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West Hazleton Borough plans on passing IIRA this week, unfazed by lawsuits
Sunday, 05 November 2006
BY AMANDA CHRISTMAN
achristman@standardspeaker.com

Despite recent legal action against the City of Hazleton after it enacted the Illegal Immigration Relief Act, neighboring West Hazleton plans to jump on board, adopting essentially the same law at its Thursday night meeting. West Hazleton will adopt the version that city council amended in September.

“Given that other municipalities are passing (IIRA), I think it’s in our best interest (to adopt it),” council President Julie Ehlers said.

Mayor Mark Rockovich said inaction by the federal government to enforce its laws have forced small municipalities, such as West Hazleton to take matters into their own hands.

The borough, Rockovich said, welcomes all legal immigrants, no matter what country they hail from. However, he said, immigrants who come into the country illegally are not abiding by federal laws.

“That’s my belief,” he said.

Rockovich, who works for Luzerne County Correctional Facility, said every month he sees reports of at least 10 people who are illegal immigrants who have committed crimes. Most times, Rockovich said, they are not deported or given an immigration detainer.

Some proponents of the IIRA contend the law in Hazleton has hurt legal immigrants and businesses, but Rockovich said he didn’t think it would.
West Hazleton council does not plan to approve a separate ordinance that would require all municipal business to be conducted in English, nor does it plan on pairing English only with the IIRA itself.

A portion of the IIRA in Hazleton originally contained a portion stating that all city documents would be in English. Hazleton later separated the English only portion from the IIRA.

In August, council voted to move forward with adopting the IIRA.
IIRA prohibits the hiring of and renting to illegal immigrants.

Those violating the provisions of IIRA, once it is officially enacted could face fines of $1,000.