AUSTIN, TEXAS — Today, House Democrats joined Asian Texans for Justice and other advocacy groups for a press conference at the Texas Capitol to strongly denounce House Bill 17, a blatantly unconstitutional Anti-Alien Land Law that would restrict property ownership rights based solely on national origin. Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder and Democratic lawmakers including House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Gene Wu, Rep. Salman Bhojani, Rep. Lauren Ashley Simmons, Rep. Ron Reynolds, and Rep. Jon Rosenthal warned that this discriminatory legislation represents a dangerous step towards repeating one of America’s darkest chapters of racial discrimination.
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[WATCH CHAIR WU AND REP. SALMAN BHOJANI'S REMARKS HERE]
In supporting HB 17, Texas House Republicans have once again made their priorities sickeningly clear: trampling constitutional rights and waging war against the very communities they swore to serve. HB 17 violates multiple constitutional protections, including the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, the Due Process Clause, and the Supremacy Clause. The bill’s xenophobic provisions targeting specific nationalities are reminiscent of laws passed in advance of Japanese internment — a parallel not lost on Texas’ Asian American community and their allies.
This targeting of land ownership mimics Florida’s SB 264, which is temporarily blocked on federal constitutional grounds — HB 17, if passed, will likely face similar challenges and invalidations from the court. Texas Republicans stand absolutely nothing to gain from this, except for the perverse satisfaction of attempting to strip Texas communities of their rights simply because they deem them unworthy. We are watching them use xenophobia to shred the Constitution right before our eyes.
The bill attempts to bypass constitutional protections while relying on intentionally vague language that creates a framework for discrimination. By targeting individuals “domiciled” in certain countries, a term which lacks a clear legal definition, HB 17 opens the door for racial profiling, and will create a system where Asian Americans and immigrants face heightened scrutiny and institutionalized xenophobia. None of this is about security, it’s about inciting fear and chaos.
This legislation sends the harmful message that certain communities are not welcome in Texas, regardless of their contributions to our state. This is illegal, unconstitutional, and a brand of hate that Texas Democrats will not stand to allow in our state.
**Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Gene Wu: **"My real concern is not just the ownership of land, but that this is the very first step that we take on our march back towards the Japanese internment... We have done this before. Prior to World War II, as Asian Americans started spreading out, started building businesses, started building wealth, people got mad because we competed against other communities. They made us a scapegoat and there was nothing we could do. This time, we can vote. This time, we have allies. This time, we know the power of our voices… We will not go quietly into the darkness. We will fight. The Asian community will fight... This is for our children. And this is for the America that our families came here for and that we love."
**Rep. Salman Bhojani: **"I immigrated to America when I was 19 years old, and as a kid, I was always told that the United States of America is where dreams are made, where anyone can come, work hard, and have a life of prosperity and happiness. But HB 17 compromises the promise of the American dream. … This is not the Texas I know. This is not the Texas I chose to raise my family in. I hope my colleagues will see the consequences of this bill and work with us to ensure that every Texan has the opportunity to live the American dream."