On September 3, 2008, a Farmers Branch municipal ordinance prohibiting illegal immigrants from renting property was challenged in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The plaintiffs argued it is unconstitutional because it violated the Supremacy Clause of the US Constitution by regulating immigration and denying immigrants equal protection and due process rights. The lawsuit was successful, resulting in a permanent injunction against the law issued in March 2010. The city of Fremont, Nebraska passed a nearly identical housing scheme in July 2010, resulting in ongoing litigation.

Learn more about US immigration law from the JURIST news archive.