Voters in a small Nebraska city will decide Tuesday whether to repeal a law designed to bar immigrants from renting homes if they don't have legal permission to be in the U.S.
Critics of the 2010 ordinance in Fremont say it is less effective and more costly than anyone expected and is damaging the city's image. Supporters say Fremont needs to take a stand against illegal immigration.
The conservative agricultural hub near Omaha, population 26,000, is one of a handful of cities that have acted on their own over the last decade to curb illegal immigration. Most of those efforts have become mired in costly court battles.
The same is true in Fremont, where the ordinance that requires immigrants seeking rental property to swear they have permission to live in the U.S. was adopted in 2010 but put on hold while courts reviewed the law. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld most of the ordinance in 2013, and the city was getting ready to enforce the housing restrictions for the first time last fall when elected officials decided to schedule another vote.
Critics say these housing restrictions will be ineffective and might cost Fremont millions of dollars in legal fees and lost federal grants. But supporters see no reason not to enforce the law and take a stand against illegal immigration, now that courts have approved the rules.
"I don't think we should be re-voting on something that the voters already voted on in 2010," said lifelong Fremont resident Brad Yerger. The 66-year-old is skeptical that the ordinance will cost as much as officials estimate.
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