The federal Justice Department has filed a series of court arguments in support of a lawsuit that challenges a new law from Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis and his party allies in the state’s government. The law imposes broad restrictions on Chinese people and individuals who hail from other beleaguered countries purchasing land in Florida.
The Justice Department argues that the restrictions are in violation of the equal protection provisions of the U.S. Constitution and other federal laws demanding fairness in housing and property dealings. Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and other countries with authoritarian governments — though apparently not Saudi Arabia, despite the fact that 9/11 attackers hailed from there — are also named in the new limits on property purchases from Ron.
Though it would obviously just be conjecture to make a connection, Saudi Arabia has financial ties to the worlds of Republican politics, including millions evidently poured into Trump’s businesses because of the latter hosting events for LIV Golf and billions from roughly the same source that’s been dispatched in support of an investment operation helmed by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner after he left government service.
“These unlawful provisions will cause serious harm to people simply because of their national origin, contravene federal civil rights laws, undermine constitutional rights, and will not advance the State’s purported goal of increasing public safety,” the Justice Department’s filing asserted, as highlighted by NBC News. A description from that same source says the law imposes roughly all-encompassing bans on Chinese residents — with an accompanying definition — owning or purchasing Florida property. It is factually incorrect to directly link Chinese residents with the ambitions or actions of their government, no matter the eagerness from Republicans to go after China to the point of furthering what’s basically just racism. (Remember how Trump has insisted for so long on referring to COVID-19?)
DeSantis’s new law comes with possibilities of time in jail in the event of violating the provisions. The Justice Department was specifically supporting the push from plaintiffs in the underlying lawsuit for a preliminary injunction blocking the new measure from taking effect. As with other recently enacted laws from Ron and his goon squad, the restrictions could directly foster an air of fear and intimidation around individuals from those countries, adding these people with foreign ties to a list also including LGBTQ+ people living across the state.
