Posted on 05/13/2007 8:08:31 AM PDT by gop4lyf
FARMERS BRANCH, Texas — Voters in this Dallas suburb became the first in the nation Saturday to prohibit landlords from renting to most illegal immigrants.
The ban was approved by a vote of 68 percent to 32 percent in final, unofficial returns.
The balloting marked the first public vote on a local government measure to crack down on illegal immigration.
"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.
The ordinance requires apartment managers to verify that renters are U.S. citizens or legal immigrants before leasing to them, with some exceptions.
Property managers or owners who break the rule face a misdemeanor charge punishable by a fine of up to $500.
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.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I live in Mesquite which is about 20 minutes from Farmers Branch so I woke up this morning and started looking for the results. It is on Fox's front page as well as the front page of the Dallas Morning News website, but not a word about it on the CNN site that I could find.
Am I correct in my belief that Dallas is not a conservative stronghold? If that’s true, this is even more profound.
CNN doesn’t want to put the idea in others peoples heads. So, they will ignore it.
Dallas County usually goes blue, but the surrounding counties are all red. Farmers Branch is inside of Dallas County.
Spread the word — America is finally waking up and doing something about the absence of federal protection our borders we are suffering dearly from.
It looks more and more that illegal immigration action will have to bubble up from below, rather than be imposed from the top down, just like welfare reform in the last decade.
What we need right now is a few big-city mayors and a state governor or two to come on board and lend their weight to this effort to give it some serious momentum and suddenly we’ll find ourselves rolling this boulder downhill rather than up.
OH!
FNC tells us its OOOOOONLY a suburb. Somewhere out in the middle of nowhere. Not anyplace important like houston, or austin.
Nowhere near Kahlieeforneea or Neeeew York City.
Malibu will rent to illegals. Any illegal who can aford their own multi million beachhouse.
As an aside, is it in Dallas/Fort Worth where I read that illegals are issued a “gold card” that entitles them to free medical care on demand or is that an urban legend?
With that said, it appears to be great news.
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.
I dont like this exemption....you can bet it will be used & abused......
Great, and some a.c.l.u. type puke will get it thrown out by some clinton appointed judge.
Out-freakin’-standing!
Let’s hope this starts a flood of similary legislation. The ACLU will be up to their worthless assess in paperwork for the next 20 years. Fuggem.
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/countymapredbluelarge.png
Dallas County was red in 2004, but Blue in 2006.
It's the 32 percent that will ignore the ban. And...it's that same 32 percent that will most likely live in the neighborhoods that illegals will also be.
That same scenario has worked well for the anti-smokers, give em an inch and they take a hundred miles.
I believe Manassas, Virginia is also implementing similar ordinances. (Correct me if I’m wrong, Virginians!) That close to D.C. ought to be even more of a wake-up to Congress!
Geraldo will have a fit with this!
Like always, if you can't win at the ballot box, try to win it in the courts!
“That same scenario has worked well for the anti-smokers, give em an inch and they take a hundred miles.”
________________________________________________________________
Apropos “The Big Rip Off” big tobacco found those “settlements” to be quite profitable. Now various state governments are essentially their partners and protectors, after all, if no tobacco gets sold, how will government get it’s cut?
It's a good start!
sw
I think that is an urban legend. Reference the link below where the county hospital was attempting to bill Mexico for services rendered to illegals.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/062206dnmetparkland.118d57b.html
Most?
So there are some illegals they can rent to, or is the article written poorly?
According to the NYT:
“In January, the city council unanimously approved the measure, Ordinance 2903, after rewriting an earlier version to allow for some families with mixed residency and citizenship status.”
From the article:
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.
Same problem as the “anchor baby” issue. One gets their foot in the door, and pulls the rest of the family (or whoever) through on their dubious citizenship claim.
I like what Tim O'Hare had to say: The nation's first vote on an ordinance targeting illegal immigrants by barring them from renting apartments highlighted a resentment of the federal government's failure to secure the nation's borders – and a desire to do something about it at the local level, said City Council member Tim O'Hare, who was the driving force behind the ordinance. "They are saying loud and clear they want change in Farmers Branch," he said. "People recognize we have a problem, and they are proud we stood up. This is nothing but positive results for Farmers Branch." Mr. O'Hare's message that illegal immigrants are having a negative impact on neighborhoods, crime, property values and schools may soon be heard in other cities. "I'd be shocked if I didn't see other cities follow suit," he said. "I've been contacted by representatives from other cities. Any city that wants to protect their town, give me a call, and let us work together."
“I figured it would pass, but had no idea it would be by such an overwhelming margin.”
Based on what I know from people around where I live, I believe that we are not being told just how widespread the desire for controlling illegal immigration is.
I really don’t know of ANYONE, either liberal or conservative that thinks giving away America to any and all takers is a good idea.
Bingo!
They're already, this morning, on the move. They will challenge on several grounds. The most interesting of these, to me, is the one about this enforcement being exclusively Federal. The measure does not require the landlords to round up and report, simply refuse to rent without proof of legal immigration status or citizenship. Enforcement measures are exerted against the landlords, not the illegals.
The most dangerous to the implementation of this pioneering measure is that it is vague, and provides no direction on how the measure is to be enforced. This will allow some spineless judge to strike the law without actually ruling on the merits. The Quick Way Out is always appealing to the Left.
An interesting court fight is ahead. I hope the powers that be in FB have the guts to stick it out, but I have my doubts. The mayor's home has already been vandalized twice, presumably by vandals who are merely doing the vandalism Americans won't do. He and his wife fled the city during the election yesterday.
Articles from across the media about the election, don't know about CNN.
This will take some time to play out as there are some lawsuits pending.... It is interesting that the current mayor originally voted for the ordinance but in the election he, a former mayor and a former City Manager all came out against the proposition. They lost decisively so it will be interesting to see how he does in the next election if he chooses to run again.
The letter, also signed by former Mayor Dave Blair and former City Manager Richard Escalante, is the latest move in a heated campaign over the ordinance, which would prohibit apartment landlords from renting to illegal immigrants and fine those who do.
It is interesting that the current mayor originally voted for the ordinance .....
Correction:...... The mayor didn’t vote for the ordinance as he doesn’t vote except in cases of ties by the council.
My local news spun it so hard it sounded like it was the other way around. They devoted maybe 20 seconds to it.
I live in California and don't know a single person who supports illegal immigration...I think an accurate poll would show more like 90 percent against....
BUMP
The Houston Chronicle buried the story on page A16.
“revised it in January to include exemptions for minors, seniors and some families with a mix of legal residents and illegal immigrants”
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Can illegal aliens get around this by claiming they are renting on behalf of their minor anchor babies? (so called legal residents)?
If so, it hasnt changed very much...
Perhaps he need not return, but merely continue to display his cowardice towards his duty to the citizens of FB that elected him and keep on running away. Leave the responsibility of being an American Citizen to the honorable residents and property owners.
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