Dallas Suburb Takes Another Stab Trying to Reduce Undocumented Worker Population

Persistence often a positive trait is getting a bad name in Farmers Branch.

Officials in the Dallas suburb rebuffed in their efforts to ban landlords from renting apartments and houses to undocumented immigrants are trying again. Voters approved such a measure last May but a federal judge blocked the city from enforcing the ordinance ruling that the city officials tried to regulate immigration differently from the federal government.

Well the City Council took another stab at it this week this time passing an ordinance requiring the city building inspector to check the legal status of the housing applicants against a federal database the Associated Press reported.

It may be a different ordinance — or slightly different — but it may encounter the same legal roadblock.

Citizenship and Immigration Services officials said the city must seek an agreement with the agency before municipal employees can access its database.

"And whether the use is lawful and appropriate would be determined at that time" Maria Elena Garcia-Upson a spokeswoman for ICE said.

The measure which ostensibly targets undocumented immigrants would also have an adverse affect on landlords potentially limiting their customers — and thus their revenues.

The main argument against such foolish ordinances however is that these actions are beyond the realm of local governments.

Farmers Branch like so many other municipalities across the country is attacking a problem that is the responsibility of the federal government.

Local officials would be wise to wait for federal lawmakers to adopt an immigration reform package although granted the wait could be long very long.