As shiny new Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach was shaking the election-night confetti from his hair, judges were busy scrutinizing the immigration laws he crafted for Hazleton, Pennsylvania, and Fremont, Nebraska.
And it wasn't all good news for towns that have adopted his federal-authority-skirting brand of regulations.
First, to Nebraska. Kobach's Fremont law, which makes everybody who wants to rent an apartment pay $5 for a permit (a little weird, right?), and fine landlords with the gall to rent to dastardly illegals, looks to be in decent shape.
The state Supreme Court decided they would rather not wade into the legal quagmire the law flooded the town with. The state's high court decided that since the federal judge
asking them to look into the law didn't suggest the ordinance broke
state law, they couldn't rule on it. Kobach, was pumped at the news,
telling the Associated Press that it shows the weakness of legal
challenges.
Meanwhile, Hazleton might have just become a whole
lot poorer. A quick summary: The city passed a similar law to the
Fremont one, and is appealing a court ruling that said the law was
unconstitutional. While they prepare to make their case to the Supreme
Court, the plaintiffs that brought the initial suit are seeking $2.4
million in legal fees. The city told its insurance company to dish out
the cash, but the insurers told the city to forget about it. And a U.S.
Appeals Court ruled
that the city is responsible for covering the fees.
That could tap out the town of just 22,000. After begging anti-illegal
immigration activists nationwide for cash, the city was showered with
$430,000 to pay down its massive legal debt, much of it owed to Kobach.
In October, the town was running of fumes with a measly $10,000 in the
legal fund, barely enough to fight a few parking tickets. Now the city
needs to decide whether to appeal (and likely dig itself deeper into
debt) or try to find the cash to pay the plaintiff's bills.
It's
a thoroughly sucky situation for Hazleton, especially since the two
people responsible for getting the city to this point have bailed on its residents.
Kobach got paid
and now has a new gig tracking down dead voters, and Mayor Lou Barletta, who spearheaded getting
the law passed, will soon be jetting off to join the House of
Representatives.
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Not surprising Mr. Kobach responded positively to news of the Nebraska Supreme Court. He wins either way; that's the set up.
As in Hazleton, either way someone walks away nicely compensated - while the targeted small towns lose big time.
Costs to Fremont, Nebraska so far:
TAX INCREASE($750,000 property); SERVICE CUTS(3 full-time city staff let go to balance the budget); INCREASED DISCRIMINATION targeting Hispanic citizens; a NEGATIVE NATIONAL REPUTATION-making future economic development most interesting; and the RESIGNATIONS OF CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT, CITY ADMINISTRATOR and retirement of CITY ATTORNEY.
And the law isn't in effect.
Crazy thing is - Fremont, Nebraska knew Hazleton's costs including the unconstitutional rulings.
But in the end, Fremont needed to pass the law Kobach brought into our town (modeled on Hazleton) to stop the "invasion" he and associates (Federation for American Immigration Reform) invested in.
After 2 years of "they're taking over" and "invasion," blaming and equating "Hispanics" with "illegals," good people think it's worth the cost to stop the "invasion" - even if it can't and even if there isn't one.
Fremont's "invasion" wasn't "illegal" immigrants(1-2% of population, according to Pew Hispanic Center/Census); it was Hispanics.
The Hispanic population grew from 1% (1990) to almost 8% (2008) (Census, ACS). A big change for a small town; especially when the town has been 98-99% White since 1856.
Fertile ground. You've got to ask: who wins?
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