Thread: Hazleton mayor defends law for illegals

Hazleton mayor defends law for illegals
By Paul Peirce
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, July 13, 2007


Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta told a gathering of Westmoreland County Republicans on Thursday that he will not back off a controversial ordinance that fines landlords for renting to illegal aliens and revokes business licenses of firms that employ illegals.
Barletta's comments came less than a week after Luzerne County prosecutors dismissed murder charges against two illegal immigrants accused of a crime that spurred the mayor's Illegal Immigration Relief Act, which passed last fall.

"This has actually emboldened me. In my mind, two illegal aliens took the life of a 29-year-old man in Hazleton and got away with it," Barletta said.

Prosecutors announced last week that they were forced to abandon the case because crucial witnesses were either unavailable or unreliable, not because they were convinced the two men are innocent.

In numerous speeches, Barletta has mentioned the murder of Derek Kichline last year as the "final straw" in introducing the ordinance to fight crime that has plagued his northeastern Pennsylvania city of 30,000. The ordinance passed last July and immediately resulted in a federal lawsuit, which is pending.
Whenever he is asked to justify the need for the ordinance, Barletta mentions the case.

"The ordinance may not have been able to save Derek's life, but maybe it will save someone else," Barletta said last night at Ferrante's Lakeview, west of Greensburg.


Barletta, 51, was the guest speaker at a party fundraiser that attracted about 70 people.

The Hazleton ordinance would fine landlords $1,000 per day for every illegal alien staying on their property and revoke the licenses of businesses that hire undocumented immigrants.

Barletta said although federal laws are in place to control illegal immigration, federal agencies are doing little or nothing to enforce the existing statutes.

In introducing Barletta, County Republican Committee Chairman Perry Christopher noted that in the May primary the two-term mayor easily won his own party's nomination, plus won the Democratic nomination via a write-in against a Democrat opponent who was listed on the ballot. Democrats carry a 2-to-1 registration advantage in Hazleton.

"He saw a problem and with the rest of city government acted on it," Christopher said.

Although Barletta garnered 94 percent of the votes cast in the primary, the mayor believes "voters were sending a message meant for Washington" regarding illegal immigration.

Again last night, Barletta said Kichline's death in May 2006 sparked the ordinance.

"I was losing control of my city to the problem and decided enough was enough," Barletta said.

Barletta said even though the city has experienced a 50 percent increase in population since he was first elected in 2000, the city's earned income tax has never increased. Meanwhile, he lamented that city service costs including code enforcement, fire and police continue to rise because of violent crime.

"It's not unusual for someone to wait six hours in the emergency room in Hazleton," he said.

Barletta anticipates a decision on the lawsuit within weeks. He said the city will appeal to the Supreme Court, if necessary.

He said the city has received more than $300,000 in donations from across the country to help pay for the lawsuit.

"This may not be popular, or politically correct, but I'm going to do it. Hazleton will not back down," he said.

http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburght ... 17081.html

Even with unavailable or unreliable witnesses couldn't they still be tryed instead of released?What about evidence?
I totally support Mayor Barletta,I only wish there were hundreds more like him either in office or running for office.

Personally, I like to believe that there are hundreds of more just like Mayor Barletta, and others in office, who have stood up to this problem.

It's just that everyone has been so dis-empowered for so long. Now that we are an empowered people, I think we'll see more and more of our officials nationwide stepping up and not fearing to take action.

We need to be hopeful!!!!

Is there a place to contact him and thank him for the fight?

Originally Posted by BrightNail

Is there a place to contact him and thank him for the fight?

Maybe this will help:
http://www.hazletoncity.org/public/contact/2.html

Originally Posted by BrightNail

Is there a place to contact him and thank him for the fight?

This link will take you to the site reagrding Hazleton's effort to fight illegal immigration.
http://www.smalltowndefenders.com/public/contact

Done. I admire his moxie.

ME TWO, GOD BLESS LOU BARLETTA!!!




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National Organization Announces 'Shop in Waukegan Day' to Counter Illegal Alien Boycott
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Added to Homepage:
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God Bless You, Mayor!!!! Hang in there! America respects and admires you!!!