Darren Bailey, the current Republican gubernatorial candidate and former state senator who ran for governor of Illinois in 2022 and is now actively preparing for a second run, recently posted a statement on social media, strongly declaring that if elected governor, he will legislate a complete ban on the Chinese Communist Party and all Chinese entities from purchasing farmland in Illinois. He stated explicitly in the post: “Our land is not for sale.”
These remarks have once again brought the sensitive political and national security issue of “Chinese investment in American land” to the forefront. As a third-generation rancher, Bailey’s move not only aims to resonate with Midwestern agricultural voters but also precisely echoes the strong concerns within the Republican Party nationwide regarding food security and potential espionage.
Since 2021, there has been an explosive increase in legislation restricting land ownership by foreign entities, particularly “hostile foreign powers” such as China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, across the United States. According to statistics from the Committee of 100 legal think tanks, in 2025 alone, as many as 38 state legislatures across the country will discuss, advance, or amend laws prohibiting hostile foreign powers from purchasing real estate.
Currently, 11 states in the United States have laws that explicitly prohibit or restrict Chinese citizens and Chinese-invested enterprises from purchasing property. These 11 states are: Florida, Texas, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Idaho. Florida and Texas are leading this wave of legislation, having previously passed some of the strictest laws in the country, prohibiting Chinese citizens and Chinese companies from purchasing sensitive real estate and agricultural land near military bases.
Ohio, a major agricultural state in the Midwest, is also escalating its restrictions on farmland purchases. As early as 2023, Ohio passed the “Protect National Security and Save Farmland Act,” which prohibits hostile foreign entities blacklisted by the state government from buying local farmland. The state legislature is currently pushing forward with a more radical “Ohio Property Protection Act” (HB 1/SB 88), which plans to significantly expand the ban from agricultural land to all real estate within 10 to 25 miles of military bases and “critical infrastructure” such as water plants, power plants, and railways.
This proposal has met with strong opposition from local Asian communities and real estate associations, and lawmakers from both parties are currently engaged in a fierce battle over the details and exemptions of the bill, resulting in numerous amendments. Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate John Bailey, a third-generation rancher, has proposed, if elected governor, to legislate a complete ban on the purchase of Illinois farmland by the Chinese Communist Party and all Chinese entities. (Associated Press)
In addition to local governments, federal-level restrictions are also becoming increasingly stringent. John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition with the Chinese Communist Party, introduced the “Protecting US Farmland and Sensitive Sites from Foreign Adversaries Act” in May. This bipartisan bill aims to close loopholes in federal oversight and rigorously scrutinizes and prevent Chinese investment in real estate purchases near military bases and sensitive infrastructure throughout the United States.
Asian American rights groups and civil rights lawyers have protested this, arguing that the wording of many local laws is vague and could easily extend restrictions to legal Chinese green card holders or ordinary immigrants, potentially violating the Constitution and fueling discrimination and hatred against Asian Americans.