Alien land laws were a series of legislative attempts to discourage Asian and other "non-desirable" immigrants from settling permanently in U.S. states and territories by limiting their ability to own land …

2 days ago · “Alien land laws” frame Asian land ownership as a national security threat, echoing the United States’ historical exclusionary policies.

California, along with many other western states, enacted laws that banned "aliens ineligible for citizenship" from owning or leasing land. The Supreme Court upheld these laws as constitutional.

Aug 1, 2024 · Alien land laws that restricted aliens' rights to agricultural lands, so often associated with anti-Japanese racism, were initially designed to prevent large-scale absentee landlords from buying …

May 3, 2025 · After the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Law ended immigration from China, the Alien Land Law targeted nearly 40,000 Japanese people living in California. It empowered prosecutors to file escheat …

Nov 6, 2025 · On May 3, 1913, California enacted the Alien Land Law, designed to deny Japanese families their foothold in America by denying them the right to own land.

Alien land laws were legislative measures in the United States, primarily enacted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, designed to restrict land ownership for noncitizens, particularly targeting Asian …