Jason Yuan, who runs a small second-hand car shop in Texas, shuts the hood of a car after fixing its battery — a routine part of his day. But outside the shop floor, he is grappling with something far more troubling: a new Texas law that makes him feel unwelcome in the very place he calls home.
Yuan, a naturalised U.S. citizen originally from China, says Senate Bill 17 (SB 17), which takes effect on September 1, 2025, is discriminatory. The law bars people and companies from China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia from purchasing property or leasing it for more than a year.
Supporters, including Governor Greg Abbott, say the measure protects national security. Critics argue it unfairly targets Asian immigrants. “It is anti-Asian, anti-immigrant, and specifically against Chinese-Americans,” said Texas Representative Gene Wu, a Democrat leading opposition to the bill.
The law has already rattled both individuals and businesses. Chinese nationals who make up more than 120,000 of Texas’s residents fear being treated with suspicion. Companies, too, are reconsidering investments. “It’s going to harm businesses that bring billions into Texas,” Wu warned.
For Yuan, the impact feels personal. He has been active at rallies, calling SB 17 a “Chinese Exclusion Act of 2025,” drawing a parallel with the infamous 1882 law that barred Chinese workers from immigrating to the U.S.
Standing at one protest, with his 13-year-old son beside him, he told the crowd: “Banning home ownership based on country of origin is discrimination. When my children face prejudice in the future, I want them to know we stood up and fought back.”
Young people like Qinlin Li, a graduate student and one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against SB 17, share that fear. Though her case was dismissed, she says the anxiety of not knowing if she could keep her apartment left her shaken. “This will stop people from wanting to study or work here,” she said.
The financial toll could also be severe. Yuan says one-third of his customers are Chinese immigrants, part of an economic ecosystem now under threat. Real estate agents confirm that some Chinese companies, including those in renewable energy, have paused or abandoned investment plans in Texas.
Abbott insists the law is about keeping “foreign adversaries” away from critical land and infrastructure, pointing to past controversies such as a Chinese businessman’s purchase of land near a U.S. Air Force base. National security experts like Holden Triplett, a former FBI official, argue that the risks are real. But civil liberties advocates say SB 17 wrongfully equates Chinese immigrants with the Chinese government.
Across the U.S., similar laws are spreading. Since 2021, 26 states have passed restrictions on foreign property ownership, mostly targeting Chinese nationals. Activists fear SB 17 could embolden more states to follow suit.
“They’re trying to rewrite the rules of democracy,” Yuan said. “But there’s still time to push back. Otherwise, the U.S. will become much more like the China we left behind.”
