Citizens of countries that pose a national security threat to the U.S. would be banned from owning certain types of land in Texas under a bill that passed the state Senate on Wednesday.
The legislation targets any nation that has been named on the Director of National Intelligence’s National Threat Assessment for three years in a row. Four nations currently meet that criteria – China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
The original bill specifically named those four countries, but the final draft allowed for a country to be removed from the list in case they fall off the National Threat Assessment due to regime change or for any other reason. Lawful permanent residents and dual citizens will also still be allowed to buy land under the final version of the bill.