Landlords In Farmers Branch Criticize Council’s Anti-Immigrant Regulations
By Vince Leibowitz on Nov 15, 2006 in Texas Public Policy & Taxation ![[Post to Twitter]](/wp-content/plugins/tweet-this/icons/tt-twitter.png){kind=icon}
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As with all things related to immigration, when it comes down to pocket book issues, things can get ugly:
A day after this Dallas suburb passed a controversial measure barring landlords from renting to illegal immigrants, apartment owners denounced the new rule Tuesday, saying they are ill-equipped to police tenants’ immigration status.
”The last thing I want to be doing is asking, ‘Where’s your papers?’ ” said Angie Iraheta, manager of the 142-unit Villa Marquis Apartments. ”And how am I supposed to know if what they’re giving me is real?”
Under the ordinance, which takes effect in January, landlords must ask new tenants to provide proof of citizenship or residency for every person living in the unit, from newborns to the elderly, or be fined up to $500 per undocumented person, per day.
Naturally, the council failed to ask apartment managers and landlords about making the regulation before they voted on it.
Even apartment associations are blasting the rule:
”Landlords can’t really serve as law enforcement or be held accountable for carrying out a function that belongs with the government,” said Gerry Henigsman, executive vice president of the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas, which represents 1,600 apartment owners in the region, including the dozen or so complexes in Farmers Branch that will be affected by the new ordinance.
“Farmers Branch conveniently moves the responsibility for immigration enforcement to the landlord and says, ‘If you don’t do it we’re going to fine you,’ ” he said.
And, get this:
Henigsman said the Farmers Branch City Council passed its ordinance without giving his group an opportunity to comment. Council members allowed people to voice their opposition or support of the measure only after the vote was taken Monday.
This matches the modus operandi of the Farmers Branch City Council, evidently. I’ve heard from sources in the area that at the doors, whites were blocking Latinos from entering the council chamber, which resulted in a mostly white council audience but a mostly non-white audience outside. I’m waiting on some more information on that, but it appears to have been the case.
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That was definitely the case at the council meeting. I was there. It wasn’t something that was done by the city, though. Most of the O’Hare supporters got there early so they were first in line. I don’t think it made much difference though. The council already had their mind made up on this ridculous ordinance.
Tony,
Thanks for confirming this. This is so sad, as is the ordinance. Hopefully, it will be declared unconstitutional soon enough.
We have a commenter at NTL that claims to have been at the hearing. S/he said that the reason it seemed like a lot of Hispanics were barred from entering was because LULAC and other groups were marching instead of waiting in line. S/he also said that the audience inside was actually 60/40, favoring Hispanics.
Bradley,
Thanks for that clarification. There are a lot of conflicting reports coming out of the FB, so I’m glad you brought that one to our attention. Perhaps someone with LULAC or MAALDEF who was there will read this and shed more light on the subject.