 Immigration In the United States - Cities across the U.S. are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars defending themselves against lawsuits and other challenges to ordinances enacted to keep out illegal immigrants.
In more than 90 U.S. cities or counties around the United States have proposed, passed or rejected laws prohibiting landlords from leasing to illegal immigrants, penalizing businesses that employ undocumented workers or training police to enforce immigration laws. Approval of these anti-illegal immigration ordinances has generated criticism, demonstrations and lawsuits in Valley Park, Mo.; Riverside, N.J.; Escondido, Calif.; Hazleton, Pa., and the Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch. Escondido County, California abandoned an ordinance that would punish landlords who rent to illegal immigrants after it discovered the legal bills could top $1 million. By the time the city council agreed in December to settle a lawsuit challenging the ordinance, Escondido had spent $200,000, said spokeswoman Joyce Masterson. In some instances, taxpayer money has been used to hire private attorneys to fight legal challenges. In others, private donations or insurance have offset part of the costs. The Pennsylvania town of Hazleton has fared better, receiving $266,000 from thousands of donors around the country to defend its ordinance banning landlords from renting to illegal immigrants. No taxpayer money is being spent on legal fees or other lawsuit-related costs. Donations included $10,000 from Geno's Steaks owner Joey Vento, whose Philadelphia eatery has signs reading "This Is AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING 'SPEAK ENGLISH.'" The lawsuit by opponents of the Hazleton measure claims the ordinance violates residents' constitutional rights, runs afoul of state and federal fair housing laws and encroaches on the federal government's authority to oversee immigration. Enforcement of the Hazleton ordinance was barred pending the outcome of a trial on the lawsuit, which started in March. A federal judge is expected to rule later this year. Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta said the city's attorney fees are expected to be substantial. And if the city loses, he said it could be ordered to pay as much as $2 million in legal costs incurred by opponents of the ordinance. Still, he promised that Hazleton will stand its ground. "I'm sure the ACLU, part of their goal would be to run the city out of money in hopes that we would stop fighting, but I will raise whatever I have to," Barletta said. Councilman O'Hare is determined to keep the Farmers Branch ordinance from meeting a fate similar to that of the Escondido law. His city has the money to fight the suits, he said, and its insurance policy should cover the costs of two of the suits. "Any thought that they can spend us into giving up or quitting is wrong," O'Hare said. |
