April 30, 2024
ATLANTA, GA – Stop AAPI Hate issued the following statement condemning Governor Brian Kemp’s signing of Georgia’s SB 420, a bill that would ban certain foreign nationals from China, among other countries, from owning land in parts of the state. The bill is the latest in a number of bills sweeping the country aiming to limit the ability of people from China to buy U.S. land, despite the fact that a mere 0.03% of land is owned by Chinese investors.
The quote below can be attributed to Cynthia Choi, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate:
“We’re outraged by the passage of Georgia’s discriminatory land ban bill, which directly harms the many vibrant Asian American communities across the state. Georgia will now limit when and where Chinese immigrants who are looking to lay down roots and support their families can purchase homes and land, imposing extremely harsh penalties including felony convictions and prison time, for anyone who does not comply.
By signing this bill, Governor Kemp is shirking his responsibility to protect the equality, civil rights and constitutional right to due process of all Georgians and is instead engaging in anti-Asian scapegoating and anti-immigrant fearmongering — political tactics used by elected leaders and candidates, such as former President Trump, that harm our communities.
Right now, we are witnessing a dangerously growing trend of many states – both red and blue – jumping on a xenophobic bandwagon to restrict our communities from putting down roots in a nation that prides itself on liberty and justice for all. Similar legislation in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming continues to reinforce the message that immigrants — not just Chinese — should be ostracized from actualizing what now is a quickly fading American Dream. These land ban laws label our communities as untrustworthy, blame them for the actions of another country’s government, and stoke the flames of racism, xenophobia and hate.
There is a growing coalition of Asian Americans in Georgia and across the country that are fighting these land bans, and we will continue to mobilize to protect our rights. Georgia is not alone in this fight.”
