Debate over ordinance heats up: Hazle Twp. passes law

Wednesday, 12 July 2006
By TOM RAGAN

ragan@standardspeaker.com

Hazle Township supervisors voted 3-0 to pass an Illegal Immigration Relief Act during a special meeting Tuesday. The law establishes English as the official language of Hazle Township and establishes fines and penalties up to $1,000 for contracting with or leasing or renting to illegal immigrants.
Charles Pedri, solicitor for the Board of Supervisors, said it is basically the same ordinance the city of Hazleton passed on the first reading on June 15.
Dr. Agapito Lopez walked in seconds after the meeting was adjourned. He walked up to Pedri and asked if the illegal immigration ordinance was passed.
He was informed it was and immediately told Pedri, “You’re going to be sued. It is unconstitutional — every part of it.”
Lopez went on to say that if the township or any city or municipality is receiving federal money, it must provide bilingual documents and forms to the public.
The law passed by the township states that unless it is explicitly mandated by the federal government or the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, all business forms and documents relating to the township will be written in English only.
Lopez asked why an agenda he received earlier in the day at the township business office had the meeting time listed as 7 p.m. and the meeting was held at 6 p.m.
He was told that the meeting time was properly advertised and that the meeting time on the agenda sheet just happened to be an error.
Lopez said the ordinance discriminates because landlords do not know the immigration laws and Hazle Township doesn’t have police to enforce it.
When told a code enforcement officer will handle it, he asked, “Does the code enforcement officer have training to deal with the immigration law?”
“Think it over, because it’s going to be very costly for the township,” Lopez said, adding, “The landlords in this area are going to be very angry when they cannot rent their properties.”
“Most of the people coming into Hazleton are from New York City and New Jersey and are documented legally. The city is booming; the population has increased. We are already one-third of the population in the city. This ordinance is an insult,” Lopez said.
“We are going to hold a peaceful protest on North Church Street near City Hall on Thursday. Six hundred are expected to join — not anything violent. We will light candles and wave the American flag en masse for one hour prior to Thursday’s council meeting,” Lopez said.
Lopez said a candlelight vigil would also be held tonight at 8 p.m. at city hall.
Pedri told the Standard-Speaker the ordinance was properly enacted and is legal within the township code and confines of the constitution.
Bill Gallagher, chairman of the board of supervisors, said the board has discussed the ordinance for some time and Andy Benyo, the previous chairman, discussed having such a law on the books last year.
One of the problems, according to Gallagher, is that in addition to the Hispanic population, there have been many immigrants coming from Russia and Yugoslavia and it has been difficult communicating with people who do not understand or read English.
“We can only do so much. We’re not directing it at any single group,” Gallagher said. “It has been hard for our clerks at the Hazle Township office to understand people when they are filling out applications for permits and other township documents.”
When Gallagher asked for public comments prior to taking a vote on the ordinance, only one resident from Hazle Township stepped up to the podium. His question was about why more information about the people who ran businesses in the township wasn’t available to the public.
Gallagher said ownership information about a business was available during regular hours at the township office and that the township records such information.
Pedri also said several people were in the township office earlier asking for copies of the ordinance and that copies were made and are now available.

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