Despite Hazleton
By DIANNE SOLÍS and STEPHANIE SANDOVAL
The Dallas Morning News
A federal judge on Thursday struck down a tough ordinance against illegal immigration in Hazleton, Pa., that has been copied around the nation, including in Farmers Branch.
The emphatic ruling, which mirrored language used by U.S. District Judge Sam Lindsay in Dallas in granting a temporary injunction against the Farmers Branch ordinance, may not be a good sign for such laws, some legal experts said.
But Farmers Branch City Council member Tim O’Hare, the driving force behind that city’s efforts against illegal immigration, said the decision in the Hazelton case wouldn’t stop the fight for the ordinance voters adopted nearly 2-1 in a May 12 election.
“I think the city of Hazleton has planned on this happening from the get-go, with the idea in mind that they will appeal to the Supreme Court if they have to,” he said. “I think Farmers Branch is looking at it the exact same way.”
Nor will it deter Farmers Branch, a city of about 27,500, from considering other ways to make it harder for illegal immigrants to live and work in the city, Mr. O’Hare said.Hazleton’s Illegal Immigration Relief Act sought to impose fines on landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and deny business permits to companies that give them jobs.
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http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=1314
http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=1278