For those looking for a little light reading during this slow news week, here's the entirety of the lawsuit filed today against Farmers Branch. Thanks to Estuardo Rodriguez at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund for providing the document.
The suit was brought by MALDEF and the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Alfredo Vasquez and Ramiro Perez, two legal permanent U.S. residents living in apartment complexes who have living with them some family members "who are neither U.S. citizens nor resident aliens of the U.S." Also named at plaintiffs are several women identified only as Jane Does, Latino women who also live in apartments in Farmers Branch with family members who aren't U.S. citizens or resident aliens.
The suit says that should the law be allowed to take effect next month, it will force the plaintiffs "to separate from their family members [or] force them to leave their homes, schools and communities and move away from Farmers Branch."
Also included in the suit as plaintiffs are two apartment complex owners -- Todd and Andrew Mongeon -- who "receive substantial income" from their two Farmers Branch properties. They're fond of the don't-ask-don't-tell policy concerning their tenants' immigration status and would prefer to keep it that way. They don't want to go to jail for asking their tenants' "eligible immigration status," though should the Farmers Branch law take effect, landlords will more or less have to act as immigration agents.
Oh, and if you actually do decide to read the suit, there are many references to the good ol' paper version of Unfair Park. I just wish our search engine worked well enough for me to find the story cited in the lawsuit... --Robert Wilonsky