Thread: PA: A tale of two towns

03/06/2007
A tale of two towns
By: Gregg MacDonald

On Wednesday, Feb. 28, Louis Barletta, the mayor of Hazleton, Pa., spoke at a National Press Club panel discussion on immigration issues, sponsored by the watchdog group Judicial Watch.

This past July, Barletta initiated and helped to pass the Illegal Immigration Relief Act in his municipality of 31,000, which he referred to as "the toughest city in America on illegal aliens."

Similar to measures now under consideration in Herndon, the Hazleton ordinance denies business permits to businesses hiring illegal immigrants and establishes English as the language of official city documents, among other measures.
At Wednesday's presentation, Barletta shared the results of a recent nationwide poll in favor of his actions. The poll, conducted by Susquehanna Polling and Research, shows that 68 percent of the 1,000 nationwide respondents support Barletta's ordinance.


"The fact that most Americans support what we have done in Hazleton demonstrates that communities all across the country agree we need to turn to our elected officials at the local level to take action on this issue and not rely solely on the federal government to solve this problem," Barletta said.

Herndon Vice Mayor Dennis Husch, in October 2006, supplied the Herndon Town Council with the results of a similar Susquehanna statewide poll, showing that a majority of Pennsylvanians strongly favored Barletta's ordinance.

"All across this country elected officials are taking a stand and doing what they can to make their communities an unwelcoming place for illegal aliens, in spite of the inaction of the federal government," Husch wrote in an e-mail Monday.

But doing so can come with a hefty price tag. The constitutionality of the Hazleton ordinance has since been questioned by civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of 11 plaintiffs.

The case is scheduled to go before the 3rd Court of Appeals in Philadelphia on Monday, March 12, according to Barletta.

Barletta told attendees at Wednesday's presentation that, in total, "25 lawyers are suing Hazleton" over the measure.

Husch, who said he is aware of the initiatives in Hazleton, maintains that "their focus area was rental housing and requiring landlords to verify persons renting apartments are in this country legally. I do not know, nor have I asked, if a town in the Commonwealth of Virginia has the authority to enact such an ordinance."

Husch added that a Herndon rental inspection program now under consideration will focus on health and safety, not on requiring landlords to check on a tenant's legal presence.

"Herndon is not alone in the fight to maintain the value of our citizenship and our laws," Husch said. "There are a multitude of communities all across this nation from Pennsylvania to California to Texas to Florida to Missouri that are doing everything they can to address these challenges. If we give up; if we relent; if we compromise; if we settle - they win."
http://link.toolbot.com/timescommunity.com/67931

"Herndon is not alone in the fight to maintain the value of our citizenship and our laws," Husch said. "There are a multitude of communities all across this nation from Pennsylvania to California to Texas to Florida to Missouri that are doing everything they can to address these challenges. If we give up; if we relent; if we compromise; if we settle - they win."

here's the TRUTH!
no compromise and no backing down.

Herndon, Va. is a lost cause. I use to live a few miles away in Chantilly, Va. Anything they try to do now is like closing the barn door after the horse left. Truly a sad situation