Jan 20, 2008 10:36 pm US/Central
Round Two: Farmers Branch Vs. Illegal Immigrants
FARMERS BRANCH (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
The immigration debate is back in the spotlight in North Texas. The City of Farmers Branch will once again take up the issue of renting homes and apartments to illegal immigrants.
Although voters in May approved an ordinance to stop landlords from doing so, a judge's ruling has prevented the law from taking effect.
"Now they're changing the rules of the game. Now they're penalizing everybody. This not only penalizes immigrants, it also penalized home owners and non-Hispanics who have to go through the process," said Hispanic activist Carlos Quintanilla of ACCION America.
The old law has since been reworked to a new proposal. Anyone looking to rent in Farmers Branch would have to pay $5 for a license to rent. Once the application is filled out at city hall, the renter receives the license on the spot. He or she then presents it to the landlord and moves in.
"Nobody at the city and nobody at an apartment complex is making any kind of judgment call about who's here legally and who's not," said Michael Jung, an attorney for Farmers Branch.
Meanwhile, using the applicant's information, the city would then query the federal government's database to see if the renter is legal.
"The decision on who is here legally and who is not will be made by the federal government, and it will be made according to federal law," said Jung.
If not, the renter has 60 days to prove otherwise. If he or she fails to, both the landlord and the renter face fines if the illegal immigrant has not vacated within 15 days.
The city council is expected to vote on the proposal at Tuesday night's council meeting.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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