Town rethinks laws against illegal immigrants
A little more than a year ago, the Township Committee in Riverside, New Jersey became the first municipality in the state to enact legislation penalizing anyone who employed or rented to an illegal immigrant.
Within months, hundreds, if not thousands, of recent immigrants had fled and the local economy suffered. Hair salons, restaurants and corner shops that catered to the immigrants saw business plummet; several closed. Once-boarded-up storefronts downtown were boarded up again.
So last week, the town rescinded the ordinance, joining a small but growing list of municipalities nationwide that have begun rethinking such laws as their legal and economic consequences have become clearer. KEN BELSON and JILL CAPUZZO in The New York Times.