Lawmakers in the state of Lone Star are considering a bill that will bar individuals and businesses from China, Iran, North Korea and Russia from buying land in Texas.
Senate Act 147 is comparable to the measures introduced by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when Russia entered the war with Ukraine. Still, some Texas leaders are already declaring the proposal “racist.”
“That is blatant discrimination,” said Fort Bend County Judge KP George, who’s from India.
“It’s inconceivable that our state leaders, who were elected to serve one of the best interest of all their constituents, would goal groups of individuals from different nations and deny them the precise to own property.”
Houston Republican Lois Kolkhorst introduced the bill, which already has the support of Governor Greg Abbott.
“The increasing ownership of land in Texas by some foreign entities is of great concern and raises red flags for a lot of Texans,” Kolkhorst said in a press release. “The passage of this law provides some basic protections that may give Texans control of land in Texas.”
The laws can also be in response to a land deal in which greater than 130,000 acres (203 square miles – about two-thirds the dimensions of Latest York City) near Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio were bought by a Chinese billionaire and former Chinese People’s Liberation Army general , by Central Square.
Opposition to SB 147 continues to grow. George scheduled a rally for Friday afternoon to attract attention to the bill.