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Texas is the latest state to solidify a ban on the purchase of land and property by hostile individuals or groups.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed the law on Senate Bill 17 over the weekend, banning the acquisition of state “real estate” as a security threat in the Intelligence Reports Agency’s 2025 annual threat assessment. The country includes China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, and the bill identifies “real estate” as land used for agricultural, commercial or industrial real estate, residential property, mining or water use.
Amidst rising global tensions, there is a growing desire to protect the acquisition of US foreign assets. However, these efforts have been criticized by some for being overly widely, arbitrary and potentially discriminatory.
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Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed the law on Senate Bill 17 over the weekend, banning the acquisition of state “real estate” as a security threat in the Intelligence Reports Agency’s 2025 annual threat assessment. (Getty Images)
In response to Abbott’s signature on SB 17, the nonprofit Asian Americans who are pushing justice forward said they are “furious” in the law that said the group would “create a very wide net that puts innocent foreigners at risk of racial profiling.”
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said similar defenses were made after rejecting a bill that would stop the purchase of Chinese land and property in the state, and that the bill does not have a “clear standard of implementation” that opens the door to “optional enforcement.” Following backlash against her veto, Hobbs later described the bill as a “bodied, weak Chinese bill,” allowing communist countries to purchase land near military bases for up to three years at a time, followed up with her own version of the bill this month.
The Texas bill exempts US citizens and legal permanent residents. Individuals who are legally resident in the United States who wish to purchase a major residence are also renters for less than a year.
The Texas Attorney General is approved through a new law to investigate potential violations of the new law. This would be a felony. The law will come into effect on September 1st.
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From left: Iran’s highest leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and North Korea’s highest leader Kim Jong Un. (Getty Images)
Proponents of measures like Texas cite countries like China’s efforts to buy land and property near major US military bases. But it is not only a land, but also an asset.
China has a strong foothold in the US drone market, along with many law enforcement agencies using Chinese-made DJI drones. The country is also facing scrutiny for espionage, increasing footprints at US sea ports, and building US solar converters that can be tapped for infiltration of other critical infrastructure.
The Texas bill follows a famous incident earlier this month when two Chinese citizens were arrested for attempting to smuggle dangerous biological pathogens into the United States.
“While Chinese companies buying American land are not particularly close to sensitive strategic and military sites, CCPs are blatantly trying to spy and, even worse, in our backyard, reaching national action accordingly.
“Governor Abbott and the Texas legislature are right to prohibit foreign enemies from purchasing state land. More and more states should follow their initiative.”
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25 states have passed legislation restricting foreign property ownership as of Monday, June 23, 2025.
State and federal bills restricting property ownership by foreign companies passed legislation restricting property ownership in foreign companies as of Monday, according to 100 committees tracking US state and federal bills. That has recently increased from 22 states in March, according to the committee. Meanwhile, 15 bills related to the issue are also being considered at the federal level, according to a committee’s pursuit.
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On Monday, Congressional Republicans introduced a bill aimed at increasing oversight to purchase foreign farmland in the United States. It also forces the USDA to report to CFIUS the purchase of domestic farmland by foreign enemies that pose a risk to national security.
State-level bills aimed at increasing scrutiny of foreign lands and acquisitions of assets from the enemy appear to be imminent in New Hampshire and North Carolina.
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