Mayor who targeted illegal immigrants favored to win third term


- The Associated Press

HAZLETON, Pa. — Mayor Lou Barletta, a Republican who gained national prominence by targeting illegal immigrants living in this small city, was heavily favored to win election Tuesday to a third term.

He was opposed by a Libertarian candidate, John Medashefski, a coffee shop owner who argued the city should drop its effort to push through a law targeting illegal immigrants.

In the primary, Barletta also won the Democratic nomination as a write-in candidate, easily defeating a comeback bid by a former mayor and leaving himself with no Democrat to face in the general election.

Last year, he pushed through a law that targeted landlords who rented to illegal immigrants and businesses that employed them in this city of 30,000. The law, emulated by dozens of towns around the nation, was struck down by a federal judge as unconstitutional. The judge said states and municipalities cannot regulate immigration.

The city has since appealed.

Medashefski has said the city should drop the appeal because it is too costly.

The city's Illegal Immigration Relief Act sought to impose fines on landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and deny business permits to companies that give them jobs. Another measure would have required tenants to register with City Hall and pay for a rental permit.

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