A Latino civil rights group is suing a Nebraska city to stop its new ordinance that bars residents from hiring or renting homes to illegal immigrants.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund filed the lawsuit Wednesday in federal court "to protect immigrants from unlawful, local regulation of immigration" and challenges to constitutional and federal authority.

Fremont city attorney Dean Skokan (skoh-KAN') says he couldn't comment because he hadn't yet seen the lawsuit.

The lawsuit targets the city's illegal-immigration ordinance that voters approved in June. The ban is set to go into effect on July 29.

The American Civil Liberties Union also has promised to challenge the ban in court, but had not filed a lawsuit by Wednesday morning.