One Long Branch Ordinance Down, One More To Go

Farmers Branch leaders are persistent. Anabelle Garay writes for the Associated Press:

A federal judge issued a final judgment on Thursday permanently preventing a Dallas suburb from enforcing a rule banning apartment rentals to illegal immigrants.

The decision by U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay could conclude a nearly two-year court battle over a never-enforced ordinance that would have required landlords to verify tenants’ legal status.

The judgment also triggers a countdown to another immigration-related rule by Farmers Branch officials. City officials approved the new rule to take effect 15 days after a final judgment on the ordinance that was being litigated. It would require prospective tenants to get a rental license from the city. Farmers Branch would ask the federal government for the applicant’s legal status before approving the rental license.

Opponents of the previous ordinance — which included apartment complex operators, residents and advocates — plan to challenge the new rule. Click here for the rest of the story.

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