The Chinese Exclusion Law is one of the first really comprehensively restrictive laws. California was a state that was most concerned about Chinese immigration throughout the 19th century. The states went further to try to deter them from coming by preventing them from buying land. If you can't buy land, you'd less likely to immigrate to the United States.
A new Florida law will restrict where Chinese citizens can buy homes, and other states may follow suit. The legislation is eerily similar to racist land laws from over 100 years ago. Vox reporter Li Zhou and Hofstra law professor Julian Ku explain.
This episode was produced by Haleema Shah, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Patrick Boyd with help from Michael Raphael, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.
Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained
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