LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — In a letter to Attorney General Tim Griffin, the Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward expressed "reasonable suspicion" that a business in Sebastian County may be violating Act 636, a new law passed in Arkansas that bans some foreign countries from owning land in Arkansas due to national security concerns.
The letter stated the business, 4811 S Zero Street, LLC, allegedly may have "ownership ties with China and the Chinese Communist Party" that could pose national security concerns due to the site's "proximity to Ebbing Air National Guard Base."
This came after the department performed a preliminary investigation into the business entity that reportedly raised "reasonable suspicion" of the company's ties to China.
The address that the company, 4811 S Zero Street, LLC, is named after is near the Fort Smith Regional Airport.
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued the following statement in support of the department's letter:
"Communist China is America’s greatest adversary. I won’t let them buy up land close to our military installations and spy on our nation’s defense assets. I kicked out a CCP state-owned company once and will do it again to protect Arkansas’ Ebbing Air National Guard Base."