Nebraska Town Votes to Banish Illegal Immigrants

[Zephie]

CHICAGO — Residents of a small city in eastern Nebraska voted Monday to banish illegal immigrants from jobs and rental homes, defying an earlier decision by the city’s leaders and setting off what is all but certain to be a costly and closely watched legal challenge. In Fremont, a meat-packing town of about 25,000 people, unofficial results from The Associated Press late Monday showed that 57 percent of voters approved a referendum barring landlords from renting to those in the country illegally, requiring renters to provide information to the police and to obtain city occupancy licenses, and obliging city businesses to use a federal database to check for illegal immigrants.

Opponents of the new law, including some business and church leaders, had argued that the City of Fremont simply could not afford the new law, which is all but certain to be challenged in court. In a flurry of television commercials and presentations by opponents in the final days before Monday’s vote, opponents said paying to defend such a local law would require a significant cut in Fremont city services or a stiff tax increase — or some combination of the two.

“There were a lot of tears in this room tonight,” said Kristin Ostrom, an opponent who gathered with others in an old V.F.W. building to await the results. “Unfortunately, people have voted for an ordinance that’s going to cost millions of dollars, and that says to the Hispanic community that the Anglo community is saying they are not welcome here. They thought they were coming to a small-town community with small-town values.”


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/22/us/22fremont.html?src=mv

[mmonk]

1. Unfortunately, in some small town communities, those are its values.

[ORDagnabbit]

4. I dont think so... most every poll I've seen is in favor of stricter illegal immigration laws.

[mmonk]

10. As opposed to?

[ORDagnabbit]

11. the idea that its just a few small town yokels who dont understand things.

[Posteritatis]

2. "thought they were coming to a . . . community with small-town values." Looks like they did. (nt)

[MineralMan]

3. Ah, I see that there's a Hormel meat packing plant in

Fremont, which has a population of about 20,000. That explains the influx of those "brown" people. Hormel is the largest employer in the city. Why, there are even four Mexican restaurants in town. They don't cotton to tacos al pastor there. Too darned spicy, and the people who eat that food...well, you know how they are.

[Zephie]

6. In the article at the very very bottom it says that the Hormel plant

will be exempt from checking workers immigration status, as will "domestic labor" jobs. So basically it's "Work for me, just don't LIVE near me."

[Chulanowa]

7. Sounds like the newest incarnation of a sundown town

[MineralMan]

9. Ah....I see now.

For a minute I thought it was about those "illegals" taking those desirable Hormel jobs away from their blond children. So, I guess someone will have to set up a tent encampment for the workers. Maybe some razor wire and watchtowers will keep them in their place. Uff da!

[joeybee12]

12. That alone will probably get it thrown out by a court...n/t

[frylock]

5. if i had to provide information to the police and obtain a city occupancy license..

just to rent a damn apartment, i'd tell these racist fools to kiss my lily white ass.

[mnhtnbb]

8. Dodge County (where Fremont is located) is very poor.

Check out the migration in/out on this neat graph

http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/04/migration-moving-wealthy-interactive-counties-map.html

average income per capita of the 52 people who moved to the county (probably not illegal immigrants)
$12,800.


Of note is the huge outward migration from Lancaster County (where Lincoln is)