Texas bill amendment empowers gov to ban land purchases from foreigners

The Texas House approved an amendment to a bill allowing Governor Greg Abbott to ban people from

certain countries and affiliated organizations from buying land in the Lone Star State

The amendment expands the governor's ability to decide which nation's residents, governments, businesses, and groups are barred from purchasing real estate in the state

Previously, the bill only gave Governor Abbott the power to block land purchases

from countries listed by the U.S. Director of National Intelligence as national security threats

Those only include China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. The change expands the governor's authority, allowing him to block land purchases

from any country he considers a threat to the state's security. Republicans say it gives Abbott the needed ability to act quickly to stop hostile countries from land grabs

while Democrats argue it gives the governor too much power. The legislation bans land purchases based on a person's national residence instead of their country of origin in a movement to comply with federal civil rights laws against discrimination

The bill restrictions do not apply to American citizens or permanent residents

The latest amendment also allows Abbott to include transnational criminal organizations. As the Republican who introduced the amendment noted, this includes the Venezuelan gang Trende Aragua

Immigrant advocates tell ABC 13 they fear the amendment and bill will open the door for discrimination So all this will also bring more anti hate crime and reinforce existing social biases particularly against the Chinese community They also concerned it may

hurt Texas's economy too. Texas was like really has a long pride itself on the business friendly

environment that encourage innovate and competition. Now the SB 17 has a negative

impact on the tax economy. Supporters of the amendment and bill disagree. As one political

yst who worked with Republicans on the legislation tells ABC 13, there's no evidence

it will lead to discrimination. Rather, he says it enhances safety. We've certainly seen some

members of the legislature make allegations that the bill is discriminatory or could lead to racial

profiling or discrimination. Again, we've not seen any evidence of that. Texas wants to ensure the

security and the sovereignty of Texas land to prevent ownership of Texas land by hostile foreign

entities, especially those who come from foreign countries that have hostile intent towards the

United States. The bill is expected to undergo further revisions and is likely to see legal

challenges from immigrant advocacy groups if it becomes law. If the legislation does pass

it would take effect on September 1st. For more on this story, download the Straight Hour News app or visit san.com. For Straight Hour News, I'm Kaylee Carey