Anti-Illegal-Immigrant Law OK'd in Texas
Published: 5/12/07, 11:46 PM EDT
By ANABELLE GARAY
FARMERS BRANCH, Texas (AP) - Voters in this Dallas suburb Saturday
overwhelmingly approved a measure banning landlords from renting to most
illegal immigrants, in the first public vote on any of the more than 90
measures local governments around the country have proposed to crack
down on illegal immigration.

With two-thirds of precincts reporting, the measure had 68 percent
support, with 32 percent opposed. It requires apartment managers to
verify that renters are U.S. citizens or legal immigrants before leasing
to them, with some exceptions.

"It says especially to Congress that we're tired of the out-of-control
illegal immigration problem. That if Congress doesn't do something about
it, cities will," said Tim O'Hare, a City Council member who was the
ordinance's lead proponent.

Council members approved the ordinance in November, then revised it in
January to include exemptions for minors, seniors and some families with
a mix of legal residents and illegal immigrants.

Farmers Branch has become the site of protests and angry confrontations,
and opponents of the regulation gathered enough signatures to force the
city to put the measure on the municipal election ballot.

With Saturday's approval of the ban, opponents plan to fight it in
court, and will seek a restraining order to stop the city from enforcing
it.

The city was already facing four lawsuits brought by civil rights
groups, residents, property owners and businesses who contend the
ordinance discriminates and that it places landlords in the precarious
position of acting as federal immigration officers. Their attorneys say
the ordinance attempts to regulate immigration, a duty that is
exclusively the federal government's. One lawsuit also alleges the
council violated the state open meetings act when deciding on the
ordinance.

O'Hare contends the city's economy and quality of life will improve if
illegal immigrants are kept out.

Local proposals aimed at regulating illegal immigration often fail to
pass constitutional muster, said Muzaffar Chishti, director of the
Migration Policy Institute office at New York University School of Law.

"There is significant frustration, so that's what's driving it," Chishti
said. "But the simple fact is they cannot do too much other than impress
upon the Congress the need for immigration reform."

The Farmers Branch measure exempts minors and people 62 and over from
having to prove their immigration status or citizenship. Families that
include citizens and illegal-immigrant members can lease housing if they
meet three conditions: they're already tenants, heads of households or
spouses are legally in the U.S., and the family includes only a spouse,
their minor children or parents.


A government of the people,, Another Step!!!!

Good for Texas...now , if the rest of the
states will gets some balls...

hey cool i live near not too far from farmer's branc and i didnt know
that.

but that is why texas is the best! yay us!

Well, if any state has a chance of getting through Federal red tape in
this, it is Texas. And if Texas does it, the other states will have a
president to follow and then

There can be no question by the Legislators as to what the poeple want.

Well just because they did make one big step and get this bill passed.
The next big step is if it is followed through with. Yes I'm from Texas.
But as everything else just because the Bill is there will it be
enforced.

Myself what I don't understand is yes this is a good thing but.......
why is it our own goverment does not take a step on the welfare issue of
illegal immigrants receiving it. Does most even know that it does not
matter if they are ilegal immigrants they can file for welfare and we
give it to them. They do not even ask if they are illegal and do not
care. Now is this kinda pushing the cart before the horse.

Should it be that we get them off of the sytem before we kick them out
of housing humm or is it the system will give them more money so now
they can buy a house since no one will rent to them. Think about it.

My point is not against what Bill has passed. But I do think it is our
goverment that should put there foot down on the welfare issue. That is
one Bill that these people need to put up to get passed. Take them off
of welfare and you will see a big diffence in this country.

I live in Texas. Lots of Mexicans here. LOTS! Mostly they work hard and
pay taxes, pretty nice people too. They contribute to the economy and
build lots of stuff. They largely have strong family values. I don't
hire undocumented workers but if they could get their documents in order
I've got jobs for a couple of them. Hablo Espanol. That's life.

For the most part the American people I hire can't be consistent. Lazy,
want too much money for the work they contribute, hungover on a regular
basis, no staying power, work a few days or a few weeks and then quit.
The women cant stay sober two days in a row.

We have lots of good Mexican restaurants here. Live bands with your
choice, pop Latino music or dance salsa tunes.

As usual I have some good ideas about solving this problem too, but I'll
spare you the details for now as I'm sort of busy this morning.

