Texas city targets illegal residents

FARMERS BRANCH, Texas, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- A Texas city northwest of Dallas has voted in ordinances requiring landlords to deny homes to illegal residents and making English the city's official language.

The council of Farmers Branch, Texas, also approved an agreement requiring city police to work with federal officials to target "criminal aliens," the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram reported Tuesday.

The meeting Monday night drew hundreds of supporters and protesters from various immigrants' rights groups and police had to turn many away from the packed chambers, the newspaper said.

Marisol Perez, a staff attorney for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund told the council the immigration ordinances would prove to be a mistake, the Star-Telegram said.

"We are here not only to say that these ordinances violate federal law but that these ordinances drive unnecessary tension in the city," Perez said.

The renting ordinance takes effect in January and calls for a $500 fine against landlords who rent to illegal immigrants, the newspaper said.