In a significant move to safeguard national security interests, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has enacted Senate Bill 17, a statute forbidding individuals or entities from countries deemed adversarial to purchase real property within the state. The prohibition applies to nations identified in the U.S. Intelligence Community’s 2025 Annual Threat Assessment—specifically China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.
Under the new law, “real property” encompasses agricultural acreage, commercial and industrial holdings, residential dwellings, and land designated for mining or water infrastructure. It takes effect on September 1, and violations are classified as felonies subject to investigation by the Texas Attorney General.
Critics warn that the measure’s expansive definitions risk ensnaring law-abiding foreign nationals and may permit arbitrary enforcement. Asian Americans Advancing Justice promptly condemned the legislation, arguing that its broad scope could lead to racial profiling against innocent individuals.
Earlier this year, Arizona’s Democratic governor vetoed a similar proposal, citing vague implementation standards that might encourage discriminatory application. Following public pressure, she later advanced a more narrowly tailored bill addressing land purchases near military installations.
Texas’s statute exempts U.S. citizens, permanent residents and noncitizen purchasers acquiring a primary residence. Lease agreements under twelve months’ duration are likewise unaffected.
Proponents of Senate Bill 17 emphasize documented efforts by certain foreign governments to acquire property adjacent to U.S. military bases and critical infrastructure. They also point to the prevalence of Chinese-manufactured drones in domestic law enforcement and concerns over foreign investment in sensitive sectors such as solar energy conversion and maritime port facilities.
State Armor Action, a conservative consortium focused on countering global threats, lauded Texas’s initiative. Its founder, Michael Lucci, asserted that banning adversary land ownership strengthens domestic security and urged other states to adopt comparable restrictions.
According to the Committee of 100, which monitors state and federal legislation on foreign property holdings, twenty-five states have now enacted laws curbing real-estate acquisitions by designated adversaries—up from twenty-two in March. At the federal level, fifteen related bills are under consideration, including one introduced this week in Congress that would require the Agriculture Secretary to report farmland purchases by national-security–threat countries to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).
Legislatures in New Hampshire and North Carolina are poised to consider parallel restrictions, pending gubernatorial approval. As states continue to assert authority over foreign land acquisitions, Texas’s statute marks the latest chapter in a broader push to align property‐ownership laws with national‐security priorities.
