Hundreds of Chinese Americans Protest in Dallas Against ‘Discriminatory’ Texas Senate Bills

Chinese Americans from North Texas are protesting against two Texas Senate bills that would ban specific communities from buying property in the state.

Over 250 protesters flocked to John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza in downtown Dallas on Sunday to condemn Senate Bills 147 and 552, which they have denounced as discriminatory.

Bill 147, filed by Republican State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst in November 2022, will effectively prevent people with ties to four countries — China, Russia, North Korea and Iran — from purchasing Texas property or real estate if passed.

Meanwhile, Bill 552 will hinder companies with links to the four countries from buying agricultural land.

“I will sign it,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott tweeted on Jan. 15 in support of Bill 147. “This follows a law I signed banning those countries from threatening our infrastructure.”

According to Kolkhorst, the bill seeks to address national security issues with the singled-out countries.

Following Abbott’s expressed support, organizations backed by the local Chinese American community bared their plans to conduct a series of demonstrations in Texas’ major cities.

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A recent Texas A&M University graduate named Wei Wu finds both bills “hateful and discriminatory.”

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