Anti-Immigrant Housing Ordinance Restrained

By TChris, Section Court Decisions
Posted on Tue Jun 19, 2007 at 06:53:26 PM EST
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Another ordinance designed to drive undocumented aliens out of town has been enjoined.

The [Farmers Branch, TX] ordinance would have required apartment managers to verify that renters are U.S. citizens or legal immigrants before leasing to them, with a few exceptions. Landlords would have faced fines of up to $500 for violating the measure with each day considered as a separate violation.

The mean-spirited idea seems to be that undocumented aliens should be forced to join sex offenders who, in the absence of legal housing alternatives, are forced to live under a bridge.

A similar ordinance in Hazleton, PA met a similar fate.

"Around the nation, every judge who has reviewed these local anti-immigrant ordinances has put a stop to them," said Nina Perales, the regional counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund who argued for the preliminary injunction. "Immigration reform is a federal responsibility and local anti-immigrant ordinances only hurt city economies and community relations."

U.S. District Judge Sam Lindsay issued a temporary restraining order May 21, blocking the law's enforcement a day before it was to take effect. The judge later extended the restraining order until June 19 to consider the preliminary injunction.

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Anti-Immigrant Housing Ordinance Restrained | 21 comments (21 topical)

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Escondido, CA city council passed (5.00 / 1) (#1)
by oculus on Tue Jun 19, 2007 at 06:57:22 PM EST

a similar ordinance but didn't enforce it because the City Attorney told the council it was not constitutional. Of course, the City Attorney told them the same thing before the council passed the ordinance.

Speeding (1.00 / 1) (#2)
by jarober on Tue Jun 19, 2007 at 08:12:01 PM EST

Do you also find speeding enforcement to be mean spirited? How about rent collection? I find it hard to believe that you can be a member of the bar when you advocate ignoring so much of the law.

Wouldn't a small govt. loving, (5.00 / 1) (#3)
by kdog on Tue Jun 19, 2007 at 08:38:08 PM EST

conservative minded person want to keep the govt. out of the tenant/landlord relationship as much as possible?

I swear...I'm more conservative than the Republican party these days.


kdog (1.00 / 0) (#6)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jun 20, 2007 at 08:34:44 AM EST

If we didn't have 15 million illegals in the country with thousands more coming in, you would have a point.

This law's is based on a desire to keep the illegal aliens out.

See how one bad thing leads to another??


Remember who you're talking too.... (none / 0) (#8)
by kdog on Wed Jun 20, 2007 at 08:45:44 AM EST

old buddy. The immigrants don't bother me, the state does. I have a hard time tolerating any new intrusions into our lives.


: kdog (1.00 / 0) (#9)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jun 20, 2007 at 11:40:36 AM EST

How could I forget???
;-)
As I keep telling you, you don't have to trust one and distrust the other, or vice versa....
Seeing that people obey the law doesn't mean that you have to trust the government.

anti-immigrant housing ordinance (1.00 / 1) (#4)
by bluedog on Tue Jun 19, 2007 at 08:39:53 PM EST

anti immigrant? catchy! Pro choice instead of anti life, quality of life instead of euthanasia.Thats what I love about the left, catchy little phrases for absurd positions.Protecting taxpayers from third world welfare thieves is anti immigration!To each according to his need!!!Good work Comrad !

DA (1.00 / 0) (#18)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jun 20, 2007 at 05:28:51 PM EST

Since the law of the land says nothing about nuke free zones.....no.

Let's also remember this: (none / 0) (#5)
by scribe on Wed Jun 20, 2007 at 07:46:43 AM EST

Hazleton, PA is the hometown of Judy Something Something Something Nathan Giuliani, and her parents still live there.

Having some knowledge of the attitudes in that part of the country and their ubiquity among the inhabitants, I'd opine it very likely she shares the anti-immigrant, anti-brown attitudes expressing themselves through that ordinance, and other ordinances like it. Those attitudes are )almost universally) built-in to those growing up there.

Of course we also need remember her man Rudy wants, as one of his Twelve Commandments, to locate and register all non-citizens in the US. Though I haven't seen it addressed or discussed anywhere, that sort of plan necessarily requires everyone to be issued a government-issued and approved ID. This inevitably leads through only one or two more steps to a full-up police state.

scribe (1.00 / 0) (#7)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jun 20, 2007 at 08:36:31 AM EST

And your solution is??


go after (none / 0) (#11)
by Jen M on Wed Jun 20, 2007 at 11:55:20 AM EST

the employers


Works for me (1.00 / 0) (#15)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jun 20, 2007 at 05:04:14 PM EST

but to do that you are going to have to produce an ID system that will let the employer depend on its accuracy.

See the problem??


: yes (none / 0) (#20)
by Jen M on Wed Jun 20, 2007 at 08:07:16 PM EST

I know the problem
"what part of illegal don't you understand" only applies to the ones without any power
When its the moneyed employers then its suddenly all sympathy and empathy

Hmmmm... Kdog set me to wondering (none / 0) (#10)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jun 20, 2007 at 11:44:53 AM EST

Why does someone with a Libertarian bent think that LOCAL governments should not enforce LOCAL laws that cover LOCAL actions by ILLEGAL ALIENS.

Isn't that what's desired? Minimum government at the lowest level??

Is it because that doing so flies against the grain of "open borders?"

Even local governments... (none / 0) (#12)
by kdog on Wed Jun 20, 2007 at 01:17:58 PM EST

can be over-reaching and tyrannical.

For example, a local county government in my area
wants to start arresting parents who serve their 20 year old kids booze.

I guess I'm closer to anarchist than libertarian if libertarians are ok with letting local government decide who can rent in their community. Thats not minimal government.


kdog (none / 0) (#16)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jun 20, 2007 at 05:06:17 PM EST

Anarchist??? Hmmmmmm..

Uh, the local government is trying to enforce a law that says illegal aliens shouldn't be in this country....


: Not the bomb-making... (none / 0) (#17)
by kdog on Wed Jun 20, 2007 at 05:14:16 PM EST

rock throwing kind of anarchist...the leave me the hell alone to live my life kind of anarchist.
I don't think these local governments are trying to enforce immigration law at all...they are simply passing new housing ordinances that are, in my opinion, tyrannical. The target just happpens to be illegal immigrants, in other localities its smokers.

Give the landlords a break (none / 0) (#13)
by Joe Bob on Wed Jun 20, 2007 at 03:42:47 PM EST

I have spent some time living near or in rental properties with problem tenants. That said, I think a landlord's responsibility starts and ends with renting and maintaining housing that meets the prevailing building standards. That's it.

Landlords are not the police, the sheriff, or immigration officials. Those roles should be played by the local PD, the county, and ICE. Various municipalities and agencies are always trying to rope rental property owners into one enforcement scheme or another and it's just not their job.

Employers (none / 0) (#21)
by diogenes on Wed Jun 20, 2007 at 09:07:42 PM EST

Since some here think that employers and not landlords should enforce the law, isn't it time for that national ID card?

diogenes (none / 0) (#22)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jun 20, 2007 at 10:10:58 PM EST

Obviously.

But that bothers the Libertarian Left, and the budding anarchist (Sorry kdog.)

But I think what really bothers them is the thought of no open borders.


: Speaking of bothers..... (none / 0) (#23)
by kdog on Thu Jun 21, 2007 at 10:11:49 AM EST

I'll tell ya what bothers me....the autoritarianism you guys covet.