PHILADELPHIA — A former Pennsylvania coal town and a Dallas suburb lost a lengthy battle to enact anti-immigrant laws Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear their appeals.
The high court has held since 2012 that immigration issues are largely a matter for federal agencies, not local governments, to regulate.
The ruling Monday involved efforts by the city of Hazleton, in northeastern Pennsylvania, and Farmers Branch, Texas, to enforce housing and employment rules aimed at people in the country illegally.
Hazleton passed laws in 2006 to address concerns over an influx of immigrants. The laws sought to fine landlords who rented to people living in the country illegally, deny business permits to companies that gave them jobs and required prospective tenants to register with City Hall and pay for a rental permit.
