(NewsNation) — Lawmakers in Texas are writing legislation that would prevent what they call a “foreign land grab.”
Senate Bill 17 could block residents and governments of countries like China, Iran and Russia from buying property in the state of Texas.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is currently in a legal battle with a proposed Muslim-centered community called EPIC City. Abbott said all construction has been shut down and several lawsuits are in the works against developers, including criminal investigations.
The Justice Department has recently opened up an investigation into the community over potential religious discrimination.
An attorney for EPIC City has said the community will be for everybody once it’s completed. It will include 1,000 homes, a K-12 faith-based school and mosque, shops and a community college. The attorney said the lawsuits from Texas amount to “nothing more but racial profiling” and said they will cooperate.
In Austin, Democrats and Republicans are butting heads over proposed legislation that would give Abbott the power to decide who could be kept from purchasing Texas land.
Lawmakers said their goal is to weed out countries that are labeled threats by the United States, including China, North Korea, Russia and Iran. Abbott could add additional countries to the list without intervention from the federal government, under the legislation.
Some have said the bill is discriminatory, but others believe it’s necessary to protect land close to military installations and other sensitive areas.
“I don’t believe that those individuals should be able to buy land in Texas, and neither did the House or Senate author of this bill,” Republican state Rep. Brent Money said.
Texas resident Xiaoyu Wu said it feels wrong to be assumed a spy or a threat to national security without due process.
The bill passed the Texas House and has headed to the Senate. If passed, the legislation would go into effect Sept. 1.