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The Nation Should Take a Lesson from Farmers Branch, Texas

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But now the family is scared.

“We will have to start all over again from the bottom,” she said. “I went through so much to get here, and look what happens.”

Vamonos a Mexico [Let’s go back to Mexico],” her 8-year-old son pleaded.

But her 10-year-old daughter promised to study harder so she could become a police officer who would never deport illegal immigrants.

Maria said some of her neighbors moved not long after the City Council first proposed the ordinance eight months ago. But she said she must think of her children and their schooling.

 

 


Immigrant family who must move from their Farmers Branch home
holds a garage sale to help raise money.
(Source: Aldiatx.com)

People who are in favor of sending the undocumented packing in their towns or states must have this vision the people will go quietly into the night and that neighboring towns and cities will cheer the departure of the undocumented.

Well, that’s not what will happen and Farmers Branch, Texas is already proof of that.

With the passage over the weekend of Ordinance 2903 that starting May 22 will fine landlords $500 a day for leasing to undocumented immigrants, neighboring suburban apartment complexes have already thrown out the Welcome Mat to those who must move.

It’s a situation that some apartment complexes in Farmers Branch have reported is already affecting their businesses — adversely.

Farmers Branch may have been successful in making undocumented immigrants unwelcome but they are also endangering their own economy.

Don’t believe it?

It was enough of a reason for the Mayor of Farmers Branch to go public with his opposition to the Ordinance.


Farmers Branch Mayor Phelps
(Source: Pegasusnews.com)

Mr. Phelps and a handful of attorneys and staff members seem to be the only people in town who realized that passing this ordinance could – and probably will – cost a king’s ransom in legal fees.

Why isn’t anybody else seeing this?

According to the Mayor, the issue has let the most hate-filled people have a platform to not only threaten the undocumented but the Mayor himself. After going public with how he thought the Ordinance was bad business for the city, someone vandalized his home. On top of all the hate mail he got as well, the FBI advised him and his family to go out of town last weekend instead of waiting for the election results.

So voters in Farmers Branch may have gotten their wish to drive out people who want to work, but it looks like they’ll be paying a higer price than whatever undocumented immigrants cost the city in the first place.

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