By a vote of 57% to 43% voters in Fremont approved a city ordinance that aims to control some aspects of illegal immigration. The voter turnout was 45%.
The raw totals had 3,906 yes votes and 2,908 no votes.
The contentious ordinance has been a source of discussion, if not conflict in the Dodge County city of Fremont since 2008. It was proposed by a city council member back then but was ultimately rejected by the full city council.
Supporters then turned to the petition process to get it to a vote of the people. After the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled the city could not ignore the vote, it was scheduled for June 21.
At its core the ordinance attempts to do two things. Before landlords can rent any home to a person in Fremont, that person must show a certificate obtained from the city. In order to get the certificate the person will have to prove they are in the United States legally.
The ordinance also requires Fremont employers to verify the legal residency status of people they hire.
Supporters said they wanted the city to act because the Federal Government has failed to enforce immigration laws and because it has failed to secure the nation's borders.
Opponents, among other things, argue between court challenges and administrative costs, the ordinance will cost the city $1,000,000 a year. Some said it was hard to justify the ordinance with costs like that.
After it became apparent the ordinance had passed, the ACLU re-stated its intent to file a lawsuit as soon as possible to block implementation of the ordinance.
The Fremont City Attorney told Channel 6 News that cities in 19 states have tried the same or similar things to control illegal immigration and none of those attempts has succeeded.
