TailOverTeaKettle.com

Last month, almost immediately after the gavel fell closing the meeting where new regulations were placed requiring landlords not to rent to illegal immigrants, the county was threatened with costly lawsuits. Of course, their actions were also accused of being ‘immigrant bashing’ and anti-Christian by pro-illegal groups.

But it seems that the costs of legal challenges (whether they are sound or not) may be causing the county to reconsider their actions. According to the Associated Press, they are delaying enforcement of the new ordinances while they consider things further.

The ordinance, which county commissioners unanimously approved last month, was scheduled to take effect today.

But county workers are not trained to enforce it. And the possibility of having to spend money to defend it from legal challenges has also prompted second thoughts.

Officials in Escondido, California, recently abandoned a similar law after agreeing to pay 90-thousand dollars to lawyers representing civil rights groups who sued the city.

Cherokee County Commissioner Jim Hubbard says that development means their ordinance may need another discussion.

The Cherokee County ordinance would require landlords to collect information about renters’ immigration status. Landlords would have to provide that information to the county on demand.

Hubbard says he supported the ordinance after an acting county attorney told commissioners the legal fees probably would NOT be high, and that the ordinance seemed on solid legal ground.

But now Hubbard says Cherokee County should consider delaying enforcement of the landlord ordinance until a judge rules on a legal challenge to a similar law in Hazelton, Pennsylvania.