Im posting this here instead of a new thread, because I believe this is
why the Federal government continues to resist the majorities stance on
the issue of illegal immigration and the States are forced to take the
matter in their own hands. I believe that even though illegal immigrants
can not vote their children can. By the continuing stalling in congress
more and more of these children are reaching the legal age to vote, and
that naturally they will lean toward their parents side of the issue,
and we (Americans) will never get the governments cooperation to enforce
the current laws. Could this be a long term goal oriented plan by
politicians? I hope not, but you decide for yourself....


GOP Weighs Balance on Immigration
Published: 5/15/07, 5:25 AM EDT
By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS
WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Mel Martinez, tapped as party chairman to help
expand the GOP's appeal to Latino voters, is struggling to bridge
seemingly intractable divides among Republicans over immigration.

In months of intense closed-door talks among White House officials and
key Republicans and Democrats, the Florida senator's main task has been
to referee between warring GOP factions.

He has prodded business-minded moderates like himself who are eager for
a politically palatable compromise to partner with hardline
conservatives who are wary of one.

His bottom line: that immigration laws need to be fixed and Republicans
politically can't afford to be seen as the party standing in the way of
such changes.

Senators were racing to get an immigration agreement by Wednesday, when
Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., otherwise will bring up a measure
passed last year with strong Democratic support - but one opposed by
most Republicans.

Negotiators were close to a deal that could be announced as early as
Tuesday, said officials of both parties, speaking not for attribution
because the talks were ongoing.

Squeezed by both sides, Martinez' precarious spot in the immigration
debate reflects his party's dilemma on the divisive issue.

Strategists are eager to grab hold of the fast-growing Latino segment of
the electorate and stay in good graces with powerful business groups
that depend on a steady flow of immigrant labor. But then they risk
alienating conservatives with an overly permissive immigration policy.

A perception in the 2006 election that the GOP was blocking a compromise
on immigration "was very hurtful in many places, and it showed itself in
the outcome," said the Cuban-born Martinez.

"People who had a harsh view of this lost," he said.

His job as GOP party chairman has required some difficult political
acrobatics for Martinez, 60, whose own experiences have shaped his views
on immigration. He left Cuba as a teenager as part of Operation Pedro
Pan, a Catholic Charities-organized effort that helped 14,000
unaccompanied minors escape to the United States in the early 1960s.

Last year, Martinez broke with his party and joined Democrats to help
write and pass a measure that would have given many of the nation's
estimated 12 million illegal immigrants a chance at citizenship.

Why behind closed doors?? fishy!!

"People who had a harsh view of this lost," he said.
"People who had a harsh view of this lost," he said.
"People who had a harsh view of this lost," he said.
"People who had a harsh view of this lost," he said.
"People who had a harsh view of this lost," he said.

Not yet by-fanta!!!!not yet!!!!

There is a new law going into effect here in GA which will take away an
exemption which provides in-state tuition rates to some illegals.

did you read that article GA?

I have been reading about the laws in GA. their are quite a few of them.
Even here in NC, although a little slow things are being taken serious.
They are training Sheriff Deputies to recognize, arrest, and deport
illegal all over the state. I was talking with Elizabeth Doles office
yesterday about the illegal immigrant problem and the bills in the
Senate now. Im not real happy about the speed at which they are going on
this, but she said they are being stalled. That is what that article
above is about, they are being stalled on purpose. I was trying to get
her office to understand that they should enforce the current laws and
kept getting the run around about the lawsuits coming from the ACLU!
Maybe we need to turn our attention on them too. I thought they were for
American civil liberties, but for some strange reason they have
concentrated their activities on the Illegal Immigrants liberties in the
last few years. I think , think they are probably concentrating their
efforts according to the highest bidder instead. The companies that
benefit from cheap labor and are also at the head of the stall tactics.
(see article above)

Yeah I agree with you they are stalling on purpose. And the laws in GA
will surely be challenged in court. I think some already are but at
least its a small step in the right direction. I do agree that there
were already plenty of laws on the books to avoid all this had they been
enforced.

Why are we surprised by the stalling tactics??? We shouldn't be its done
all the time in government regardless of the issue.

Great that individual states are taking this seriously, but at what
point will the Federal's step in and say well no ya can't do that?? Its
going to happen sooner or later. Yes the current laws , federal and
state, should be enforced,nothing wrong with the ones we have now, just
get off their collective duffs and enforce them already.

They won't enforce them because it's a source of cheap labor.