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Farmers Branch To Get Tough With Illegal Immigrants
City Council To Discuss Measures Monday Night

POSTED: 8:31 am CDT August 21, 2006
UPDATED: 8:37 am CDT August 21, 2006
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FARMERS BRANCH, Texas -- A city councilman wants to follow the lead of other towns by making it tougher for illegal immigrants to live and work in this Dallas suburb.

City Councilman Tim O'Hare blames undocumented immigrants for much of the city's problems. He wants the City Council to consider prohibiting landlords from leasing to illegal immigrants, penalizing businesses that employ undocumented workers, making English the city's official language, ceasing publication of any documents in Spanish and eliminating subsidies for illegal immigrants in the city's youth programs.

"The reason I got on the City Council was because I saw our property values declining or increasing at a level that was below the rate of inflation," O'Hare said. "When that happens, people move out of our neighborhoods, and what I would call less desirable people move into the neighborhoods, people who don't value education, people who don't value taking care of their properties."

Opponents say adopting such an ordinance would be racist.

"I'm sure the Statue of Liberty must be crying right now, knowing some of our subjects in this great democracy of ours are conjuring up to make life more miserable for those who are here trying to eke out a living, contributing to our great country through their sweat and tears, only looking for what our forefathers were looking for when they came here," said Hector Flores, immediate past national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens.

City council members were scheduled to discuss the tough immigration-related measures on Monday, but no formal decision would be made at the meeting.

The provisions to be discussed echo a strict illegal immigration ordinance passed by Hazleton, Pa. last month. That city's ordinance inspired nearly a dozen other local governments throughout the nation to consider their own laws targeting illegal immigration.

The ACLU, the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund and other groups filed a lawsuit challenging Hazleton's ordinance. The suit contends the ordinance is discriminatory and unworkable. It also said the Constitution gives the federal government exclusive power to regulate immigration.

Farmers Branch Mayor Bob Phelps said he fears the city could get sued if the measures O'Hare wants are enacted.

"We have a council member or two that want to push this, but I don't think now is the time," Phelps said. "Until we get some clear understanding of what can be done, or what the United States is going to do, it's hard for us in Farmers Branch, being a little town of 27,000, to do anything."

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


I think they would be stupid NOT to inact these city ordnances. But I guess that makes me a racist for wanting the laws of the land upheld

Quoted:
LINK

Farmers Branch To Get Tough With Illegal Immigrants
City Council To Discuss Measures Monday Night

POSTED: 8:31 am CDT August 21, 2006
UPDATED: 8:37 am CDT August 21, 2006
Email This Story | Print This Story
Sign Up for Breaking News Alerts
FARMERS BRANCH, Texas -- A city councilman wants to follow the lead of other towns by making it tougher for illegal immigrants to live and work in this Dallas suburb.

City Councilman Tim O'Hare blames undocumented immigrants for much of the city's problems. He wants the City Council to consider prohibiting landlords from leasing to illegal immigrants, penalizing businesses that employ undocumented workers, making English the city's official language, ceasing publication of any documents in Spanish and eliminating subsidies for illegal immigrants in the city's youth programs.

"The reason I got on the City Council was because I saw our property values declining or increasing at a level that was below the rate of inflation," O'Hare said. "When that happens, people move out of our neighborhoods, and what I would call less desirable people move into the neighborhoods, people who don't value education, people who don't value taking care of their properties."

Opponents say adopting such an ordinance would be racist.

"I'm sure the Statue of Liberty must be crying right now, knowing some of our subjects in this great democracy of ours are conjuring up to make life more miserable for those who are here trying to eke out a living, contributing to our great country through their sweat and tears, only looking for what our forefathers were looking for when they came here," said Hector Flores, immediate past national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens.

City council members were scheduled to discuss the tough immigration-related measures on Monday, but no formal decision would be made at the meeting.

The provisions to be discussed echo a strict illegal immigration ordinance passed by Hazleton, Pa. last month. That city's ordinance inspired nearly a dozen other local governments throughout the nation to consider their own laws targeting illegal immigration.

The ACLU, the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund and other groups filed a lawsuit challenging Hazleton's ordinance. The suit contends the ordinance is discriminatory and unworkable. It also said the Constitution gives the federal government exclusive power to regulate immigration.

Farmers Branch Mayor Bob Phelps said he fears the city could get sued if the measures O'Hare wants are enacted.

"We have a council member or two that want to push this, but I don't think now is the time," Phelps said. "Until we get some clear understanding of what can be done, or what the United States is going to do, it's hard for us in Farmers Branch, being a little town of 27,000, to do anything."

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


I think they would be stupid NOT to inact these city ordnances. But I guess that makes me a racist for wanting the laws of the land upheld

I don't think of myself as a "subject" like Mr. Flores does, perhaps this is part of the problem.   Different expectations of what a reasonable lifestyle is...  

Farmers Branch Mayor Bob Phelps said he fears the city could get sued if the measures O'Hare wants are enacted.

This is so sad...

The "Latino Immigrants" (gotta be PC here) are threatening a boycott of all businesses in Farmers Branch, and threatening to recall the City Councilman.

Do these people even know the meaning of the word "ILLEGAL"?

Another argument in favor of English being the official language of the USA.

Quoted: The "Latino Immigrants" (gotta be PC here) are threatening a boycott of all businesses in Farmers Branch, and threatening to recall the City Councilman. Do these people even know the meaning of the word "ILLEGAL"? Another argument in favor of English being the official language of the USA.

but that is only talk, they got nothing and they know it. all these illegal support groups can do is cry racism. both sides know that they have no real argument for a city council voting to enforce the current immigration laws.

