About 57 percent of voters in Fremont supported the proposal, according to unofficial results that still must be certified by the election commissioner. The measure is likely to face a long and costly court battle, with the American Civil Liberties Union saying it will try to block it before it even goes into effect.
The town of about 25,000 people has watched as its Hispanic population surged in the past two decades, largely due to the jobs available at the nearby Fremont Beef and Hormel meatpacking plants. The city also has an enviably low unemployment rate that matches the Nebraska rate of 4.9 percent.
Nonetheless, residents worry that jobs are going to illegal immigrants who they fear could drain community resources. Proponents of the ballot measure collected enough signatures and fought in the Nebraska Supreme Court to put the question to a public vote.
Supporters say the measure is needed to make up for what they see as lax federal law enforcement. Opponents say it could fuel discrimination. (from Foxnews.com)
I find this interesting because it creates a situation, I think unintended by the voters, that gives more power to the local government by creating a license to rent and forces renters to use a Federal database to insure that they are renting to legal residents. Is this another one of those slippery slopes that ends up going the wrong direction by giving more power to the government, and thereby limiting freedom for everyone? We shall see.
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