Posts
Hazleton Immigration Decision
Posted on July 26th, 2007By Fred in Statements, Immigration
Most Americans want something to be done about the illegal immigration
problem we have in this country. They’ve been expecting the federal government
to enforce the immigration laws already on the books. The federal government
hasn’t done that, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the governments
closest to the people – municipal and state – are looking to take action. This
is an entirely proper role for these governments.
Back in 2006, the citizens
of Hazleton, Penn., were noticing some troubling signs resulting from an influx
of illegal immigrants. They were seeing an uptick in the number of murders, an
increase in drug-related crimes and a school district bursting at its seams. In
fact the English as a Second Language program reportedly went from $500 a year
in 2001 to more than $1 million a year today. The citizens of Hazleton demanded
that something be done, and the Illegal Immigration Relief Act was introduced by
the mayor and supported by the city council by a vote of 4 to 1.
Let’s be
clear about what’s going on here. No matter what some groups may be trying to do
to muddy the water and portray Hazleton’s law as something playing to an uglier
agenda, this law is not about legal immigration. This law is about dealing with
the illegal immigration problem in Hazleton. The town’s mayor and city officials
made this clear from the beginning, and it seems like they took a common sense
approach.
Our constitutional system allows cities to take reasonable steps
to protect their citizens. When the federal government is unwilling to enforce
immigration laws effectively, then cities need to be able to act, and take
reasonable steps to secure their citizens from the social, financial, and
criminal costs of illegal immigration.
No doubt, this ruling will be appealed. And it should be.
I also agree with Fred D. Thompson that this should be appealed. This as I have said about immigration done illegally isn't about race and religion. It is purely about the fact that the entry into the United States was done ILLEGALLY.
Hazleton Immigration Ordinance Struck Down
Federal Ruling on
Illegal Immigration Relief Act
Thursday, July 26, UPDATED: 5:50 p.m.By Sarah Buynovsky
A federal judge struck down Hazleton's crackdown on illegal immigrants.
Federal Judge James Munley ruled Thursday against the city of Hazleton and its
Illegal Immigration Relief Act.
In his lengthy, 206 page decision, Munley
called the act "unconstitutional."
Mayor Lou Barletta headed out of the
federal courthouse in March after a week-long trial before a federal judge
smiling. Despite his testimony and the testimony of other city officials and
experts, Federal Judge James Munley ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, more than
a dozen groups and people who argued Hazleton's Illegal Immigration Relief Act
was unconstitutional.
The act which, was passed last year, called for
landlords and employers in the city of Hazleton to be fined if they rented to or
employed illegal immigrants. Judge Munley's decision in favor of the plaintiffs
has some people, including Hispanics in the city cheering.
"So far the few
people that I've talked to are very happy with this decision. This ordinance
brought a great amount of division to this town," said Rudy Espinal of the
Hazleton Hispanic Business Association.
In his decision, Judge Munley wrote
"Federal law prohibits Hazleton from enforcing any provisions of its ordinances"
and "The ordinances disrupt a well-established federal scheme for regulating the
presence and employment of immigrants in the United States." The judge also
wrote, "Whatever frustrations the city of Hazleton may feel about the current
state of federal immigration enforcement, the nature of the political system in
the United States prohibits the city from enacting ordinances that disrupt a
carefully drawn federal statutory scheme." In a late afternoon conference call,
attorneys for the plaintiffs told reporters they are thrilled with the judge's
landmark decision.
"What's important about the national debate is that Mayor
Barletta's claims about undocumented workers is based on myths and propaganda
and it's the same propaganda and myths that are being put out there by
anti-immigrant groups," said Vic Walczak of the American Civil Liberties Union,
of ALCU.
"The decision rendered by the court today is a categorical
rejection of Hazleton's ordinance that promoted discrimination," said Anthony
Romero of the ACLU.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs said it's clear this
landmark decision will mean great things for everyone in Hazleton. "Hazleton, in
its zeal for control of a group deemed undesirable, violated the rights of
everyone in the community," said Tom Wilkinson of the ACLU.
Despite
Thursday's landmark decision, attorneys for the city of Hazleton are expected to
appeal the judge's decision.
What is being refered to here as Myths and Propaganda is the information being provided by the groups supporting Illegal Immigration. They made this subject about race when many of us are only upset about one aspect of this entire debate, the ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. I know I am not alone in saying I do not care if you are white, brown, yellow, red, black, or other shades of pigment or lack of, if you are here ILLEGALLY, go home. If you got here through LEGAL means, welcome. I hope you enjoy the stay and your families history is a long and fruitful one here.
Reaction to Immigration Ruling
Thursday, July 26, UDPATED: 6:02 p.m.By Bianca Barr
Residents and city leaders in Hazleton are reacting to a federal
judge's ruling striking down the city's Illegal Immigration Act.
Late
Thursday afternoon members of the group who filed the lawsuit and Mayor Lou
Barletta, who created the ordinance, spoke about the ruling.
There were
two news conferences held back-back in the city of Hazleton to comment on
the judge's ruling in federal court.
With word of the federal court ruling
that Hazleton's Illegal Immigration Relief Act is unconstitutional, members of
the local Latino community celebrated what they called a victory for all
immigrants who have moved to Hazleton.
But within the comments, the tension
still was evident as they talked about why this issue had to get this far and
whether the ruling with change what they call a negative mind-set of some of
their neighbors.
"Did we really win? People are still being
treated disrespectfully and without dignity," said Anna Arias of the Hazleton
Latino Association.
They talked about the need for Hazleton to heal and move
forward from today with a positive outlook. They said they want
people of all races to work together to find some type of harmony.
"This
is the beginning of the healing we have to do with the community. The
community has to come back together. They have to settle their differences
and work for the better of the community," said Hispanic leader Agipito Lopez.
At Hazleton City Hall about 4:30 p.m. Mayor Lou Barletta vowed to appeal,
saying he was disappointed in the ruling. "This judge's decision today is
not the end. The people of Hazleton need to know that I will do everything
I can to make Hazleton the toughest city in America for illegal aliens," Mayor
Barletta said.
They city attorneys said the ruling begs for an appeal
and said the judge's interpretation of the law will not hold up in the Third
Circuit Court of Appeal in Philadelphia.
"If the judge had written a tight,
closely-reasoned opinion that didn't venture too far out on the limb, that would
be a hard case to appeal but this judge has written an opinion that goes to
extraordinary lengths to find fault with the city's ordinance and this makes for
a perfect appeal," said Kris Kobach, Hazleton lead attorney. The city has
30 days to file that appeal.
Mayor Barletta said he wants both the
borders and the towns of the United States secured. "Since the federal
government has refused to protect us, I have an obligation as an elected
official of the people of this city to do that and I'm not going to stop.
I'm going to continue to fight for them and I'm going to be as vocal
today, tomorrow and next year as I have been the last year fighting illegal
immigration," Barletta said.
Members of local Hispanic community pleaded with
the mayor to let this decision be the end but obviously that is not the
case. It is clear that the immigration issue is far from over.
Again, if you read the above article, you see where the pro illegal immigration groups are trying to confuse the issue with race and legal immigration.
If you haven't seen the trend yet, if you are for our government supporting the laws already established, you become racist, regardless of your color or heritage. If you speak against Illegal Immigration, they make it sound like you are against ALL Immigration which is not the fact.
My family LEGALLY Immigrated to the United States. I know many others who have JUST gotten their citizenship legally. I also know people who ended up in our country from the Sudan who came LEGALLY. And they are welcome.
No comments:
Post a Comment