Friday, July 23, 2010

ACLU sues Fremont, Nebraska over citizens vote to ban renting and hiring illegals

Remember Fremont, Nebraska where the citizens voted to make it illegal to rent to or hire illegal aliens?  And you know how some folks who are against AZ SB 1070 say things to you like "well, why don't you go after the employers then?".  Never mind that these idiots are completely unaware that it is already illegal to hire illegals in the first place (sorry to be so redundant on that but it's hard to fight idiocy without showing the ridiculousnous of it) and that Arizona is also being sued for creating and implementing a law which would revoke the business license of anyone knowingly hiring illegals.  And now, so is little Fremont.

Support Fremont, Nebraska

Well, now the ACLU is suing little Fremont, Nebraska

Remember Fremont, Nebraska? In June, citizens of the 25,000-person town voted in favor of banning illegal immigrants from renting property or landing a job in the town.

The law, which requires town officials to evaluate the citizenship of anyone renting property, has put the town at the center of the roiling immigration debate.

On Wednesday, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of landlords, tenants and employers in Fremont.

The suit claims that Fremont’s law interferes with the federal government’s authority over immigration matters and further that it has a discriminatory effect on those who look or sound “foreign.”

“This law encourages discrimination and racial profiling against Latinos and others who appear to be foreign born, including U.S. citizens,” Amy Miller, Legal Director of ACLU Nebraska, said in a statement. “We’re going to do all we can to make sure this extreme law, which would lead to individuals losing housing and jobs because of their appearance and language accent, never goes into effect.”

Here’s an article from the Fremont Tribune.

“We are reviewing the lawsuits and what they say,” Fremont City Administrator Bob Hartwig told the paper. “It will take a day or two to look at it.”

“Let’s make it clear that the unlawful parties here are the immigrants that chose to break federal and state laws by coming here illegally in the first place,” Nebraska State Sen. Charlie Janssen said in a statement.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund also filed suit yesterday against the Fremont law, according to the Tribune. MALDEF likewise alleges the law violates the Constitution’s supremacy and equal protection clauses.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi kirly, does this blog have an email addy I can use to get in touch with you? I keep checking table9 but don't see your nic.
-snowcrash

Kirly said...

snowy! sure thing! Right below the Who's Chatting box, there is a link to my gmail address. i look forward to hearing from you! :-)