-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
Desperately needed tax payer funds are being used by local governments to fight legal challenges to the ordinances drafted with the assistance of IRLI.
By the time the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled its ordinance unconstitutional, Hazelton, PA had spend $2.4 million in legal fees. Riverside NJ owes $82,000 in legal fees even after rescinding their ordinance. Farmers Branch TX is looking at a $5 million legal bill to appeal an injunction issued by the district court. Fremont, NE is raising taxes to pay for the expected $750,000 bill to cover its legal expenses.
In each of the jurisdictions that have been sued, they’ve hired IRLI attorneys to defend the ordinances. What a racket. You get the local idiots to pass ordinances and then bleed the tax payers to defend it. It’s a no-lose scheme for IRLI. Even if the ordinance is invalidated, IRLI still gets its fees. It’s brilliant, in a perverse way.
The next target is Utah, where IRLI is providing assistance for Rep. Stephen Sandstrom’s enforcement-only Arizona-style immigration bill. However, the Mormon Church is supporting an alternative to Sandstrom’s proposal, so IRLI shouldn’t count on any fees from Utah.
FAIR has been labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) based on the writings and quotes of its founder and board member John Tanton. The Anti-Defamation League, in a report on FAIR, said:
Unfortunately, however, there are today, as in the past, some individuals and organizations whose anti-immigration position is marked by mean-spirited distortions, nativist bias, anti-foreigner fear-mongering, and even overt racism. These groups foment an atmosphere chilling to the notion of an open, tolerant America that respects all persons, regardless of origin.
H/T: SPLC, The Salt Lake Tribune, ADL (pdf).