Estate In the U.S.](https://www.feinsteinlaw.net/biden-announces-seizure-of-russian-owned-real-estate-in-the-u-s/)** > > In early March, U.S. President Joe Biden gave a State of the Union address that condemned Russian oligarchs who owned property in America. Many of these properties are located in South Florida, on the coast, and in Florida’s surrounding waters.... Again, political reasons, but that can be extended to China as well. The big difference of course is that there are many more Chinese citizens in the US and more Chinese foreign investors, and thus more well-meaning Chinese citizens living in the US will be negatively affected by such a broad brush as the bill is presently written. I get that. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2023, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misguided-outrage-texas-dems-decry-bill-outlawing-foreign-land-ownership-as-racist/978834/87 "2023-01-27T19:04:02Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > Chinese citizens living in the US will be negatively affected by such a broad brush as the bill is presently written. That wasn’t an accident, and it’s why the Dems are calling it a racist bill. This is exactly what this thread is about. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2023, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misguided-outrage-texas-dems-decry-bill-outlawing-foreign-land-ownership-as-racist/978834/88 "2023-01-27T20:46:36Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > The article repeatedly mentions the Chinese Exclusion Act. Do folks think that law wasn’t racist because it didn’t preclude a whole lot of other Asians from immigrating? Even if focusing just on citizenship left microscopic wiggle room, it was broader, at least after clarification: > Amendments made in 1884 . . . clarified that the law applied to ethnic Chinese regardless of their country of origin. Per Wikipedia. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misguided-outrage-texas-dems-decry-bill-outlawing-foreign-land-ownership-as-racist/978834/89 "2023-01-28T16:22:33Z")
I think the issue is that based on the way our laws work, banning Chinese companies wouldn’t really make any difference; they’d just get a person to own it in their name. So if the goal is to prevent Chinese land ownership, you kind of have to have all that called out like they do. I suspect the impact on immigrants and homeownership is collateral damage that the Texas GOP isn’t particularly concerned with. It’s certainly not the _goal_ of the bill. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2023, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misguided-outrage-texas-dems-decry-bill-outlawing-foreign-land-ownership-as-racist/978834/90 "2023-02-02T14:33:15Z")
bump, I agree with you. On a related note… [Grand Forks Mayor Moves to Halt Corn Mill Project by Chinese-Owned Fufeng Group](https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/business-inputs/article/2023/02/01/grand-forks-mayor-moves-halt-corn#:~:text=OMAHA%20(DTN)%20%2D%2D%20A%20controversial,of%20North%20Dakota%20have%20concluded). ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2023, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misguided-outrage-texas-dems-decry-bill-outlawing-foreign-land-ownership-as-racist/978834/91 "2023-02-02T14:51:45Z")
That was part of my point; this Texas GOP bill isn’t in a vacuum or anything like that. In fact, my upthread link about the California bill is one that is introduced by a _Democrat_. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2023, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misguided-outrage-texas-dems-decry-bill-outlawing-foreign-land-ownership-as-racist/978834/92 "2023-02-05T23:01:08Z")
> [@bump](#): > > and paints the party as being kind of misguided and reacting in a knee-jerk fashion What could be more Democratic? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misguided-outrage-texas-dems-decry-bill-outlawing-foreign-land-ownership-as-racist/978834/93 "2023-02-06T03:52:02Z")
I just feel like jumping to conclusions and _always_ backing the woke horse even when it’s wrong does the party more harm than good when trying to get moderates into the fold. And that worries me, because when Trump isn’t the nominee, a whole bunch of people are going to reconsider voting Democrat. They’ve voted _against Trump_, but don’t mistake that for some kind of tacit endorsement of the Democratic party’s ideals and views. It just means that there’s someone even more odious as the other party’s candidate. And this sort of knee-jerk attribution of everything to racism, sexism, etc… doesn’t help at all. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misguided-outrage-texas-dems-decry-bill-outlawing-foreign-land-ownership-as-racist/978834/94 "2023-02-06T12:28:46Z")
> [@bump](#): > > And this sort of knee-jerk attribution of everything to racism, sexism, etc… doesn’t help at all. This wasn’t knee-jerk attribution. The bill was obviously racist. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misguided-outrage-texas-dems-decry-bill-outlawing-foreign-land-ownership-as-racist/978834.md?page=4)