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#167 2/17 Webinar; CAPAC Statement; Community Call, Town Hall, Sign On; Media Reports

In This Issue #167

  • A Call to Stop Senate Bill 147 and All Alien Land Laws Webinar

  • CAPAC Statement and Congressional Bills

  • Community Activities - Conference Call, Town Hall, Sign-on Letter

  • Media Reports


A Call to Stop Senate Bill 147 and All Alien Land Laws Webinar 


WHAT:  Webinar titled "A Call to Stop SB 147 and All Alien Land Laws

REGISTRATION:  http://bit.ly/3jXSPv9 or scan QR code in poster above

WHEN: Friday, February 17, 2023, starting at 5:00 pm ET/2:00 pm PT

WHO: 

Opening Remarks

  • Judy Chu 赵美心, Chair, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus

Panelists

  • Gene Wu 吳元之, Representative, Texas House of Representatives

  • Jamal Abdi, President, National Iranian American Council (NIAC)

  • David Donatti, Staff Attorney, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas

  • Clay Zhu 朱可亮, Attorney and Co-Founder, Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance (CALDA)

Moderator: Haipei Shue 薛海培, President, United Chinese Americans (UCA)

SPONSORS: 1882 FoundationAPA JusticeUnited Chinese Americans

CONTACT: contact@apajustice.org if you have questions or comments



CAPAC Statement and Congressional Bills 


Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC).  On February 15, 2023, CAPAC leadership issued a statement addressing efforts to restrict land and property ownership of foreign nationals from the People’s Republic of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea:


“As CAPAC’s leadership, we are incredibly concerned by efforts to restrict ownership of land and property by immigrants from the People’s Republic of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. While we do not oppose limitations on foreign state-owned enterprises, or on entities, companies, or individuals with ties to foreign governments, from making purchases of agricultural land or property, we staunchly object to any legislation—at the federal, state, or local level—that bans an individual from land or property ownership solely based on their country of origin. At this moment of heightened U.S.-China tensions and as we in Congress remain vigilant in protecting our national and economic security, CAPAC’s leadership will continue to raise our voices to ensure that we are not eroding the civil liberties of individuals in our communities.


“What alarms us is the impact of anti-China fearmongering on Chinese immigrant communities and the erection of unfair barriers to their pursuit of the American Dream solely because of their country of origin. We speak out now as we have seen policies like this before in our nation’s history. Such policies targeted at individual citizens echo xenophobic alien land laws targeting Asian immigrants—in the 1800s, when anti-Chinese sentiment culminated in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, or during World War II when tensions with Japan led to the stripping of land ownership rights from Japanese immigrants and the incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans.


“No one should be prevented from getting a fair shot at building their lives here in America because of their country of origin. We are facing a pivotal moment in history and as we consider the impacts of our actions on Chinese immigrant and Chinese American communities, we urge our colleagues to be mindful of using rhetoric or writing legislation that would further discriminate against our community members. As our nation’s leaders navigate the increasingly complex U.S.-China relationship globally, we encourage nuance and clarity to ensure the rights of our communities domestically are not collateral damage.”


PASS Act Introduced in U.S. Congress.  On February 2, 2023, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR), Congressman Jim Costa (D-CA), Senator John Tester (D-MT), and Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) are introducing the bipartisan Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security (PASS) Act, which will "protect our national security by preventing foreign adversaries from taking any ownership or control of the United States’ agricultural land and agricultural businesses."  Read the announcement: http://bit.ly/3It9Gzw.  Read the language of the bill: https://bit.ly/3IrFdShGoverning.com.  THE FUTURE IN CONTEXT: How States Used Land Laws to Exclude and Displace Asian Americans.  In the 19th and 20th centuries, more than a dozen states enacted legislation barring Asians from purchasing property. But immigrants and their families used the court system and legal loopholes to fight back.



Community Activities - Conference Call, Town Hall, Sign-on Letter


Advancing Justice | AAJC Convenes Conference Call. 

Given the rapidly moving and extraordinary work of community organizations pushing back on the xenophobic Texas Senate Bill 147, Advancing Justice | AAJC is organizing a call on Thursday, February 16th at 3pm CST (4pm EST) to hear from those who have been at the frontlines of this battle in Texas, including Texas State Representative Gene Wu 吳元之, and others who have been monitoring the situation.  The purpose of the call would be to give space to the local Texas organizations and leaders to speak to their efforts on SB 147 and what they think may be helpful from outside organizations; to ensure support from and coordination of efforts across organizations and groups outside Texas; to share resources that are available across local and national groups; and to identify next steps.  Register here: http://bit.ly/3YLVJlO


Town Hall Meeting in Plano, Texas

On February 19, 2023, a Town Hall meeting will be convened at the Collin County Republican Party Headquarters to listen to the Asian American community's concern over the proposed Texas Senate Bills 147 and 552.  Texas District 2 Senator Bob Hall (R), District 8 Senator Angela Paxton (R), and District 66 Rep. Matt Shaheen (R) are invited.  Sign on Letter by Asian Texan for Justice Opposing SB 147.  Asian Texan for Justice has prepared a letter opposing Texas Senate Bill 147 for sign-ons here:  https://bit.ly/3KglxT3.  Questions or concerns should be directed to info@asiantexansforjustice.org


Media Reports 


  • On February 14, 2023, BBC News 中文 reported on "美國德州擬禁華人買房 華裔遊行抗議稱「美國夢碎」."  https://bbc.in/3YAdODA


  • On February 13, 2023, South China Morning Post reported on "Citing security risks, US states move to bar Chinese land purchases and projects with China ties."  Virginia governor nixes a US$3.5 billion battery plant, and 2,500 new jobs for his state, because Ford Motors has a Chinese partner on the project.  Legislative bans on Chinese land ownership, and in some cases even real estate, are pending in three states, and others have limited farmland purchases.  https://bit.ly/3E5vui6


  • On February 11, 2023, Click2Houston reported on "Asian American community members and elected officials speak out against Senate Bill 147."  https://bit.ly/3YsAkOv


  • On February 9, 2023, USA Today reported on "Spy fears spark flurry of proposed laws aiming to ban Chinese land ownership."  http://bit.ly/3I8u6wg

  • On February 7, 2023, New York Times reported on "How U.S.-China Tensions Could Affect Who Buys the House Next Door."  https://nyti.ms/40IuVEq


  • On February 7, 2023, 纽约时报中文网: "美中关系阴影难消,得州拟禁止中国公民及企业买房购地."  https://nyti.ms/40XETCb


  • On February 7, 2023, 紐約時報中文網: "美中關係陰影難消,得州擬禁止中國公民及企業買房購地."  https://nyti.ms/3EbqNmW



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February 16, 2023

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