Dallas suburb anti-illegal immigration ordinance challenged in court

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDF) and American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Texas on Tuesday requested a temporary restraining order [press release] from the US District Court of the Northern District of Texas, seeking to block an anti-illegal immigration city ordinance [DOC text] scheduled to take effect next Tuesday in Farmers Branch, Texas. The ordinance, approved by voters [JURIST report] last week, requires apartment renters to demonstrate proof of US-residency and penalizes landlords who rent to illegal immigrants [JURIST news archive]. Landlords who do not comply with the law will face fines up to $500.

The ordinance is a revision of an earlier ordinance that was set to take effect in January, but was blocked after a Texas district judge issued a temporary restraining order [JURIST report] when the Dallas suburb was sued [complaint, PDF; JURIST report] by the advocacy groups. [MORE]