Florida can restrict Chinese people from buying real estate
(MENAFN) A US appeals court on Wednesday upheld a Florida law restricting real estate purchases by Chinese nationals, declining to block the measure.
The 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta issued a 2-1 ruling, finding that challengers lacked the legal standing to contest the law, despite claims that it unfairly targets Asian individuals, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The court also clarified that the restrictions do not apply to Chinese immigrants who legally reside in Florida and plan to stay permanently.
Under the housing law, SB 264, non-US citizens or non-permanent residents whose “domicile” is in China are barred from buying property in Florida, except for those with non-tourist visas or who have been granted asylum. A similar—but less restrictive—rule applies to certain nationals from Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Syria.
“All people, regardless of where they come from, should be free to buy homes and build lives in Florida without fear of discrimination,” said Ashley Gorski, senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s National Security Project. “Although today’s decision is disappointing, we’ll continue to fight laws like these that blatantly target immigrants based on their national origin and ethnicity.”
The ACLU highlighted that the law echoes historical efforts to use “national security” claims to target Asians and other immigrants. Early 20th-century “alien land laws” prevented Chinese and Japanese immigrants from owning land in several US states, including Florida. The group warned that recent laws like SB 264 represent a revival of such discriminatory practices, undermining immigrant rights under the guise of national security.
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