Thread: Burlington County town begins to undo immigration ordinance

Burlington County town begins to undo immigration ordinance

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ ... 0294.story
RIVERSIDE, N.J. (AP) _ This Burlington County town is beginning to undo an ordinance that sought to penalize those who rent or hire illegal immigrants.

The township committee voted 4-1 to introduce an ordinance to rescind the Immigration Relief Act Thursday. Committee member Marcus Carroll voted against it.

The measure was never enforced.

Township officials said it was costing too much to fight lawsuits filed after the ordinance was adopted more than a year ago.

A federal judge in March struck down similar provisions adopted by a Pennsylvania town.

GRRRRRR

Riverside Rescinds Controversial Immigration Law
http://cbs3.com/topstories/local_story_235230953.html
Todd Quinones
Reporting

(CBS 3) RIVERSIDE, N.J. The national controversy over illegal immigration took center stage in a small South Jersey town on Thursday evening.

Authorities in Riverside backed away from a controversial immigration law; a law that triggered both protests and lawsuits.

An emotional rally held last summer against Riverside's then new Illegal Immigration Relief Act sparked much heated debates within the small town.

On Thursday night, the fight all but ended.

"It's a federal law, we're out of our jurisdiction, we're one square mile town fighting the whole United States," Riverside Mayor George Conard said during a meeting Thursday evening.

Conard said the town simply can not afford the thousands of dollars in legal fees to fight two lawsuits that challenge their immigration law. So the township voted to rescind the law.

At a population of around 8,000, local officials reportedly estimated that at its peak, more than 3,000 illegal immigrants, mostly from Brazil, lived in Riverside.

By threatening to fine landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and punish businesses that hire them, some felt the law was creating the desired effect.

"We have a much better town now than we had six months ago when all this started," one resident said.

A legal immigrant in Riverside, through an interpreter, said the law promoted discrimination.

"Some of the people look at us in a different way, in a discriminatory way," the resident said.

It is possible that the two lawsuits will be withdrawn as long as the vote to rescind the law is made official, which is expected to happen in a couple of weeks.

That's just flipping stupid, I really hate this state.

A legal immigrant in Riverside, through an interpreter, said the law promoted discrimination.

What did he say? Not speaking English is a disadvantage. Sounds like they are blaming every one but themselves.

Dixie

Sounds like California has nothing but cowards for law makers.

Oh New Jersey. My bad. Still cowards.