On September 18, the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee held a hearing in Room 310 of the Cannon House Office Building in Washington. The theme was “Invasion of the Homeland: How China is Using Illegal Marijuana to Build a Criminal Network Across America.” The hearing revealed that illegal marijuana farms linked to Chinese nationals have rapidly expanded across multiple U.S. states, controlling thousands of acres of land, some located near military facilities, raising concerns over national security and food safety. Witnesses, including the Director of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, testified that these farms are tied to transnational crime networks and urged urgent federal action. Meanwhile, the Chinese American community voiced concerns on social media platform X, fearing that ordinary Chinese American farmers could be stigmatized and their rights harmed.
The hearing, chaired by Subcommittee Chairman Josh Brecheen of the Homeland Security Committee’s Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability Subcommittee, lasted about three hours and was livestreamed on YouTube and C-SPAN. Three witnesses provided key testimony: Donnie Anderson, Director of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics; former DEA special agent Christopher Urben; and Heritage Foundation researcher Paul Larkin.
Anderson disclosed that at its peak, Oklahoma had more than 8,400 marijuana farms, most of them illegal, involving a $153 billion black-market trade. These farms often purchased land through intermediary networks, with some located near military facilities such as the nation’s largest munitions plant, raising suspicions of intelligence gathering and supply chain disruption. He cited a 2022 case where four Chinese nationals were executed near a farm, and a July 2025 case in which a Canadian man was robbed and murdered at a Lake Thunderbird farm—incidents highlighting the threat of violent crime.
Urben further revealed that these farms collaborate with Mexican cartels, engaging in fentanyl trafficking, weapons smuggling, and money laundering, with funds flowing to mainland China. He noted that a single Oklahoma resident could legally hold 300 farms, underscoring the complexity of the criminal networks. Larkin, from a legal perspective, recommended establishing a federal RICO task force to combat “state-supported criminal syndicates” and reform land purchase laws to prohibit foreign entities from acquiring sensitive farmland. He also stressed that encrypted Chinese apps such as WeChat obstruct U.S. law enforcement and that electronic surveillance barriers must be addressed. Chairman Brecheen labeled the farms a “domestic invasion,” calling for investigations into possible links between government agencies and criminal networks. Democratic Representative Troy Carter, however, pointed out that loopholes in the 2018 Farm Bill blurred the line between legal and illegal marijuana, stressing the need to balance enforcement with industry regulation.
In response to the crisis, Oklahoma has passed legislation banning foreign nationals from purchasing farmland. Texas, Florida, and other states have launched similar investigations. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Homeland Security have set up a task force to track financial flows and supply chains. The hearing recommended federal funding to support state-level investigations and plans to release a detailed report next month, which is expected to drive new legislation.
However, the issue has created unease among Chinese American communities. While most illegal farms are operated by criminal syndicates, Chinese Americans fear that ordinary farmers may be unfairly targeted. In California and Oregon, many Chinese American families have farmed vegetables and fruits for generations, but recent media reports linking farms broadly to “China” risk fueling anti-Asian prejudice—especially against the backdrop of tense U.S.-China relations.
On X, Chinese American users launched heated discussions. One California farm owner posted: “Our family has grown vegetables for three generations and never engaged in illegal activities, yet we’re suspected because of our ethnicity. It’s so unfair!” Another user urged: “Law enforcement should go after criminal organizations, not scapegoat Chinese Americans!” The United Chinese Americans (UCA) group is planning a forum in Los Angeles, inviting law enforcement officials and agricultural experts to discuss how to protect the rights of legitimate farmers. Community members also launched the hashtag #ProtectOurFarms to highlight the contributions of Chinese American farmers and to urge the media to distinguish between criminal networks and ordinary immigrants.
