Vol. 71/No. 14      April 9, 2007

The local Illegal Immigration Relief Act would deny business licenses to companies that hire undocumented immigrants, and would create a city agency that must review residency documents before anyone can rent an apartment. A second ordinance, which would establish English as the official language of city affairs in Hazleton, is under a temporary court restraining order.

After the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit challenging the ordinance, city officials on September 1 postponed implementation of the act. A ruling by U.S. District Judge James Munley in Scranton, Pennsylvania, is not expected until May.

Hazleton mayor Louis Barletta, who proposed the law, has spent the last several months speaking out in defense of the legislation and hammering away at his catchphrase, “Illegal is illegal.”

The defense presented witnesses to bolster their assertions that undocumented immigrants have caused an increased crime rate and higher costs for city social services. Testifying for the defense, George Borjas, a professor of economic and social policy at Harvard University, argued that wages in Hazleton would rise if the ordinance goes into effect.

A number of immigrant rights representatives testified for those challenging the ordinance. José Molina, director of the Pennsylvania Statewide Latino Coalition, described how he and other Latinos were intimidated at a rally last September when participants were videotaped “up and down” by the Hazleton police.

An immigrant rights rally opposing the law was held March 12 at the federal courthouse. Heather Buck, whose fiancé José Arias was arrested in January and faces deportation to Mexico, told demonstrators that "he was picked up just for walking down the street.” She said the family is fighting the deportation order.
 
 
Related articles:
More workers arrested in Swift raids convicted of ‘identity theft’
Some immigrant rights groups call boycott on May Day
Wisconsin protesters: ‘No REAL ID!’  
 
 
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