Special election today on immigration ordinance in small Nebraska city

A special election today in Fremont, Nebraska, population 25,576, will decide the fate of an ordinance that would

ban businesses from hiring illegal immigrants and bar landlords from renting to them. Residents demanded the vote, fighting off challenges by some of their elected leaders all the way to the State Supreme Court.

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The Hispanic population, while growing, still makes up less than 10 percent of Fremont, yet some say they blame illegal immigrants for what they see as a rise in crime here, the loss of good jobs for local residents and a shift in the culture.

Read more coverage in the New York Times here.

Fremont is the county seat of Dodge County, population 35,880, and it is part of the Fremont Micropolitan area, although it is only about 35 miles from Omaha.