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Cherokee sued over immigrant housing law

By MARK BIXLER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/05/07

Immigrant advocates have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the legality of a Cherokee County ordinance that would prevent landlords from renting to illegal immigrants.

In response, the county has agreed to halt enforcement of the controversial ordinance, attorneys said today.

The Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and other groups sued Cherokee County in U.S. District Court in Atlanta on Thursday. Judge Timothy C. Batten Sr. signed an order preventing the county from enforcing its ordinance, said Isaiah Delemar, acting regional counsel for MALDEF in Atlanta.

"It's a victory because Cherokee County will not force landlords to violate the rights of the immigrant population," he said today. "Cherokee County will be prevented from abridging the constitutional rights of landlords, as well."

Delemar plans to discuss the lawsuit at a press conference in Atlanta at 11:30 a.m. today along with representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Cherokee County agreed to delay enforcement of its landlord ordinance until the resolution of legal challenges to similar ordinances in Pennsylvania and Texas, Delemar said.

The Cherokee County commissioners approved an ordinance last month that would require landlords in unincorporated parts of the county to verify that tenants are in the United States with permission. The county has a fast-growing immigrant population. Several thousand foreign-born residents, mainly Latinos, have gravitated to jobs in construction, landscaping, hospitality and other industries.