Asian Americans push back against ‘racist’ Ohio property bills

Asian American advocates rallied at the Ohio Statehouse on Tuesday to denounce proposed legislation they describe as discriminatory targeting of immigrants disguised as national security measures.

State legislators are weighing House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 88, both known as the Ohio Property Protection Act, which would bar foreign nationals and businesses from countries designated as “foreign adversaries” from buying property within 25 miles of critical infrastructure sites. The legislation would expand existing farmland restrictions to include military bases, airports, power stations, water treatment facilities, railroads and telecommunications infrastructure — coverage so broad it would “effectively blanket the entirety of the state of Ohio,” according to Senate sponsor Terry Johnson (R-McDermott).

The U.S. currently designates China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela under Nicolás Maduro as foreign adversaries. While House Bill 1 would not apply retroactively to existing property owners, Senate Bill 88 originally required current owners to sell their property within two years, though that forced-sale provision was removed at Tuesday’s committee hearing.

Opponents of the bill reportedly filled the committee hearing room, with more than 100 people attending in person and over 230 submitting written testimony. “This bill is racist,” said Rep. Anita Somani (D-Dublin), a first-generation immigrant from India, arguing it “does nothing to protect Ohioans or improve Ohio.” Vincent Wang, who chairs the Asian American Coalition of Ohio, told 10 WBNS that the bills “will push immigrants out and cause fear, hatred and destroy the Ohio economy.”

Critics say the legislation violates constitutional protections, and that existing federal laws already address legitimate security threats without resorting to racial profiling. “Allowing someone to rent indefinitely but not own is legally inconsistent,” Hongmei Li of the Ohio Chinese American Council told WTVG, calling it an attempt to “codify racial profiling in law.”

The bills, parallel to others advancing across the country, stem from Gov. Mike DeWine’s 2023 veto of similar legislation over concerns about “unintended economic development consequences.” Asian immigrant-owned businesses in Ohio employed 97,600 people with an annual payroll of $3.3 billion in 2022, according to census data.

Understandably, opponents have drawn parallels to historic discrimination, including Chinese exclusion laws and Japanese incarceration camps during World War II. A comparable Florida bill with a smaller 10-mile restriction zone is currently under federal constitutional challenge, with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) promising swift litigation if Ohio’s version passes.

Lawmakers have yet to schedule votes on either chamber’s version of the legislation.