Jason Yuan, a second-hand car shop owner, closes the hood of a vehicle after tightening the last nut on the battery terminal - a routine he is all too familiar with.
Texas has long felt like home for him, as a naturalised US citizen born in China. But a recently passed state law is shaking his belief in his chosen homeland.
Texas Senate Bill 17 of 2025, also known as SB 17, will take effect on 1 September, restricting people and companies from China, Iran, North Korea and Russia from purchasing and renting property.
Officials say the bill is to protect national security. But to people like Mr Yuan, it sends a discriminatory message - that people who look like him are not welcome in Texas.
It is anti-Asian, anti-immigrant, and specifically against Chinese-Americans, said Texas Representative Gene Wu, a Democrat leading the fight against the bill.
The new law could harm businesses in Texas, Wu told the BBC. Companies that could bring millions of dollars of investment to the state are looking for options elsewhere.
SB 17 was proposed earlier this year and signed into law on 20 June by Governor Greg Abbott, who called it the toughest ban in America to keep away foreign adversaries.
It prohibits certain individuals and organisations of countries designated as national security threats from acquiring property in Texas - including homes, commercial space and agricultural land. It also restricts the length of time for which they can rent property to less than one year.
China is the first country named in the legislation, which accuses Beijing of using coercive, subversive, and malignant influence activities to weaken the United States in its bid to surpass the US economically, militarily and politically.
Individuals violating the law face fines over $250,000 or imprisonment. Critics note that US citizens and green card holders are exempt and that valid visa-holders can still own one primary residence. However, opponents believe the law's implications extend far beyond its language, subjecting anyone perceived to be Chinese to unjust suspicion.
In July, the Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance (Calda), a non-profit organisation, filed a lawsuit on behalf of three visa-holders from China, arguing that the law was unconstitutional. The judge dismissed their case, stating the plaintiffs would not be personally affected by the law. Calda has since filed an appeal.
Chinese nationals represent a significant segment of the affected population in Texas, with at least 120,000 individuals born in mainland China residing in the state as of 2023.
The xenophobic implications of SB 17 led Jason Yuan to advocate for resistance, likening it to the historical Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which sought to limit Chinese immigration based on racial prejudice.
As concerns grow over the bill's long-term impact on the Texas economy, lawmakers and business owners alike are wrestling with the dual narratives of national security and fostering discrimination.
With growing sentiment against Asian communities in the U.S., advocates like Jason Yuan urge individuals to rise against a tide that may threaten the foundational values of equity and opportunity.