Damn.  His head is gonna 'splode over this one.

The Dallas Morning News used to post this picture of O'Hare:



Now they are using this picture, which is less than complimentary:



And in today's news, the "illegal rights" groups are calling for a recall.

___________________________________
Recall of FB council member sought
FB: Advocate of laws against illegal migrants scoffs at boycott threat

11:22 PM CDT on Tuesday, August 22, 2006

By STEPHANIE SANDOVAL / The Dallas Morning News

FARMERS BRANCH – Civil rights and Hispanic groups on Tuesday night called for the recall of a City Council member and a boycott of city businesses after suggestions were made to restrict illegal immigrants who live and work in Farmers Branch.

Representatives from several organizations said during a news conference at the Farmers Branch Justice Center that they would establish a political action committee to remove council member Tim O'Hare by recall, and they said they would hold a rally Saturday at Farmers Branch City Hall.

They also vowed, if necessary, to conduct a march similar to the one in April that drew an estimated 500,000 people to downtown Dallas to protest proposed federal immigration legislation.

Mr. O'Hare said opponents have a right to protest peacefully, but he said the boycott on businesses would probably have the opposite effect of what the coalition is hoping to do.

"I encourage every person in the D-FW metroplex that is in support of the proposal to come shop in Farmers Branch to support our stance," he said Tuesday evening.

About two dozen people, representing organizations such as the League of United Latin American Citizens, Casa de Chihuahua and the International Coalition of Mexicans Abroad, said they are opposed to Mr. O'Hare's idea.

He proposed that the city consider implementing laws similar to one passed last month by Hazelton, Pa., and since passed or under consideration by a handful of area cities, as well as in California.
'Most restrictive'

LULAC and Texas American Civil Liberties Union officials said this week that they believe Farmers Branch is the first Texas city to discuss such measures, which include prohibiting landlords from leasing to illegal immigrants, fining businesses that employ them and making English the city's official language.

Mr. O'Hare also has suggested eliminating subsidies for children of illegal immigrants to participate in Summer Funshine and other youth programs.

Council member Ben Robinson on Monday said he wants to prohibit the assembly of day laborers and suggested that police who question the validity of residency papers of immigrants encountered during traffic stops or accidents make copies of those documents and submit them to immigration officials.

The ideas, if adopted, would make them "the most restrictive, most punitive, most anti-Mexican, anti-immigrant, anti-American legislation in the whole entire United States ... which we find repulsive," said Carlos Quintanilla, representing LULAC.

"It's against the spirit of good neighbors and being immigrant friendly, as Dallas is, and it serves no purpose to promote this legislation out of the blue, without taking into consideration the significant contribution immigrants make. ... It is simply not acceptable."
Question of racism

Mr. O'Hare said neither he nor the suggested ordinances are anti-immigrant or racist, as some have called him.

"What I'm against is people who are here unlawfully," Mr. O'Hare said Tuesday.

Luis de la Garza of Farmers Branch said that if the proposals were enacted, they would unfairly target Hispanics. While immigrants come from all over the world, he said, most people would never question someone with light skin about their citizenship.

"I don't have anything with me other than a driver's license," said Mr. de la Garza, a U.S. citizen since 1993. "I would have to carry a sign saying I'm a citizen. I don't think that's right. ... How will they know if I'm legal or illegal, except for the color of my skin?"
No official proposal

Mr. O'Hare said that no official proposal is in place and that the ideas were just a subject of discussion, so details of how they would be enforced have not been discussed.

But he said that if the city decided to pursue the prohibition on leasing to illegal immigrants, for example, landlords would be required to ask for proof of citizenship – such as a Social Security card or birth certificate – from potential tenants.

He said that there has been no date set for the City Council to continue discussing the matter but that council members will do so after the city attorney has had a chance to study relevant laws and make a recommendation on the legality of the proposal.

Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit over the ordinances adopted by Hazelton, saying they are unconstitutional. Representatives of the ACLU of Texas, LULAC and others have vowed to file suit if Farmers Branch adopts such ordinances.

"I don't think the City Council, including me, wants to spend city money to fight a lawsuit we can't win," Mr. O'Hare said Tuesday.

Opponents say adopting such an ordinance would be racist.

"Mexican" is not a race.  My wife's from Costa Rica.  She watches a lot of Mexican TV shows.  All Mexicans on Mexican TV shows are white.  Many are blonde.  Therefore Mexicans are white.  

Quoted: Opponents say adopting such an ordinance would be racist. "Mexican" is not a race.  My wife's from Costa Rica.  She watches a lot of Mexican TV shows.  All Mexicans on Mexican TV shows are white.  Many are blonde.  Therefore Mexicans are white.

"racist" only applies to white folk of european descent currently living in the united states and who are self reliant and/or financially successful.

BORDER CLAYMORES, FINES FOR EMPLOYERS



NIP IT IN THE BUD

Quoted: BORDER CLAYMORES, FINES FOR EMPLOYERS www.funnies.com/barneyfife.jpg NIP IT IN THE BUD

unfortunatly this  'bud' is quite large

Quoted: Quoted: BORDER CLAYMORES, FINES FOR EMPLOYERS www.funnies.com/barneyfife.jpg NIP IT IN THE BUD i never knew we had black and white photos of beetle?

you dont know how dangerously close we came to having Beetle in the JBT corps

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: BORDER CLAYMORES, FINES FOR EMPLOYERS www.funnies.com/barneyfife.jpg NIP IT IN THE BUD i never knew we had black and white photos of beetle? you dont know how dangerously close we came to having Beetle in the JBT corps

oh yes he does.....