Dallas suburb bans rentals by illegal immigrants

[no name 1]

I gotta say I never thought TX would crack down on illegals...

FARMERS BRANCH, Texas (CNN) -- Illegal immigrants cannot rent or own homes in Farmers Branch, Texas, under an ordinance the city's council passed Tuesday night.

Immigration policy sparks a debate outside a 2006 Farmers Branch, Texas, City Council meeting.

The measure requires the Dallas suburb to check a renter's legal status with the federal government.

"The federal government will verify if the person is in the country legally," Mayor Pro Tem Tim O'Hare said. "If not, we will notify that person as well as the landlord in writing that they do not have the right to be in the country."

The City Council tried to crackdown on landlords who rent to illegal immigrants last year -- the latest among local and state governments to focus on illegal immigration. Yet immigrant advocates sued to block that law, and the city said it has spent $770,000 in attorneys' fees to defend it.

The case is still in court after a federal judge blocked that law, finding that city officials were trying to control immigration differently from the U.S. government, according to The Associated Press.

Attorneys for Farmers Branch have said they believe the new ordinance clears up any constitutional questions.

"If we were sued for this ordinance and had to defend this ordinance as well, it wouldn't surprise me," O'Hare said. "We're not in this for the short term. We're in this for the long haul -- for the upcoming years and decades."

If landlords continue to rent to illegal immigrants, the new ordinance would let the city fine tenants and landlords $500 a day.

Jose Galvez, a contractor and 16-year resident of Farmers Branch, criticized the decision.

"Basically you have to apply for a visa before you can become a resident of this city," Galvez said. "If there's a glitch where the federal government made a mistake or they don't have your proper information, you're the one who now has to prove once again you're here legally.

"There are other apartment complex owners who believe they've invested in this community before all of this and the way they're going on about this is not healthy."

In a referendum last year, residents in Farmers Branch approved the City Council's stance by a 2-to-1 margin.

Escondido, California; Hazleton, Pennsylvania; Riverside, New Jersey; and Pahrump, Nevada. have passed similar laws. Most cities said they acted out of frustration with the federal government for not enforcing immigration laws more vigorously.

"The effects of the government -- the feds -- not enforcing the law is 100 percent local," Escondido City Council member Marie Waldron said in November. "We have to deal with the overcrowding in our neighborhoods. We have to deal with the overcrowding of our schools and the diseases that our children are exposed to. Our police department has to fight the gangs."

In addition, the nation's governors are looking for compensation from the federal government for the cost of housing illegal immigrants in local jails.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California is one of a nearly dozen governors demanding that Washington pay the costs that states incur for jailing criminal illegal immigrants.

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[Ban Hammer 12,829]

Jose Galvez, a contractor and 16-year resident of Farmers Branch, criticized the decision.

"Basically you have to apply for a visa before you can become a resident of this city," Galvez said. "If there's a glitch where the federal government made a mistake or they don't have your proper information, you're the one who now has to prove once again you're here legally.

welcome to reality jose.

[almaty 19]

the law will not stand..tried in a small surburb in missouri..and told it was invalid law ...

[no name 1]

the law will not stand..tried in a small surburb in missouri..and told it was invalid law ...

You KNOW Texans make their own laws, Dean...

[almaty 19]

the law will not stand..tried in a small surburb in missouri..and told it was invalid law ...

You KNOW Texans make their own laws, Dean...

i know sister dev..but it was the Feds. who, came in through the fair housing act...

[eric&gen 0]

Illegals take our job our free government programs and now our rentals and American land so Mexico can own a piece.

[almaty 19]

brother eric..first of all..allot of folks in other countries own land in america.....second of all, this is about rentals....and have they taken a job you have applied for/?

[pedroh 21]

brother eric..first of all..allot of folks in other countries own land in america.....second of all, this is about rentals....and have they taken a job you have applied for/?

hermano, wouldn't that ordinance be against the fair housing act? the FHA doesn't say 'this only applies to legal residents or USC's'.. or maybe i missed that part

[eric&gen 0]

I already have a good paying job I don't hate anyone just the illegals who come over and take advantage of our system expecting a free hand out from us tax payers.

[almaty 19]

brother eric..first of all..allot of folks in other countries own land in america.....second of all, this is about rentals....and have they taken a job you have applied for/?

hermano, wouldn't that ordinance be against the fair housing act? the FHA doesn't say 'this only applies to legal residents or USC's'.. or maybe i missed that part

\yes, the small surburb....violated the fair housing act..the ACLU file a protest in court for a family....also, there was another small town, who tried and limit ...umarried adults from cohabiting together...and was sued under the same violation

[pedroh 21]

brother eric..first of all..allot of folks in other countries own land in america.....second of all, this is about rentals....and have they taken a job you have applied for/?

hermano, wouldn't that ordinance be against the fair housing act? the FHA doesn't say 'this only applies to legal residents or USC's'.. or maybe i missed that part

\yes, the small surburb....violated the fair housing act..the ACLU file a protest in court for a family....also, there was another small town, who tried and limit ...umarried adults from cohabiting together...and was sued under the same violation

im glad there's laws protecting everybody.. imo, justice and equality is not only for the people with the right papers, but for everyone

[almaty 19]

brother eric..first of all..allot of folks in other countries own land in america.....second of all, this is about rentals....and have they taken a job you have applied for/?

hermano, wouldn't that ordinance be against the fair housing act? the FHA doesn't say 'this only applies to legal residents or USC's'.. or maybe i missed that part

\yes, the small surburb....violated the fair housing act..the ACLU file a protest in court for a family....also, there was another small town, who tried and limit ...umarried adults from cohabiting together...and was sued under the same violation

im glad there's laws protecting everybody.. imo, justice and equality is not only for the people with the right papers, but for everyone

it never says one must be a citizen, but bans discrimmination in housing, period

[Alhamdulillah 0]

it never says one must be a citizen, but bans discrimmination in housing, period

Actually, this doesn't violate the FHA at all. The FHA bans discrimination in housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or handicap (possibly age - at least it used to but it may have changed based on the info in the link) source

Renters and lenders are still free to discriminate based on inability to pay, credit, references and being a criminal, among other things. Since being in this country undocumented is illegal, it's perfectly within a renter's/lender's rights to refuse housing. If they lost this case in the fed courts it's either because they were only applying it to a certain group of illegal aliens (mexicans but not chinese) or they had a really sucky attorney who couldn't argue his way out of a wet paper bag

[Jason-Sasha 1]

I think as long as there are US citizens who are homeless with children, these available rentals should be filled with them. I mean, the government (USC tax dollars) pays to support the needy anyway. So, why not prioritize eligibility? I have to say, if you're not a legal resident...you can't rent. You can buy. but not rent. Buying property here automatically means you're paying taxes on it.

[almaty 19]

it never says one must be a citizen, but bans discrimmination in housing, period

Actually, this doesn't violate the FHA at all. The FHA bans discrimination in housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or handicap (possibly age - at least it used to but it may have changed based on the info in the link) source

Renters and lenders are still free to discriminate based on inability to pay, credit, references and being a criminal, among other things. Since being in this country undocumented is illegal, it's perfectly within a renter's/lender's rights to refuse housing. If they lost this case in the fed courts it's either because they were only applying it to a certain group of illegal aliens (mexicans but not chinese) or they had a really sucky attorney who couldn't argue his way out of a wet paper bag

they lost....and so will texas