http://www.timesherald.com/site/news.cf ... 3380&rfi=6

11/14/2006
Norristown decides against alien ban
By: KEITH PHUCAS , Times Herald Staff

NORRISTOWN - Though Bridgeport Borough adopted an ordinance in October banning undocumented immigrants from working or living there, municipal neighbor Norristown has no plans to introduce a similar measure.
According to Bill Procyson, president of Norristown Borough Council, municipal officials decided against an illegal immigration prohibition.

"We've considered it, but it's something we've decided we're not going to pursue," he said.

Instead, the municipality is looking at ways to accommodate and meld Hispanic immigrants into the Norristown community.
"The Mexican community is becoming integral to Norristown, and we'd like to see what we can do to (better) integrate them," he said.

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 10.5 percent of Norristown's 31,282 residents were of Hispanic or Latino origin - about 3,200.

The municipality's total population has fallen to 31,069, however, according to Census data from 2003. No statistics were immediately available on how the decline changed the percentage of Hispanics living locally.

A major concern for Norristown is overcrowding in houses or apartments, Procyson said.

According to Norristown's municipal code, too many people living in a single housing unit enables diseases to spread more quickly, affects residents' mental health and subjects houses to greater wear and physical damage.

As well, overcrowding can have a disruptive effect on an entire neighborhood.

"If people are aware of an overcrowding situation, they can call us (at the borough)," Procyson said. "(Overcrowding) is not good for them or the community."

The borough's Citizen Complaint Hotline number is 610-270-0446.

For sleeping quarters, municipal code requires a bedroom occupied by one person to have an area of at least 70 square feet. For a room occupied by two, there must be 50 square feet for each person.

To legally house six or more people, a dwelling unit must have at least two bathrooms, the code states. A "bathroom" is defined as having plumbing fixtures and a shower.

Last summer, the city of Hazleton and New Jersey's Riverside Township passed measures banning illegal immigrants from renting or working in their towns and prohibited employers from hiring undocumented workers.

According to the Associated Press, more than 50 municipalities across the country have either considered, approved or voted down similar bans.

Tuesday, Bridgeport Borough Council is expected to vote on its amended Illegal Immigration Relief Act at its regular meeting at 7:30 p.m.

When Bridgeport passed the ban last month, it also adopted a measure requiring property owners and landlords to register and maintain rental properties and abide by occupancy limits outlined in the 2003 International Property Maintenance Code.

Earlier this month, a federal judge who had blocked Hazleton from enforcing a crackdown on illegal aliens until Nov. 14 extended the order for up to 120 additional days, according to AP.

It is a violation of federal law to knowingly harbor, house or hire illegal aliens, according to United States Code, Title 8.

The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups have filed lawsuits challenging illegal alien bans in Hazleton; Riverside Township, N.J.; Valley Park, Mo.; and Escondido, Calif.

Vic Walczak, of American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, said his organization would only file suit against Bridgeport if the group received a legitimate complaint from an aggrieved person.

"Until and unless we get a complaint from Bridgeport, we wouldn't go after it," he said.

The ACLU believes the immigration legislation should be the responsibility of the U.S. government and not local municipalities.

"These are truly national issues," he said. "The solution is a federal issue."

According to the ACLU, the parties suing Hazleton claim that the ban conflicts with Pennsylvania law governing the authorities granted to municipalities under the Home Rule Charter Law and the Landlord and Tenant Act, and violate the federal Fair Housing Act.