#美国华人的生活如何?##美国华人生活得好吗##华人在美国的真实处境如何#
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Lisa Lee, 28, came to the United States from China 11 years ago to attend college. After years of living in dorms and dilapidated apartments, Lisa Lee can't wait to have a new home of her own.
Asian Americans held demonstrations against discrimination
She fell in love with a one-bedroom apartment with river views in Miami's financial district, which is located in a safe neighborhood. Lee heard that the neighbors were very similar to her, and they didn't like parties and preferred quiet. She participated in the auction and began ordering furniture after winning the bid.
Then the situation abruptly changed. At the last minute, the property company raised concerns about a U.S. Coast Guard outpost miles away. The company said her purchase of the apartment could conflict with Florida enacting a new law that prohibits Chinese nationals from buying property in the state, especially near military installations, airports or oil refineries.
Lee could face jail time under the law, while sellers and real estate agents could also be held liable. As a result, the transaction failed.
"The whole experience was very hurtful and tiring," Lee said in a recent interview at a Miami café where she still rents a house, "and I just feel that as someone who has lived and worked in this country for many years, as a legal taxpayer, at least I should be able to buy a house that I can live in on my own." "
More than 30 states have enacted or are considering enacting similar laws restricting Chinese citizens and businesses from buying land, saying such deals pose a growing threat to national security and claiming that the federal government has failed to stem the Chinese Communist Party's influence in the United States.
Florida law, which went into effect last July, is one of the most far-reaching. In addition to prohibiting Chinese entities from buying agricultural land, it effectively barred most Chinese who did not have a green card from buying homes. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed the law before announcing the start of his run for the Republican presidential nomination, warned voters that China is the biggest threat facing the United States.
In interviews with more than a dozen Chinese living in Florida, they expressed frustration at being cut off from the last American dream of buying property. Other Chinese residents say they are discriminated against when trying to buy a home. Still others said they were worried about whether they would inadvertently break the law.
Owning a home is one of the three elements of the American Dream
Civil rights and Asian-American groups have not noticed whether anyone has been charged under these new laws. But some Chinese said they felt anti-Chinese sentiment was growing. Groups opposed to the law are currently suing the law in federal court.
Kim Bian, a software developer currently working in Tampa, Florida, as one of the Chinese immigrants who is now barred from buying property, said, "Before this law was introduced, I never paid attention to the issue of discrimination, but now I'm wondering if I need to leave Florida." "
The bill also has a noticeable chilling effect on the real estate industry, which is an important part of Florida's economy. Local developers often rely on Chinese investors to help build projects in the state, and the law appears to have banned such funding, prompting a boycott from a prominent real estate lobby.
Yukey Hoo, a real estate agent in Winter Gardens in the Orlando suburbs, estimates that she has turned down 10 potential clients, about a fifth of her usual business, because she can't be sure if they qualify for a property.
The law technically applies to those who are "domiciled" in China and do not have U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, and much of the confusion focuses on the sense of "settled." Sellers and real estate agents can face up to one year in prison for breaking the law.
Yuji Hu, who has been in the real estate business in Florida for 10 years, said: "I get calls every day from people asking if they can legally buy a house. I told them to talk to a lawyer, but for those who couldn't confirm their identity, we didn't want to take the risk. "
In total, Florida's laws restrict the ownership of property by "foreign settlors" in six "countries of concern," such as "Venezuela and Cuba." However, the heaviest restrictions and the harshest penalties are specifically targeted at Chinese citizens.
The bill is part of a broader package of laws passed by the Florida legislature last spring, which also includes a law that restricts the state's public universities and colleges from offering research positions to students from China and other countries. The law is also subject to unconstitutional prosecutions.
Civil rights and residents' groups sued the Florida law in federal court on the grounds that it violated the Equal Protection Clause and the Fair Housing Act and weakened the federal government's powers in foreign affairs.
Ashley Gorsky, a senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union, said: "There is no evidence that Chinese homeowners cause harm to national security. "The coalition he is a member of is one of several groups that have filed a lawsuit.
May Engey, a professor of history and Asian-American studies at Columbia University, said Florida's laws were reminiscent of the alien land laws of the early 20th century, which effectively barred Asian immigrants from buying farmland and, in some cases, homes in many states.
"They see Asians as an alien invasion that will take over the United States," Engai said. ”
After the bill was introduced last spring, the Chinese community in Florida began organizing rallies and door-knocking to express their opposition.
