Justice Department says new Florida law restricting Chinese land ownership is unconstitutional

Nor were comments provided in response to a request from the state Department of Economic Opportunity or Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, both of which are named as defendants in the lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. The new law labels seven nations as a "Foreign country of concern" - China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria and Venezuela - and restricts property ownership for some residents from those countries. Some Chinese citizens would be prohibited from purchasing more than two acres of land, and there are misdemeanor criminal penalties for property sellers who knowingly violate the law. The ACLU says the new law would cast "An undue burden of suspicion" on anyone trying to buy a house as long as their "Name sounds remotely Asian." Four Chinese immigrants and Multi-Choice Realty, LLC are plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit filed in May and requested an emergency preliminary injunction earlier this month blocking implementation of the law. The department says additional restrictions on owning land near military installations and "Critical" infrastructure will make large parts of Florida "Essentially off-limits" to people based on their nationality. "DOJ has weighed in because Florida's law is blatantly unconstitutional and violates the Fair Housing Act," Gorski said.