City Amends Ban on Renting to Illegal Aliens

Initiative Up for Vote in May

Farmers Branch, a Dallas suburb, is on the frontline of the illegal immigration issue as it moves ahead with its proposed ban on renting property to illegal aliens. Last week, by a 5-0 vote, the city council revised the existing ban in a way that would allow landlords to rent to families with mixed citizenship and residency status. The revised ordinance, which requires the approval of voters in May before it can take effect, will allow landlords to rent to families with a head of household or spouse who has legal residency or citizenship, while exempting minors from mandatory document checks.

Councilman Tim O'Hare, who introduced the ban, told The New York Times that he proposed the idea because residents had told him that illegal immigration was causing "a huge problem" in the city. "People are upset that the law is not being upheld," said O'Hare.

The proposal is a target of the open borders lobby and is being challenged in both federal and state court. FAIR's legal affiliate, the Immigration Reform Law Institute, is intervening in those lawsuits on behalf of FAIR members in Farmers Branch.

Source: The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)

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