T
he US presidential election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris coincides with escalating global tensions. In this context, Bochen Han examines how legislation targeting Chinese citizens has galvanized voters in Texas. For Lan Wang, life in the state was uneventful until she learned that Governor Greg Abbott would back a bill restricting property purchases by Chinese nationals. "I thought it was a joke," she recalled, her initial reaction giving way to anger and a desire for action.

    Wang, a Dallas resident who prefers anonymity, began studying the Texas legislative process and attending hearings on the bill. Although she had studied public policy, she said it wasn't until last year that she felt compelled to take a stand. Early drafts of Senate Bill 147 would have prohibited property purchases by Chinese citizens, including green card holders – a restriction that directly affected Wang, who became a US citizen late in 2022 after arriving as a student in 2010.