GO HAZELTON!


Economist testifies for Hazleton, says immigration lowers wages

SCRANTON, Pa. In week two of the trial over Hazleton's illegal immigrant crackdown, a labor economist testified today that immigration tends to depress wages for lower-skilled workers.

The city's lawyers called on George Borjas to provide an economic justification for the crackdown. The Harvard University conducted a 20-year study that found wages of U-S-born citizens working in low-skilled jobs decreased by about eight percent over the short term because of immigrant labor.

Hazleton is defending the constitutionality of its Illegal Immigration Relief Act. That law penalizes landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and companies that employ them. A companion measure requires tenants to register with City Hall.

Enforcement of the laws has been barred pending a legal challenge by the American Civil Liberties Union and Hispanic groups.

http://www.wfmj.com/Global/story.asp?S=6246852