Texas has remained at the forefront of most issues Americans hold dear, and one of those has been the buying of land by foreign nationals. Texas has been battling against the practice for years, and recently passed and signed into law Senate Bill 17, which bans people from foreign adversaries from owning land in the state. That means places like China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and many others.
In typical fashion, that law has been challenged, most recently by a Chinese student. Peng Wang alleged he is "domiciled" in Texas, in other words that his permanent home is here in the United States. He has lived in the U.S. for 16 years and says he plans to keep renting in the Dallas-Fort Worth area while he seeks work as a worship pastor after graduation. But is here on a student visa. So, he is not a true permanent resident of the U.S.
The district court judge ruled in favor of Texas, saying Wang does not fall under the exception, and therefore, cannot own land in Texas. It was a huge win for the state's new law, and Woodlands State Representative Steve Toth says this law is just keeping in line with what our adversaries do.
"If an American company or citizen went down to Mexico and wanted to lease or buy land...the Mexican government would not allow them to do it," he says.
That is common practice in most countries around the globe. But here we are in a warped United States, where we somehow believe we need to be a beacon to the world and give away our land to adversaries. That is not how things should work, and Texas is taking a stand against it.
So, the court not only upheld the law, but they upheld common sense.
"You cannot go to China and buy or lease property...you cannot even open a business in China without allowing a Chinese-owned company you compete with to see exactly what you are doing," says Rep. Toth. "It is ridiculous that foreign adversaries can come to the United States, then use our freedom and liberty against us."
A lot of this push ban on foreign land comes from the national security side. Chinese nationals have bought up Texas land near military bases and power infrastructure. Despite whatever lazy, half-hearted argument Democrats might make, China has one goal and that is to dismantle the U.S. from within. This is another way of doing that, especially owning land near critical infrastructure.
The lawsuits though surely will not stop. After all, this is the land of the free and the home of the lawsuit. But SB 17, authored by State Senator Lois Kolkhorst, is as strong as they come. It even has the potential loopholes all stitched up.
"In the bill, you could not buy anything, but you could lease it up to 99 years...which is just as good as owning it," Rep. Toth says. "So, I put an amendment on it that took it from 99 years down to one year."
He adds this bill is here to stay for the long haul.
It is just another win for Texas, but more importantly, the ruling is a win for normalcy and common sense.
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