Bill would shield cities, states over immigration

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) _ U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns has introduced a bill that would require the federal government to pay attorney and court costs if it loses a lawsuit filed against states or local governments over immigration laws. The Nebraska Republican's bill comes nine days after the U.S. Justice Department sued Arizona to throw out the state's toughest-in-the-nation immigration law. Nebraska is one of nine states behind a legal brief supporting Arizona's immigration law, which directs officers to question people about their immigration status during the enforcement of other laws if there's a reasonable suspicion they're in the U.S. illegally. Voters in the city of Fremont in eastern Nebraska also recently passed an ordinance to ban hiring or renting property to illegal immigrants.

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