LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – New records obtained by the ACLU of Nebraska show that Fremont city officials used a federal program to check the immigration status of potential renters, but it did not require a professional license. It was limited to applications.
This week, the ACLU of Nebraska announced that it has filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security for failing to respond to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for housing records in Fremont and Frommont. Submitted. scribe.
According to the release, records show Fremont and Scribner ordinances force prospective renters to answer questions about their immigration status and claim applicants are not citizens or their nationality is unknown. In some cases, law enforcement officials have been ordered to investigate. their immigration status;
Officials submitted a spreadsheet and 13-page document to the ACLU of Nebraska seeking information about 21 workers who applied for professional certification through the federal program by the city of Fremont from 2015 to 2017. It was shown that
Fremont was the only municipality in Nebraska to take advantage of the program, according to online records.
“We’re glad to finally have more concrete information and hope that ICE’s request will give us a clearer picture,” said Dylan Severino, a legal researcher with the ACLU of Nebraska. said. “That being said, we should not have filed a lawsuit to learn these basic details. Federal law outlines clear obligations to respond to public records requests. They are not suggestions. .”
Severino said he expects authorities to realize the outcome of this case and fulfill the FOIA request in a timely manner.
“While we work to better understand the scope of the federal government’s involvement in these anti-immigrant housing bans, we will continue to monitor the outcome of this litigation to ensure that the agency responds to future requests.” I hope so. If not, we will see them in court. “Severino said.
The ACLU of Nebraska sued Fremont 14 years ago over the controversial ordinance.
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