Vol. 72/No. 34      September 1, 2008

More than 1,000 people turned out here July 29 to debate the controversial city council measure that would have banned hiring or renting to undocumented immigrants.

Fremont Mayor Donald Edwards, who does not support immigrant rights, cast the decisive vote, defeating the ordinance by a vote of 5 to 4.

The audience at Fremont High School was evenly divided between supporters and opponents of the measure, according to workers who were present. Tensions ran high at the meeting. There was a heavy police presence, bomb-sniffing dogs, and metal detectors.

The meeting lasted six hours with some 75 speakers. A good number in the audience were meat packers from the Hormel slaughterhouse, a large employer in the Fremont area. There were also members of the Nebraska Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, a rightist anti-immigrant group.
 
 
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