In Texas, opposition from the Asian-American community, which includes a former Chinese-American Republican state legislator, helped revoke some provisions of a similar bill. But in Florida, the Chinese community makes up only 0.6 percent of the state's population. Many are first-generation immigrants who come to the state to attend college or work. There are also no voices of Asian-American politicians in the legislature.
Chinese make up only 0.6 percent of Florida's population and don't care about politics
Sonny Lang, a real estate agent in Tallahassee, said she now takes a closer look at Google Maps to estimate where her Chinese clients are eligible to buy properties. Florida has about 20 major military bases, many small military outposts, and even so-called vital facilities such as airports and water treatment plants are covered by the law.
"A lot of my clients want to buy housing in a neighborhood with a good school district, but it's too close to the airport, and that's a huge test for me," she said. "
Asian-Americans are also concerned that the law will lead to the characterization of anyone who is considered Chinese, regardless of whether they have citizenship or permanent residence permit status.
One man said he had a few words in Mandarin with his parents during a property viewing, and the real estate agent who showed them asked him if he was eligible to buy a home.
Evelyn Young, a real estate agent at Palm Beach Gardens, said that shortly after the law went into effect, she inquired repeatedly about an apartment in Miami on behalf of a Chinese client with permanent residency, but did not receive a response from the seller's agent for days.
"When they finally answered my call, they just said, 'Can your buyers buy it? Chinese can't buy it now? When they saw that our name was in Chinese, they thought we couldn't buy it," Yang recalled. "
Scott Chang, senior counsel at the National Fair Housing Coalition, said such interactions could be considered intentional discrimination based on nationality, which is prohibited by the Fair Housing Act of 1968. On Monday, the coalition and several other organizations plan to announce a new lawsuit.
Nearly a year after her failed attempt to buy a home, Lisa Lee, who rents in Miami, still remembers with vivid memories of those days when she frantically tried to salvage her deal.
Desperate appeals to lawyers and state legislators, calculating the time it took to distance her real estate agent even drove to a Coast Guard outpost in South Beach to try to determine if it was a "military installation" under the law.
Lee said she still enjoys living in Miami. It was very clean compared to the New York City where she had stayed before. She enjoys taking tennis lessons on the courts at Isle of Palms and exploring the variety of food with her friends.
But the experience of buying a house left her with unforgettable bitterness.
"I think I'll probably have to leave," she said, "and who knows what policy they're going to come up with next?"
When Buying a Home Is Treated as a National Security Threat. By Amy Qin and Patricia Mazzei on The New York Times, May 6, 2024。
After years of living in dorms and subpar apartments, Lisa Li could not wait to close on her new home.
The one-bedroom condo in Miami’s financial district had a view of the river, was in a safe neighborhood and, Li heard, had neighbors who were much like her — less party, more chill. So Li, 28, who came to the United States 11 years ago as a college student from China, put in an offer, had her bid accepted and began ordering furniture.
Then things took a sharp turn. At the last minute, the title company raised concerns about a small U.S. Coast Guard outpost near South Beach a few miles away. Her purchase, the company said, might run afoul of a new Florida law that prohibits many Chinese citizens from buying property in the state, especially near military installations, airports or refineries.
Under the law, Li could face prison time, and the sellers and real estate agents could be held liable. The deal collapsed.
“The whole experience was very hurtful and tiring,” Li said in a recent interview at a cafe in Miami, where she is still renting. “I just feel that, as someone who has lived and worked in this country for many years, and as a legal taxpayer, at the very least I should have the ability to buy a home that I can live in.”
More than three dozen states have enacted or are considering similar laws restricting land purchases by Chinese citizens and companies, arguing that such transactions are a growing threat to national security and that the federal government has failed to stop Chinese Communist Party influence in America.
Florida’s law, which went into effect in July, is among the furthest reaching. In addition to barring Chinese entities from buying agricultural land, it effectively prohibits most Chinese individuals without a green card from purchasing residential property. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the measure just before launching his Republican presidential campaign, warning voters that China represented the biggest threat to the United States.
In more than a dozen interviews, Chinese residents in Florida voiced frustrations about being cut off from the ultimate American dream. Other residents of Chinese descent said they faced discrimination as they tried to buy a home. Some said they lived in fear over whether they may have inadvertently violated the law.
Civil rights and Asian American groups are unaware of anyone being charged with violating the law. But some people of Chinese descent said they feel the anti-China sentiment intensifying. The law is currently being challenged in federal court.
