Nebraska community takes on illegal immigration
Posted: Saturday, July 19, 2008
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- A Nebraska city is the latest community to try its hand at regulating illegal immigration -- a job traditionally reserved for federal officials.
A proposed ordinance introduced by the Fremont City Council earlier this month and set for decision in late August would force prospective renters to prove they're not illegal immigrants before becoming tenants in the city. A city councilman also has asked to make the measure prohibit hiring illegal immigrants.
Supporters say the law is needed to enforce federal rules they believe are falling by the wayside in the city of 25,000. Opponents of the measure say it could divide the community and prompt expensive legal challenges.
Fremont is one of a handful of Nebraska cities that have undergone marked demographic change, primarily because of the mostly Hispanic work forces at meatpacking plants.
The proposed ordinance is the first of its kind for a city in Nebraska, said Norm Pflanz, an attorney with Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest.
Nebraska Appleseed, the Nebraska Mexican-American Commission, union and religious leaders are among those opposing the plan.
Pflanz has several concerns, including the potential threat to public safety.
Based on similar efforts elsewhere in the country, he's concerned as well about exposing the city to tens of thousands or even millions of dollars in possible legal fees.
"The cost to defend these ordinances is staggering," he said.
Officials in Hazleton, Pa., Escondido, Calif., Farmers Branch, Texas, Valley Park, Mo., and Riverside, N.J. are among those who've voted on similar measures.
The ordinances were eventually repealed in Riverside and Escondido while federal judges struck down decisions in Hazleton and Farmers Branch, saying that only the federal government can regulate immigration.
In February, a federal judge upheld the Valley Park ordinance. That law was crafted to penalize businesses that hire illegal immigrants. The suburban St. Louis city had rescinded an earlier version of the law that sought to fine landlords who rented to illegal immigrants.
An effort by Nebraska lawmakers earlier this year also failed. That bill would have required state and local agencies to verify that residents applying for state benefits are in the United States legally. It also would have prohibited illegal immigrants from state or local retirement, welfare, unemployment, public housing and other benefits.
The Fremont factions are gearing up for the City Council's July 29 meeting when the ordinance is up for discussion. A council vote is set for Aug. 26.
The first meeting, held July 8, drew strong opinions mostly from people supporting the measure. Some of the comments defamed immigrants, said Angel Freytez, who said he reviewed a tape of the meeting but did not personally attend.
Freytez said many of the comments singled out Mexicans and focused on national statistics, rather than what was going on in Fremont.
"It was just a lack of understanding the issues," he said.
About 100 people gathered at a Fremont church Thursday night, most in opposition to the proposed ban.
The meeting was designed to distribute information, including the possible implications of such a ban, said Pflanz.
Opponents of the bans don't condone illegal activity, but they fear the ordinance would lead to racial profiling, said Dan Hoppes, president of the local United Food and Commercial Workers Union, who also attended.
The measure isn't designed to target a specific race or ethnicity, but rather it is about prohibiting illegal activity, said Wanda Kotas, a Fremont resident who supports the proposed ban.
Hoping to show city leaders just how many residents support the plan, Kotas is circulating a petition that she hopes to deliver by the July 29 council meeting.
Kotas manages the Fremont Veterans Club and said she organized the effort in honor of the people who served their country to give legal residents the rights they now enjoy.
Kotas, a grandmother, said she also worries about the potential for illegal immigrants to spread disease.
Anyone willing to turn a blind eye to this illegal activity is spitting in the face of veterans, said Marv Eden, a resident and World War II veteran. He added he doesn't understand how someone can use privileges that haven't been earned.
Eden has nothing against immigrants. His parents came from Germany after all, he said.
The allegation or insinuation that this is a racial issue hurts him, he said. It's about illegal activity, plain and simple.
"I don't know how they can even put together the thought that it's discrimination," he said.
A proposed ordinance introduced by the Fremont City Council earlier this month and set for decision in late August would force prospective renters to prove they're not illegal immigrants before becoming tenants in the city. A city councilman also has asked to make the measure prohibit hiring illegal immigrants.
Supporters say the law is needed to enforce federal rules they believe are falling by the wayside in the city of 25,000. Opponents of the measure say it could divide the community and prompt expensive legal challenges.
