Florida anti-Chinese bill draws spirited protest

More than 100 people, primarily Chinese Americans and Chinese residing in Florida, appeared at the Florida House of Representatives in Tallahassee to testify against a specific section of a bill that would prohibit both Chinese entities and individual citizens domiciled in China from buying any real estate in the state.

Two weeks ago, the Florida Senate unanimously passed bill SB 246, imposing such restrictions. Both bills, including HB 1335 in the House, ban seven countries, including China, from purchasing farmland and other infrastructure.

However, out of the seven targeted countries, Chinese citizens alone are singled out in both bills to be excluded from acquiring any real estate in the state. It requires buyers to provide an affidavit that they are not agents of a China entity or a citizen domiciled in China at the time of purchase.

Violators, including sellers, agents and buyers, will be subject to felony charges and punishment. Property bought in violation would be forfeited.

Jack Lu, a resident of Orlando, told the Florida House State Affairs Committee that the bill "assumes that all Chinese people are hostile and cannot be trusted".Recalling Japanese people being kept in internment camps in the United States during World War II, Lu said that if the bill passes, "I will live in terror."

A woman named Fannie told the committee that as a business owner who has created more than 100 jobs for the local community, she will move out of Florida due to safety concerns if the bill passes.

Fannie recalled an experience during the COVID-19 pandemic at her own restaurant. A customer yelled at her to "go back to China".

"If this (bill) passes, we will hear that more often," said Fannie.

Victoria Li said she was in college and on the path to becoming a US citizen.

Discriminatory move

"My concern is this bill affects people like me who want to own a home. This (bill) is a kind of discrimination. We are scared, we are terrified," Li said.

A man named Ping said the bill targets a specific ethnic group.

"We trust immigrants serving in the military; we trust immigrants doing critical research in universities; and we trust immigrants to cook General Tso's chicken and shrimp fried rice, but we do not trust them to own a home. If you love America, if you love democracy, do not vote for this bill because this is not American at all."

Despite the fact that more than 90 percent of people at the hearing spoke against the bill, the State Affairs Committee passed the bill by a 16-4 vote for eventual consideration by the full House.

Some lawmakers spoke out against the bill. Representative Anna Eskamani told the people who testified: "As an Iranian American, your story is my story. I understand what it's like to be targeted. We saw that with the Muslim ban several years ago. I will be voting 'no' today."