Thread: Meeting in Hazleton About New Immigration Law

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Meeting in Hazleton About New Immigration Law
Story posted on 2006-07-29 18:44:00
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Since July 14th, Hazleton has made national headlines with its aggressive immigration legislation.

The new ordinance calls for stiff fines for businesses that hire immigrants who are here illegally and land lords who rent to them.

It also makes English the city's official language.
Tonight, community leaders against the law came together to find a way to combat it.
WFMZ's Karin Mallett joins us now live with the details.
Karin?

The Pennsylvania Statewide Latino Coalition says since the passage of this law- more than 300 workers in the Hazelton area have been fired from their jobs and two factories have closed their doors to anyone not able to prove they are here legally.

So this morning at Saint Gabriel's Church in the very city that passed the ordinance - community leaders and immigration activists came up with a strategy.

Velez: 21:10
In the schools, in the streets, people say stop speaking Spanish- that it's not legal anymore, there's a lot of misconstruction in this ordinance.
People are taking it as a right to be a bigot, as a right to be racist.
\ REPORTER:

Youth leader Marisol Velez says Hazelton's new immigration ordinance has the small city judging neighbors by their faces- and the color of their skin.
And that the tension is growing.
Nats of meeting

\ REPORTER:

PSLC is expected to file an appeal Monday arguing that undocumented immigrants- although limited- still have rights.

And question whether Hazelton has any legal right to act on what it considers a federal issue.

Siobhan Bennett: 28:25

There's a right way to do things and an unfair way to do things.
\ REPORTER:

Chair of Allentown's Democratic Committee, Sioban Sam Bennett, says she doesn't condemn Hazelton city council members for trying to come up with a solution to the immigration problem- but criticizes the way they went about it.
Bennett: 31:15

Is immigration an issue that we all care about? Absolutely, but when you create legislation that ends up being discriminatory not only to Latinos but to Czechs, Poles, Latinos and Italians- then we know tat we have a piece of legislation that is too vague and ends up being a violation of people's civil rights.

Part of the strategy developed today is to inform the public- so a rally and peace march is set for August 13th at 2pm.
At the city's park at Diamond and Church Streets off 309- near Hazelton's city hall.

The Pennsylvania Statewide Latino Coalition says since the passage of this law- more than 300 workers in the Hazelton area have been fired from their jobs and two factories have closed their doors to anyone not able to prove they are here legally.

I guess those 300 workers should have not entered the country, especially Hazelton illegally. I ask you, what is wrong with the two factories closing their doors to anyone not able to prove they are legal? Isn't that what the ordinance is supposed to do - stop the hiring of illegals?

In the schools, in the streets, people say stop speaking Spanish- that it's not legal anymore, there's a lot of misconstruction in this ordinance.
People are taking it as a right to be a bigot, as a right to be racist.

Those comments are nothing more than false propaganda spoken to incite trouble and justify action against the ordinance. Everyone in the nation knows the ordinance only stops local government business in Hazelton from being conducted in other languages. I'm sure the people in Hazelton know this too. Some people will say anything to get their team fired up!

PSLC is expected to file an appeal Monday arguing that undocumented immigrants- although limited- still have rights.

Would those rights include the right to be deported?

There's a right way to do things and an unfair way to do things.

I don't know about the unfair part, but Hazelton certainly did the right thing.

Is immigration an issue that we all care about? Absolutely, but when you create legislation that ends up being discriminatory not only to Latinos but to Czechs, Poles, Latinos and Italians- then we know tat we have a piece of legislation that is too vague and ends up being a violation of people's civil rights.

The old pro-illegal alien argument continues, everyone is a racist! Another empty argument. The only thing the ordinance discriminates against is those illegally in our country, it doesn't matter if they're Latinos, Czechs, Poles, or Italians. How can someone claim discrimination against the Hazelton Town Council for creating an ordinance to effectively deal with crime. Last time I checked, those who entered the country illegally have broken the law, which would make them criminal law breakers in my book.

Since when is a non-U.S. citizen covered under the constitution of the United States to have civil rights in this country? They have civil rights in their own country. Hazelton city council is doing their job to protect their citizens. Since when do citizens of the United States not have rights in their own country? We can't let our cities become what the border has become, a war zone.

They should give out the federal test to anyone who wants a job, that you need to take to become an american citizen. If you cant pass it, then kick em out. The tests are notorioulsy cheated on, but you hear nothing about this as illegal immigration is so bad now......