Fremont is one of a handful of Nebraska cities that have undergone marked demographic change, primarily because of the mostly Hispanic work forces at meatpacking plants.
The proposed ordinance is the first of its kind for a city in Nebraska, said Norm Pflanz, an attorney with Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest.
Nebraska Appleseed, the Nebraska Mexican-American Commission, union and religious leaders are among those opposing the plan.
Pflanz has several concerns, including the potential threat to public safety.
Based on similar efforts elsewhere in the country, he's concerned as well about exposing the city to tens of thousands or even millions of dollars in possible legal fees.
"The cost to defend these ordinances is staggering," he said.
Officials in Hazleton, Pa., Escondido, Calif., Farmers Branch, Texas, Valley Park, Mo., and Riverside, N.J. are among those who've voted on similar measures.
The ordinances were eventually repealed in Riverside and Escondido while federal judges struck down decisions in Hazleton and Farmers Branch, saying that only the federal government can regulate immigration.
In February, a federal judge upheld the Valley Park ordinance. That law was crafted to penalize businesses that hire illegal immigrants. The suburban St. Louis city had rescinded an earlier version of the law that sought to fine landlords who rented to illegal immigrants.
An effort by Nebraska lawmakers earlier this year also failed. That bill would have required state and local agencies to verify that residents applying for state benefits are in the United States legally. It also would have prohibited illegal immigrants from state or local retirement, welfare, unemployment, public housing and other benefits.
The Fremont factions are gearing up for the City Council's July 29 meeting when the ordinance is up for discussion. A council vote is set for Aug. 26.
The first meeting, held July 8, drew strong opinions mostly from people supporting the measure. Some of the comments defamed immigrants, said Angel Freytez, who said he reviewed a tape of the meeting but did not personally attend.
Freytez said many of the comments singled out Mexicans and focused on national statistics, rather than what was going on in Fremont.
"It was just a lack of understanding the issues," he said.
About 100 people gathered at a Fremont church Thursday night, most in opposition to the proposed ban.
The meeting was designed to distribute information, including the possible implications of such a ban, said Pflanz.
Opponents of the bans don't condone illegal activity, but they fear the ordinance would lead to racial profiling, said Dan Hoppes, president of the local United Food and Commercial Workers Union, who also attended.
The measure isn't designed to target a specific race or ethnicity, but rather it is about prohibiting illegal activity, said Wanda Kotas, a Fremont resident who supports the proposed ban.
Hoping to show city leaders just how many residents support the plan, Kotas is circulating a petition that she hopes to deliver by the July 29 council meeting.
Kotas manages the Fremont Veterans Club and said she organized the effort in honor of the people who served their country to give legal residents the rights they now enjoy.
Kotas, a grandmother, said she also worries about the potential for illegal immigrants to spread disease.
Anyone willing to turn a blind eye to this illegal activity is spitting in the face of veterans, said Marv Eden, a resident and World War II veteran. He added he doesn't understand how someone can use privileges that haven't been earned.
Eden has nothing against immigrants. His parents came from Germany after all, he said.
The allegation or insinuation that this is a racial issue hurts him, he said. It's about illegal activity, plain and simple.
"I don't know how they can even put together the thought that it's discrimination," he said.
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mka wrote on Jul 24, 2008 4:11 AM:
USA Steve wrote on Jul 20, 2008 1:09 AM:
USA Steve wrote on Jul 20, 2008 1:05 AM:
Brittanicus wrote on Jul 19, 2008 11:10 AM:
Overpopulation, congestion, urban sprawl, pollution, environmental damage, diminishing resources, Diseases, lack of affordable housing, depressed wages of US citizens, underground economic, fraudulent documents, identity theft, predatory businesses tax evasion, soaring nationwide crime rate, increased taxpayer burdens, overcrowded schools, uneducated legal children, overcrowded prisons, inadequate health care, the balkanization of our communities and a large and growing population with loyalty to other Nations. Just read this disturbing revelation of costs, that our government skims from our paycheck to support the special interest lobby. (eagleforum.org/sources)
When illegal aliens go to hospital for free; (townhall.com/columnists/AmandaCarpenter/2008/06/12/viral_video_on_immigration_costs) The Federal SAVE ACT (H.R.4088) needs to be enacted by all corrupt politicians and you should read the uncensored facts at numbersusa.com "