Judge halts enforcement of rental ban against illegal immigrants

[struggle4progress]

Source: The Associated Press

By ANABELLE GARAY

FARMERS BRANCH, Texas — A federal judge on Monday halted enforcement of a voter-endorsed ordinance preventing apartment rentals to most illegal immigrants, a day before the ban was to take effect in this Dallas suburb.

U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay wrote in granting a temporary restraining order that only the federal government can determine whether a person is in the United States legally. ~snip~

However, "public approval of the Ordinance, by itself, does not guide the court as to whether the Ordinance complies with the law," the judge wrote in his 20-page order.

"This is important guidance for other communities and others effected by this," said William A. Brewer III, who represents several apartment complexes suing Farmers Branch over the regulation. ~snip~



Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/4823610.html

[burrowowl]

1. BRAVO!

[silverojo]

2. Yeah, let's protect lawbreakers even more!

:sarcasm:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. So you're in favor of amnesty, right?

Because then they wouldn't be illegal anymore.

[CBGLuthier]

9. No no, let's put families on the street

Show these people that the america they thought was a wonderful place is actually a cold heartless racist country and they are better off in their own lands.

[SayWhatYo]

15. Man, stop with the racist crap.

I was with you until you tried to make it a race issue. If someone is anti-ILLEGAL immigrant, it doesn't make them a racist. Just because it happens that majority of illegal immigrants come from Central America, it doesn't mean that those who are anti illegal immigration are racist. Also, the proposed law does not only target non-whites or any specific racial group.

Now, I'm not saying the law is right or wrong, I'm just saying that it isn't racist. By making such claims, it only serves to hurt the cause of illegal immigrant's rights. It would be far better to simply focus on what will happen to their families if this law is enforced.

[AlCzervik]

10. did you even RTFA? The judge's decision was well thought out and written.

[gatlingforme]

4. For what?

[Rage for Order]

13. Yes, bravo!

Screw the wishes of an overwhelming number (68%-32%) of the citizens of Farmers Branch! Obviously 68% of the residents of the city are simply racist at their core. Nevermind the fact that the most recent census puts the hispanic population at 37% per the article, and probably at least 10% black based on averages. That 47%-50% of the population of Farmers Branch is obviously self-hating minorities who have been brainwashed by KKKarl rove into voting in favor of a racist law.

[marshall]

16. Where does Kennedy stand on this?

I wonder what his take would be. Has he said how he thinks his plan would be enforced?

[TommyO]

17. I'll second that, mainly because immigration is strictly a federal issue.

[pampango]

18. Agreed, but I'm trying to figure out how the federal nature of

immigration enforcement plays into the argument that employers should be penalized for hiring illegal workers, thus acting as pseudo-immigration officers.

[gatlingforme]

3. Why don't we give them free room and board as long as they

use our schools and health care system ......... to the point where it breaks our backs. Then all we have to do is raise our taxes more.... By the time all is said and done we should be right where we were in the early 1930s.

[struggle4progress]

6. Since local schools are often funded by property taxes, the relationship ...

... between adequate school funding and immigration law violations is unclear to me. Do you have a link to support your claim?

[Justitia]

8. And the local hospitals are also funded by property taxes. The previous poster is probably unaware

of that too. Obviously if people are paying rent, they are contributing to both the local education system and the local hospital system. So, there goes that theory, huh?

[salin]

5. The ordinance seemed very

percarious - from a legal standpoint. How to enforce the enforcement - ala - the landlord/rental agent as Immigration Officer. I am not surprised by this development.

[burrowowl]

11. Which puts a hugh onus on landloards

and it is not up to landlords to go to the expense and penalty of renting.
Must everyone become like the STAZI?
Thanks for your response.

[salin]

12. I am wondering if supporters (esp DU supporters)

really want to see huge penatlies against the person who owns one or two rentals - because they can't do an easy check on the veracity of papers? Does every rental property owner have to become an expert on checking papers? When one asks - so what does this mean for rental owners - the supporters resort to absurd arguements (because you raise concerns you *must* want the country to go broke supporting illegals). Sadly, this prevents any productive policy discussions. Seriously we are supposed to hit employers (demamd) and I think that is the place to focus. But many (esp in corp America) don't want that discussion - as it would raise costs of doing business/products/servicees - and folks don't necessarily want that. Until we (as a community) discuss and agree upon the higher costs (esp for food products) of goods and services as a cost we are willing to pay per cutting out illegal immigration - it will continue to be a pointless political debate as the solutions will not fully address the "why" of the problem.

[pampango]

14. You make a good point about who needs to become a trained

immigration officer in our country. Should landlords be prosecuted for accepting counterfeit SS cards or other documents? How about if they accept counterfeit currency in payment of rent? Are they criminally liable for that? Does it matter if the counterfeits are high quality or obviously bogus and just a fig leaf to justify a rental?

And if we let landlords get away with not being good judges of the legitimacy of immigration documents, can we still come down hard on employers if they allege that they thought the documents they were shown were legitimate? Can we expect landlords and employers to serve as immigration agents, when at least some here have argued that local police shouldn't even have to serve as immigration agents in the course of their duties?