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http://www.smh.com.au/world/no-papers-no-house-nebraska-town-begins-push-against-illegal-hispanics-20100622-yvog.html No papers, no house: Nebraska town begins push against illegal Hispanics JOSH FUNK June 23, 2010 *FREMONT: *Voters in an eastern Nebraskan city have approved a ban on hiring or renting property to illegal immigrants, the latest proposal in a series of immigration regulations taken up around the country. About 57 per cent of voters in Fremont supported the proposal, according to unofficial results. Election workers said 3906 voted in favour, with 2908 against the measure on a turnout of 45.7 per cent. The measure is likely to face a long and costly court battle. The American Civil Liberties Union has said it will try to block it before it goes into effect. The town of about 25,000 people has seen its Hispanic population grow in the past 20 years, largely due to the jobs available at the nearby Fremont Beef and Hormel meat-packing plants. The city also enjoys the low Nebraska unemployment rate of 4.9 per cent. Nonetheless, residents worry that jobs are going to illegal immigrants, who they fear could drain local resources. Proponents of the ballot measure collected enough signatures and fought in the Nebraska Supreme Court to put the question to a public vote after the city leaders had rejected the proposal. Supporters say the measure is needed to make up for what they see as lax federal law enforcement. Opponents say it could fuel discrimination. Clint Walraven, 51, who has lived in Fremont all his life, said the jobs should go to legal residents who are unemployed - something he believes the ordinance would help fix. Discussions on the issue can get heated, he said, particularly if racism is mentioned. ''It has nothing to do with being racist,'' he said. ''We all have to play by the same rules … If you want to stay here, get legal.'' Rachel Fleming said she voted against the measure. ''This country has been founded on waves of immigration,'' she said. ''I just think [the ordinance is] contrary to the spirit of the country.'' >From about 165 Hispanics - legal and illegal - living in Fremont in 1990, the total grew to 1085 in 2000, said David Drozd, a census expert at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He said an estimated 2060 Hispanics lived in Fremont last year. The measure would require potential renters to apply for a licence to rent, forcing Fremont officials to check if they are in the country legally. It would also require businesses to use a federal database to ensure employees are allowed to work. Cities that have passed similar laws have faced costly legal bills and struggled to enforce them because of legal challenges. Hazleton, Pennsylvania, passed an ordinance in 2006 to fine landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and deny permits to businesses hiring them. The Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch has tried for years to enforce a ban on landlords renting to illegal immigrants. Federal judges struck down both ordinances, but both are on appeal. Even before the Fremont measure passed, the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska had said it would sue. -- “Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man's original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.” — Oscar Wilde, Soul of Man Under Socialism “The free market is perfectly natural... do you think I am some kind of dummy?” — Jarvis Cocker ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: [email protected] Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
