Would Florida Bill Ban Asian-Americans from Owning Homes?
Overly broad "New Cold War"-era bill is denounced by National Asian Pacific American Bar Association; could have increase discrimination against Korean-Americans, too.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is pushing for a bill that would ban anyone who is a Chinese citizen, including American citizens who are also Chinese citizens, from owning land anywhere in the state of Florida. Is America undergoing a return to the days of the “Yellow Peril”?
DeSantis and supporters of the bill are citing vague concerns about “national security,” but there is no justification cited for how a Chinese citizen owning a home could cause the downfall of the republic or something. The bill would need to be revised and greatly narrowed in scope if it were to address any real problems.
If for example, DeSantis were concerned about covert overseas Chinese policy stations, like the ones that have been reportedly been operating in some cities, he could support a law to ban overseas police organizations or political groups from purchasing land. Or he could allow for the execution of existing laws; in April, the FBI arrested two men accused of running the police station in New York City on the basis of their alleged violations of existing laws. (DeSantis has, however, threatened to defund the FBI.)
Moreover, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) and other groups point out that it could have harmful consequences also for Americans of Asian descent who were born in the United States of America and Americans who immigrated from other East Asian countries in addition to the ostensible victims the bill is intended to target.
The NAPABA came out against the bill when it was introduced in April, saying:
SB 264 and HB 1355 as written however, are both overly broad and vague, prohibiting the acquisition of real estate, not only by state-owned entities or communist party officials, but by any Chinese resident who is not a US Citizen or Green Card holder, by any Chinese corporations or partnerships, even those without political affiliation, and in fact, by “any member of the People's Republic of China” which could be read to mean anyone holding Chinese citizenship, even if they are also U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States.
Now that the bill has passed Florida’s House and Senate, citizens have been protesting and testifying against it.
“We have yellow skin and dark hair. How can they tell if we are from China or from Vietnam or from the Philippines?” one protester said.
That is the sentiment echoed in the Sun-Sentinel’s editorial in opposition:
That makes it clear what the impact will be: Anyone who looks Asian will become much more likely to be questioned or turned away from financial transactions, and potentially have their homes or businesses seized. We can’t imagine anything in modern law that comes close to that.
One reply might be that we the law could be applied by looking at a home buyer’s passport. There are a couple of problems with that. First, the law bans dual citizens from purchasing land, so simply confirming someone is an American citizen wouldn’t necessarily satisfy the law’s mandates. Second, most people are not lawyers and could act on a preponderance of caution—or out of ignorance, or bias—if they perceive that “Chinese” are banned from purchasing property.
To put it simply, Americans aren’t always experts at distinguishing different Asian groups apart, nor always at being nuanced in their dealings with race. The modern-day strain of yellow peril infecting this country—made worse by the coronavirus pandemic, fear-mongering engaged in by politicians, and a general rise in violence—has impacted all people who look “Chinese” in the eyes of a bigot.
The suspect told police she stabbed the victim because the victim was "Chinese," adding that it "would be one less person to blow up our country," according to an affidavit shared with NPR.
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"Students have been subject to heckling encounters on the street, stares and racist jokes," she said. "So it's important for the larger community to not dismiss this as an isolated incident but part of a bigger issue around anti-Asian hate."
— Indiana's Asian American community is grieving after a bus stabbing attack
There are members of both parties who are guilty of stoking the racist and xenophobic flames for their own political interests. Democratic Rep. Katherine Waldron was a co-sponsor of the Florida bill. She attacked the Floridians who spoke out against the bill at a hearing, many of whom were of Asian heritage, by falsely claiming they were not from Florida.
Rep. Katherine Waldron, D-Wellington, the Democratic co-sponsor, told lawmakers that she heard the protesters were bused in from Texas.
Claiming—without any evidence—that a group of people who look different than you are outsiders just because they disagree with you, while you are pushing for a racially-charged bill, is bigotry. It’s a not-so-subtly designed as a dog whistle to say “Texas” when the folks to whom you are rhetorically appealing can tell you are talking about some other place. It’s just another way to brand Floridians of Asian descent as “foreigners.”
As it happens, Florida does still keep some records (just not on the governor’s travel), and Waldron’s lies were exposed for what they are.
Records from the meeting show that nearly all of the opponents of the bill listed Florida addresses, and several were quickly verified through home ownership records. Several of the speakers said they were professors at Florida universities.
Americans who care about racial equality, as well as Americans who care about creating a welcoming environment for Asians, Asian-Americans, Koreans, and Korean-Americans, should oppose laws and PR campaigns that would demonize (whether intentionally or not) Asians or people of any race.