We’ve written a couple of times about Farmers Branch, Texas, and the quest of some there to make discrimination against undocumented immigrants city policy. In addition to attempts to make English the “official” language of the city, legislation was proposed which would impede landlords from renting to the undocumented. Voters in the town supported discriminatory law, pushing it to approval with 68 percent voting in favor, but at the urging of MALDEF and attorneys for landloards, a federal judge said “no”:

U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay wrote in granting a temporary restraining order that only the federal government can determine whether a person is in the United States legally.

Right, there is that thing called federal law, which dictates immigration. And with all the faults of this country’s immigration policy, there’s no law on the federal books that says undocumented immigrants aren’t entitled to live wherever it is they want. Sorry, Farmers Branch!

Not only that, the way the city went about proposing the ordinance was all wrong. According to AP, in addition to a suit filed by landlords, this little mishap has earned them yet another court date:

Council members approved the original, stricter rental ban without discussion and took comment from the public only after their vote.

Before a public meeting was held to consider a petition asking for the ordinance to be repealed or put up for a vote, Farmers Branch officials were quoted as saying they expected to put the issue before voters, the suit alleges.

The law was to take effect yesterday, but Judge Lindsay granted MALDEF’s request for the restaining order on Monday.

Via / ABC13.com