Shelley Luther became nationally known at the start of the pandemic in 2020 when she refused to shut down her Dallas salon, defying emergency orders. Luther is now a Republican candidate for the Texas House.

In a since-deleted tweet, she said, “Chinese students should be BANNED from attending all Texas universities. No more Communists!”

“Texas taxpayers should not be subsidizing the next generation of CCP leaders,” she continued.

“It’s common sense: CCP members should not have access to our schools,” Luther tweeted.

Gene Wu, a Chinese American State Representative from Houston, condemned her statements saying, “Luther’s statements are ignorant, hateful, and incite violence against not only Chinese Americans, but all Asian Americans.”

"To casually conflate all Chinese students in America with actual registered members of the ruling party in the People’s Republic of China is not only ignorance of an extreme nature, it is also the type of rhetoric that drives anti-Asian hate crimes. Luther’s racist statement not only paints a target on the backs of Chinese nationals studying in America, but it labels and targets anyone who looks or sounds vaguely Asian as a potential enemy. As we have seen repeatedly, racists who seek out people to harm are not overly concerned who they target,” Rep. Wu said.

What Texas taxpayers should not be subsidizing is the next generation of racist political leaders.

Texas… you deserve better.