Taking its cue from Hazelton, PA, Farmers Branch, TX, a Dallas suburb, is considering a proposal by City Councilman Tim O’Hare that would prohibit landlords from leasing to illegal immigrants. It would also penalize businesses that employ illegals aliens and would make English the city’s official language. (Proposals prompt protests in Farmers Branch, by Anna M. Tinsley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Saturday August 26)

Over 300 protestors rallied against the proposal as they marched yesterday, holding signs proclaiming, “We’re all humans,” and “America was formed by immigrants.”

But this is the real news: About two dozen patriot counter protestors defended O’Hare (in 100+ degree heat, no less) with signs reading, “O’Hare for Prez,” and “Como se dice ‘illegal’ en espanol?” [How do you say 'illegal' in Spanish?]

The people of Farmers Branch aren’t naïve about immigration. Even the Dallas Morning News is catching on (see here).

O’Hare’s proposal is meant to protect the property values, school reputations, crime rate, and health care from taking a turn for the worse. One very acute counter-protestor (Debbie Rawlins, 48) commented, “They’re taking our jobs, our homes. There’s unemployment partly because of the Hispanics. The lady that took my job is Hispanic and she’s bilingual.”

But, if health care, jobs, safety and education aren’t important enough, how about this. Hector Flores – immediate past national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens and leader of the anti-O’Hare protest – threatened even more: “The proposal is directed at a group that is basically Hispanic. Maybe 1 million of us will move to Farmers Branch and change government.”

We have been warned.

Congratulate Councilman O’Hare.

Gail Russell Chaddock at the Christian Science Monitor writes of the Kennedy immigration travesty:
“A government study puts the cost of the Senate’s version of reform at $127 billion over 10 years.”

Now, in reality that economic analysis looks only at a small portion of the costs. Essentially what they are looking at is increases in entitlement spending. The problems include that they aren’t looking at factors including:

Costs associated with likely increases in illegal immigration following yet another amnesty.

Increases in crime and disease following looser border control.

Costs of decreasing wages to an already strapped American working class.

That $127 Billion estimate is very much a best-case scenario. NSF and my own previous analysis put the estimated costs at closer to $100K/illegal immigrant-which might mean the $127 Billion estatimate is more than an order of magnitude off.