Free Republic

FREMONT, Neb. (AP) — Legal action may be taken should Fremont voters approve rules cracking down on illegal immigrants, the American Civil Liberties Union warned Friday.ACLU Nebraska leaders said they're hopeful voters will reject the proposal that bans hiring or renting to illegal immigrants on June 21.But if they don't, an immediate injunction will likely be sought, said Laurel Marsh, executive director of ACLU Nebraska."We are hopeful that the voters will reject this pointless initiative," said the group's legal director, Amy Miller. "The law is crystal clear. Only the federal government can make laws about immigration. States and towns are...

Cities and states that are trying to work out their own solutions to illegal immigration are not making constructive changes and are slowing efforts in fixing what is a federal problem, a national immigrant-rights advocate said. Legislation aimed at curbing illegal immigration, whether on the state or local level, has instead amounted to costly legal battles and divided communities, said Lucas Guttentag, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, in an interview with The Associated Press. “They’ve diverted attention from addressing real problems, so I don’t think they’ve helped at all. In fact, I think they’ve hurt....

The director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the upcoming ACLU Nebraska banquet. Lucas Guttentag will discuss the civil rights advocacy organization's efforts to defend the rights of new Americans. The annual dinner and banquet will be held in Lincoln on April 25. Besides his work with ACLU, Guttentag teaches immigrants' rights law at the University of California Berkley, School of Law and Stanford Law School. ACLU Nebraska also will recognize those who've worked to defend civil liberties, including those of new immigrants

ACLU Nebraska has issued warnings to five counties accused of discriminating against legal immigrants seeking marriage licenses. The group has investigated several reports of county workers turning away Spanish speakers seeking to marry who are in the country legally but aren’t citizens, said legal director Amy Miller. “Government employees who make up new rules based on an applicant’s skin color have no place in Nebraska,” she said Friday. Under state law, applicants for marriage licenses must show identification verifying their name and date of birth. However, Miller said, some counties have required other things, such as a Social Security number,...