AUSTIN, TEXAS — Today, House Republicans passed SB 17, a racist and blatantly unconstitutional Anti-Alien Land Law that would restrict the right to own and lease property based solely on national origin. This discriminatory legislation represents a dangerous step towards repeating one of America’s darkest chapters of racial discrimination.
In supporting SB 17, Texas House Republicans are once again waging war against the very communities they swore to serve. SB 17 violates multiple constitutional protections, including the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, the Due Process Clause, the Commerce Clause, and the Supremacy Clause. The passage of SB 17 continues the pattern of self-described “fiscally conservative” House Republicans wasting taxpayer dollars and government resources on unambiguously unconstitutional legislation. An almost identical bill in Florida, SB 264, has already been temporarily blocked on federal constitutional grounds.
SB 17 is also terrifyingly reminiscent of laws passed in advance of Japanese internment — a parallel not lost on Texas’ Asian American community and their allies. We are watching them use xenophobia to shred the Constitution right before our eyes. By relying on intentionally vague language and by rejecting every clarification and amendment offered by House Democrats, SB 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.
**Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Gene Wu: **"Since Asian Americans have existed, we have been treated as enemies. These Republicans will not stop at land because they did not stop at land in the past – they will go after education, employment, immigration – and have already filed those bills. We’ve seen this before, but this time our community has a power and a voice: the right to vote. We will use it.”