Anti-Illegal-Immigrant Law OK'd in Texas
FARMERS BRANCH, Texas (AP) - Voters in this Dallas suburb became the first in the nation Saturday to prohibit landlords from renting to most illegal immigrants.
The ban was approved by a vote of 68 percent to 32 percent in final, unofficial returns.
The balloting marked the first public vote on a local government measure to crack down on illegal immigration.
"It says especially to Congress that we're tired of the out-of-control illegal immigration problem. That if Congress doesn't do something about it, cities will," said Tim O'Hare, a City Council member who was the ordinance's lead proponent.
The ordinance requires apartment managers to verify that renters are U.S. citizens or legal immigrants before leasing to them, with some exceptions.
Property managers or owners who break the rule face a misdemeanor charge punishable by a fine of up to $500.
Council members approved the ordinance in November, then revised it in January to include exemptions for minors, seniors and some families with a mix of legal residents and illegal immigrants.
Farmers Branch has become the site of protests and angry confrontations, and opponents of the regulation gathered enough signatures to force the city to put the measure on the municipal election ballot.
With Saturday's approval of the ban, opponents plan to fight it in court, and will seek a restraining order to stop the city from enforcing it.
The city was already facing four lawsuits brought by civil rights groups, residents, property owners and businesses who contend the ordinance discriminates and that it places landlords in the precarious position of acting as federal immigration officers. Their attorneys say the ordinance attempts to regulate immigration, a duty that is exclusively the federal government's. One lawsuit also alleges the council violated the state open meetings act when deciding on the ordinance.
O'Hare contends the city's economy and quality of life will improve if illegal immigrants are kept out.
Around the country, more than 90 local governments have proposed, passed or rejected laws prohibiting landlords from leasing to illegal immigrants, penalizing businesses that employ them or training police to enforce immigration laws.
Local proposals aimed at regulating illegal immigration often fail to pass constitutional muster, said Muzaffar Chishti, director of the Migration Policy Institute office at New York University School of Law.
"There is significant frustration, so that's what's driving it," Chishti said. "But the simple fact is they cannot do too much other than impress upon the Congress the need for immigration reform."
The ban was approved by a vote of 68 percent to 32 percent in final, unofficial returns.
The balloting marked the first public vote on a local government measure to crack down on illegal immigration.
"It says especially to Congress that we're tired of the out-of-control illegal immigration problem. That if Congress doesn't do something about it, cities will," said Tim O'Hare, a City Council member who was the ordinance's lead proponent.
The ordinance requires apartment managers to verify that renters are U.S. citizens or legal immigrants before leasing to them, with some exceptions.
Property managers or owners who break the rule face a misdemeanor charge punishable by a fine of up to $500.
Council members approved the ordinance in November, then revised it in January to include exemptions for minors, seniors and some families with a mix of legal residents and illegal immigrants.
Farmers Branch has become the site of protests and angry confrontations, and opponents of the regulation gathered enough signatures to force the city to put the measure on the municipal election ballot.
With Saturday's approval of the ban, opponents plan to fight it in court, and will seek a restraining order to stop the city from enforcing it.
The city was already facing four lawsuits brought by civil rights groups, residents, property owners and businesses who contend the ordinance discriminates and that it places landlords in the precarious position of acting as federal immigration officers. Their attorneys say the ordinance attempts to regulate immigration, a duty that is exclusively the federal government's. One lawsuit also alleges the council violated the state open meetings act when deciding on the ordinance.
O'Hare contends the city's economy and quality of life will improve if illegal immigrants are kept out.
Around the country, more than 90 local governments have proposed, passed or rejected laws prohibiting landlords from leasing to illegal immigrants, penalizing businesses that employ them or training police to enforce immigration laws.
Local proposals aimed at regulating illegal immigration often fail to pass constitutional muster, said Muzaffar Chishti, director of the Migration Policy Institute office at New York University School of Law.
"There is significant frustration, so that's what's driving it," Chishti said. "But the simple fact is they cannot do too much other than impress upon the Congress the need for immigration reform."
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I wonder if the law says just HOW you are supposed to "verify" that they are illegal?
No one has said how to tell.
Merc0 -
quote:Originally posted by Mercury
I wonder if the law says just HOW you are supposed to "verify" that they are illegal?
No one has said how to tell.
Merc
Pretty simple. Kinda like "verifying" that you have a driver's license. If there is no reasonable proof you have a license, then it is reasonable to think you do not have one and you deserve a ticket.
If you can not provide any reasonable proof you are in the USA legally, then it can reasonably be assumed that you are here illegally and derserve detention and a ride back home.
It is funny to me how most people are quick and eager to provide documentation that they own a car they are trying to sell you, or that they are the legally authorized to receive some money or benefits, or proving they paid some bill in full or that some bill owed them was NOT paid in full, but when it comes to proving you belong here suddenly that should not be required according to some people.0 -
BRAVO.....i assume that at the least some American citizens are trying to preserve their justly earned way of life when most are just looking the other way...what happens when your lifetime's work is soaked up in taxes for millions of poor, illiterate, & ill, what happens when your communities are changed by language & culture that has no respect for the nation that was so much better than that they fled..what happens when a voting block of newbies graciously given this right lowers its hosts to their former position in life...the elected people wont care because they have guaranteed their retirement...the professional class wont care because of their income level...the ACLU wont care because then they will have a new class of clients to serve..who is left to shoulder all this...just joe average...income down..taxes up 0 -
Tr fox,
Ok, I'll bite, HOW would they prove that they are here legally? Would a driver's license work? Social security card? What? No one has said.
Merc0 -
How about something lke this which is in use in Middlesex County at this time.
PRIMARY DOCUMENTS
PROOF OF IDENTITY
ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
* Certified Birth certificate from Vital Statistics (If married female, must also present marriage certificate)
* Valid U.S. Passport
* Adoption papers
* Valid U.S. military active duty photo ID
* Certificate of Naturalization
* Certificate of Citizenship
* Permanent resident card (valid)
* Valid foreign passport with I-551 stamp /valid visa
SECONDARY DOCUMENTS
ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
* Social Security Card
* Middlesex County Voter Registration Card
* NJ Driver License with a Middlesex County Address
* Municipal, County, State or Federal Government Employee Card
* DD-214 Military Discharge Record
PROOF OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY RESIDENCY
1 OF THE FOLLOWING WITH NAME AND ADDRESS:
* Business mail issued within the last 90 days
* Property tax bill, statement or receipt within the last year
* High school or college report card or transcript from within the past two years
* Recent tax return form
* Recent pay stub
* Valid drivers license0
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