Neb. city OKs immigrant renter rule

Residents of a small Nebraska city voted Tuesday to keep regulations that require all renters to swear they have legal permission to live in the United States, a move the is likely to put the city back into the forefront of the immigration debate.

Fremont voters originally adopted the ordinance in 2010, which thrust the conservative agricultural hub near Omaha into the national spotlight.

Critics had said the rules were less effective and more costly than anyone expected as well as damaging the city's image. But close to 60 percent of local voters — more than the 57 percent in favor four years ago — sided Tuesday with supporters, who said Fremont needed to take a stand against illegal immigration.

The housing rules require anyone who rents a home or apartment to apply for a $5 permit and attest to their legal status, but there is no mandate to show proof. The ordinance would also require landlords to make sure their tenants have permits or face a $100 fine.

Fremont, a town of about 26,000 people, is one of a handful of cities that have acted on their own over the last decade to curb illegal immigration. Most of those efforts, including ones in Hazelton, Pa., and Farmers Branch, Texas, have become mired in costly court battles.

The same is true in Fremont, where the ordinance was put on hold while courts reviewed the law.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld most of the ordinance in 2013, and the city was preparing to enforce the housing restrictions for the first time last fall when elected officials decided to schedule another vote.

Shawn Stewart, 44, is a lifelong Fremont resident who supported the immigration ordinance when approved in 2010 and again on Tuesday.

"If we're going to get rid of the ordinance, we might as well open up our borders," Stewart told the Associated Press, adding that he doesn't have a problem with immigrants as long as they enter the U.S. legally.

Critics said the housing restrictions might cost Fremont millions of dollars in legal fees and lost federal grants.

Supporters insist that the measure does not target Hispanics. The number of Hispanics in Fremont jumped from 165 in 1990 to 3,149 in 2010, mostly because of jobs at the nearby Hormel and Fremont Beef plants.

It's not clear how many people live in Fremont illegally. Census figures show 1,150 noncitizens live in the town, including immigrants who don't have permission to be in the U.S. and lawful permanent residents and foreign students who are there legally.

After the vote, civil rights groups that have challenged the ordinance will decide whether to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the issue.

The Associated Press