(The Center Square) − Louisiana lawmakers are eyeing legislation that will attempt to limit the state’s vulnerability to China.
On Tuesday, legislators and security experts convened the first meeting of the Task Force on Protecting Louisiana’s Critical Infrastructure from Foreign Adversaries. Members of the task force include the FBI, the state police, the attorney general’s office and the National Guard.
While the task force will not exclusively focus on threats from China, from the first moments it was clear that threats from China would dominate the meeting’s discussion.
It was recently reported by The Center Square that China was targeting the Mississippi river-system, and that Chinese entities are increasingly targeting major ports in southern Louisiana, which serve as the gateway to the rest of the river network and the U.S. interior.
FBI Special Agent Benjamin Dreessen said China is “anticipating major conflict with the U.S.,” and is working to interfere with the American military, “induce panic” and “impede decision making in the White House”. Similar remarks were made during the task force meeting.
China aims to “surround the adversary to make it impossible for the adversary to move to remove flexibility…,” Michael Lucci with State Armor said on Tuesday. State Armor is a firm that “helps states enact solutions to global security threats.”
Louisiana would be a prime target for such threats given the state’s presence in energy. Louisiana’s 15 refineries handle roughly one-sixth of U.S. refining capacity – nearly 3 million barrels per day – while the state accounts for about 9% of national marketed natural-gas production, driven by the Haynesville Shale.
On the export side, Louisiana has become the nation’s liquefied natural gas workhorse. In September 2025, terminals in the state shipped an estimated 61% of all American cargoes, and Plaquemines LNG alone was poised to supply more than 17% of U.S. exports as it completed commissioning
Chairwoman Valarie Hodges, R-Denham Springs, mentioned that the state is “the gateway to America,” and that “strong national security begins with the state.”
Beyond physical infrastructure, the task force also spoke on cultural and intellectual influence from China – particularly on college campuses.
Lucci mentioned the Chinese Students and Scholars Association involved in “transnational repression,” and identified by the U.S. Department of State as a part of China’s United Front political warfare campaign.
“The fact that Chinese nationals have student visas, who very often are also on the faculty of our universities is a potential threat,” said Chris Holton with the Center for Security Policy. “There’s got to be a lot more transparency about that.”
Holton, not a member of the task force, advocated for policies that would “disclose exactly who is on our college campuses, what their background is, what kind of research they are carrying out.”
Holton said that such legislation was already being pursued.
“Chinese nationals should not be here learning about rocketry,” Holton continued.
The task force mentioned measures taken by other states, particularly Florida, that have worked to limit their exposure to China.
In 2023, Florida lawmakers passed legislation restricting people from “foreign countries of concern” – with the toughest rules on Chinese citizens – from buying certain real estate, including land near military bases and “critical infrastructure.”
Florida also moved against higher education ties with legislation limiting state colleges’ partnerships with institutions in “countries of concern.” A federal court later blocked the portion affecting academic employment of nationals from those countries, including China.
The scope and focus of any Louisiana legislation is currently very broad and unclear, but Hodges introduced legislation this past session that would have prohibited foreign adversaries from “participating” in certain property transactions. The bill passed the Senate, but never made it to the House.
