[ACLU] Civil Rights Coalition Condemns Court Decision Upholding Missouri Employer Sanctions Law

[jody]

Civil Rights Coalition Condemns Court Decision Upholding Missouri Employer Sanctions Law

VALLEY PARK, MO – Today a Missouri federal court upheld the City of Valley Park's so-called “Illegal Immigration Relief Act” that unlawfully punishes business owners and employers who are suspected of hiring undocumented workers.

The Act is the latest in a series of ordinances passed in Valley Park seeking to drive immigrants out of the City. After the first two of such laws were struck down by a Missouri state court in a separate lawsuit in March of last year, Valley Park, in an attempt to circumvent that court decision, enacted amended ordinances that punished employers and landlords for renting to or hiring undocumented immigrants. Valley Park decided to repeal the housing ordinance this past summer when faced with a lawsuit brought by a several landlords. The decision today addresses only the remaining employment ordinance.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"This decision contradicts the other court rulings invalidating municipal ordinances and is at odds with the clear congressional mandate imposing a uniform federal immigration enforcement system. If every city and town across the country were allowed to enact its own immigration laws, we would end up with chaos and confusion causing discrimination and profiling against individuals based on their appearance, accent and ethnicity. The city’s attempt to force local employers to use a flawed federal database ignores the proven errors and inaccuracies in that system."

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Valley Park wisely abandoned its earlier attempt to deny housing based on suspected immigration status and should do the same with this discriminatory employment law. As Escondido, California and other cities that have rejected or repealed similar ordinances know, punishing immigrants is not only illegal but unwise. The real solution to the misguided concerns that lead localities to enact these ordinances is for Congress to fix the broken immigration system and adopt comprehensive immigration reform."

Another view, Federal judge upholds Mo. town's ordinance punishing businesses that hire illegal immigrants

A federal judge has upheld an ordinance in a suburban St. Louis town that penalizes businesses that hire illegal immigrants.

U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber ruled late Thursday that the city of Valley Park, Mo.'s ordinance is not pre-empted by federal law, does not discriminate against Hispanics and does not violate due-process rights or Missouri law.

The ordinance "is not preempted by federal law, to the contrary, federal law specifically permits such licensing laws as the one at issue," Webber wrote.