Full Citation
Title: Lessons from California’s Historical Alien Land Law: Racial Xenophobia and Home Ownership
Citation Type: Miscellaneous
Publication Year: 2024
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Abstract: In 2023, Florida enacted a controversial law prohibiting foreigners from purchasing real estate, ostensibly for national-security reasons. However, this legislation disproportionately targets individuals from Asian countries and risks creating a chilling effect on all Asians. Similar laws passed by other states echo this trend, unfortunately mirroring historical patterns of discrimination. The efforts, however, are not the first efforts targeting Asians. California and other states enacted alien land laws during the first half of the twentieth century. Rooted in deep-seated anti-Asian sentiments and hostilities, particularly directed at Japanese Americans, these laws combined a toxic blend of racism and xenophobia, further marginalizing Asians socially, politically, and economically. While instigated by the anti-Japanese movement, California’s law broadly applied to all aliens ineligible for citizenship -- a category exclusively encompassing Asians.
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Authors: Ong, Paul; Ong, Jonathan; Pech, Chhandara
Publisher: UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge
Data Collections: IPUMS USA - Ancestry Full Count Data
Topics: Migration and Immigration, Race and Ethnicity
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