ELECTION 2008 ISSUES: Immigration

Posted: September 14
Updated: Today at 7:59 AM
ELECTION 2008 ISSUES: Immigration
By Steve Mocarsky smocarsky@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

Wilkes-Barre storekeeper Agustin Tlatenchi crossed the Mexican-United States border in 1977 without government authorization, met and married Maria Tapia and the two illegal immigrants became U.S. citizens under a 1990s amnesty program.

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Hazleton resident Daniel Smeriglio, who founded Voice of the People USA to support stricter immigration laws and enforcement after he lost two uncles in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, explains why he thinks John McCain is the better presidential candidate.

Amnesty – and the larger question of how to handle the millions of illegal immigrants in the United States – could become an important issue in this year’s presidential campaign between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain.

Immigration has gained the attention of voters in Luzerne County, where the number of foreign-born residents climbed nearly 40 percent during the first six years of President George Bush’s administration, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

That’s a larger percentage increase than in the state of Pennsylvania or the nation as a whole. And according to the Pew Research Center, about a third of all immigrants are undocumented, although it’s impossible to say if that’s the case here.

The topic has thrust the city of Hazleton into the national limelight because of an ongoing legal dispute over the Illegal Immigration Relief Act – a law that would fine landlords and suspend licenses of businesses that house or employ illegal immigrants.

It’s also led to the formation of grassroots groups, like Voice of the People USA, which calls for stricter enforcement of the national immigration laws.

Daniel Smeriglio, a 25-year-old from Hazleton who holds down three jobs in law enforcement, security and transportation, founded Voice of the People after civil rights organizations sued the city to have the relief act declared unconstitutional.

Smeriglio said he was motivated not only by Mayor Lou Barletta’s attempt to protect city residents from illegal immigrants who commit crimes, but by the loss of two uncles in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

Smeriglio believes McCain is the best choice to keep America safe from terrorists.

“Some of those terrorists were illegal immigrants. … I don’t question John McCain’s ability to provide national security. He can provide it better than anyone,â€