“I never felt any discrimination here before this law,” said Jin Bian, a Chinese software developer who works in Tampa and is among those now barred from buying property. “But now I’m wondering if I need to leave Florida.”
The law has also had an apparent chilling effect on the real estate industry, an important part of the state’s economy. Developers often rely on Chinese investors to help build projects in Florida, and the law appears to have barred such financing, prompting pushback from a prominent real estate lobbying group.
Yukey Hoo, a real estate agent in Winter Garden, a suburb of Orlando, estimated that she has turned away 10 potential clients — about one-fifth of her usual business — because she could not determine whether they were eligible to buy property.
The law technically applies to people who are “domiciled” in China and don’t hold U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, and much of the confusion has centered on what “domicile” means. Sellers and real estate agents can face up to one year of prison time for violating the law.
“Every day I am getting phone calls from people asking if they can buy a house under the law,” said Hoo, who has sold real estate in Florida for 10 years. “I tell them to talk to an attorney, but for those who aren’t sure about their status, we don’t want to take the risk.”
The Florida law restricts “foreign principals” from six other “countries of concern,” like Venezuela and Cuba, from owning property. But the most onerous restrictions — and harshest penalties — are specifically aimed at Chinese citizens.
The law was part of a broader package passed by the Florida Legislature last spring that included a bill restricting the state’s public universities and colleges from offering research positions to students from China and other countries. That law is also being challenged in court.
Civil rights groups and residents have challenged the Florida law in federal court on grounds that it violates the Equal Protection Clause and the Fair Housing Act, and that it undercuts the federal government powers on foreign affairs.
“There’s no evidence that Chinese homeownership poses harm to national security,” said Ashley Gorski, senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, one of several groups that brought the suit.
Mae Ngai, a professor of history and Asian American Studies at Columbia University, said the Florida law recalled the alien land laws from the early 20th century, which effectively prohibited Asian immigrants from buying farmland and, in some cases, homes in many states.
“They saw Asians as an alien invasion that was going to take over America,” Ngai said.
After the bill was introduced last spring, the Chinese community in Florida began frantically organizing rallies and door-knocking sessions.
In Texas, opposition from the Asian American community, including a former Republican lawmaker of Chinese descent, helped roll back some provisions in a similar bill. But in Florida, the Chinese community is just 0.6% of the population. Many are first-generation immigrants who moved to the state to study or work at universities. And there are very few Asian American politicians in the Legislature.
Sunny Long, a real estate agent in Tallahassee, said that she now pores over Google Maps to approximate where her Chinese clients could be eligible to buy property. Florida has around 20 major military bases, many small military outposts and even more critical facilities like airports and water treatment plants that could be covered under the law.
“Many of my clients would like to buy in a certain neighborhood that has a good school district, but it’s too close to the airport,” she said. “It’s been a big test for me.”
Asian Americans are also concerned that the law has led to profiling of anyone perceived to be Chinese, no matter their citizenship or residency status.
One man said a real estate agent at an open house asked him if he was qualified to buy the house after he chatted in Mandarin with his parents.
Evelyn Yang, a real estate agent in Palm Beach Gardens, said that shortly after the law went into effect, she repeatedly made inquiries about an apartment in Miami on behalf of a Chinese client who had permanent residency. She didn’t hear back from the seller’s agent for days, she said.
“When they finally returned my calls, they just said, ‘Can your buyer buy? Can’t Chinese people not buy right now?’” Yang recalled. “They see that our names are Chinese and assume that we can’t buy.”
Such interactions could be considered intentional discrimination based on national origin, which is prohibited by the Fair Housing Act of 1968, said Scott Chang, senior counsel for the National Fair Housing Alliance. On Monday, the alliance and several other groups plan to announce a new lawsuit making that allegation.
Nearly one year after her homebuying attempt fell through, Li, the renter in Miami, still vividly recalls the days spent frantically trying to salvage her deal.
The desperate calls to attorneys and state lawmakers. The time spent calculating distances. Li’s real estate agent even drove to the Coast Guard outpost on South Beach to try to determine if it was a “military installation” under the law.
Li said she still loved living in Miami. It was clean compared to New York City, where she lived before. She loved taking tennis lessons at the courts in Palm Island Park and exploring the diverse food scene with her friends.
But the experience left her with a bitter taste.
“I think I may just have to leave,” she said. “Who knows what policies they might come up with next?”