Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC Rejects the Signing of Discriminatory Land Law in Texas
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Chloe Park cpark@advancingjustice-aajc.org
Washington, D.C. — On Sunday, June 22, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 17 (S.B. 17) into law. The measure seeks to prohibit individuals and entities from certain designated countries deemed to be risks to national security—including China—from acquiring property interests such as leases, owning homes, or purchasing land, in the state. S.B. 17 is part of a broader wave of state-level legislation across the nation aimed at reviving and enforcing outdated, discriminatory land laws that unfairly target immigrant communities and encourage racial bias.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC (Advancing Justice – AAJC) issues the following statement in response:
“Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC is outraged by Gov. Abbott’s decision to sign S.B. 17 into law. The legislation creates an overly broad net that places innocent foreign nationals at risk of racial profiling. At the same time, it makes little effort to protect vulnerable communities. The legislation allows authorities to unfairly target immigrants under baseless generalizations. Taken together, these standards only deepen racial stereotypes that cast foreign nationals as threats, spies, or perpetual outsiders.
“Immigrants, including those in the Asian American community, are essential to Texas’s prosperity. Texas attracts more H1-B visa holders than any other state in the country. S.B. 17 will have a chilling effect on Asian immigrant communities, many of whom bring specialized expertise that strengthen national interests. The fact that this legislation was signed into law despite the strenuous objections of community members and without consideration of the collateral damages to various economic sectors in Texas, including real estate, education, research and development, and technology, suggests a priority for targeting marginalized populations even at the expense of state interest.
“Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC remains dedicated to rejecting efforts to ostracize our community members. We, along with our partners on the ground, will explore all possible options to challenge S.B. 17 and minimize the impact on communities from designated countries, and indeed all Texans, whose livelihoods and property will be collateral damage.”
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