Thread: Judge blocks Pa. town’s immigrant crackdown

Originally Posted by Cliffdid

Its not over til its over. I still have faith Hazelton will prevail. And if nothing else, the Mayor got some of the Illegals to slither away without even enforcing the law.

yea,,,but where did they go????

Once again some tyrant in a black robe thwarts the will of the people. I think we should disclose the location of his address to the illegals and let it be known that his place of residence is a safe haven for them. Give him a taste of what we have to go through. Stupid arrogant prick.

He added that since the plaintiffs -- representing the town's Hispanic community -- claim the law affects constitutionally protected rights, it is in the public interest to delay enforcement of the ordinance until a court can consider its constitutional implications.

Can someone please tell me what your "consititutionally protected rights" are if your not a citizen? Under the premise of the current laws, none of which have been changed, anyone identified as an "illegal alien" or "undocumented" are felons. Last time I checked, if someone is classified a "felon", their rights should be suspended at the point of apprehension or arrest. I am really confused now...

I understand that elections are here, and this is probably a "grandstand" play by the ACLU and others...and as many others have stated, how did they get a decision so fast? I'm not sure that others awaiting legal decisions would agree with what just happened either??!! This must stop!

It's called bribery. The judge was bought off. Hence the fast decision. Corruption reigns supreme in our incompetent, moronic government of fake checks and balances.

Originally Posted by alabamajim

Originally Posted by Cliffdid

Its not over til its over. I still have faith Hazelton will prevail. And if nothing else, the Mayor got some of the Illegals to slither away without even enforcing the law.

yea,,,but where did they go????

Good point. But if we can get this ball rolling they'll have less and less places to hide. Just hope Hazelton can prevail so maybe other cities will make copycat laws

After reading the posts on the msn boards, I would say people are truly fed up.

If the gov't doesn't do something and I mean do it quickly, there will be a war fought in the streets.

It IS coming.

I have to say I don't follow the judge's decision. He's issuing an injunction based upon conjecture about what might happen to third parties. The legal standard for temporary injunctions is immediate and irreparable harm.

We should make life in the U.S. difficult for illegal aliens. Having said that, I have concerns about the practical aspects of the ordinance itself.

Immigration documents are not as simple to review as one might think. Many States passed laws to prevent illegal aliens from receiving drivers licenses, but the result was some groups of LEGAL non-citizens being denied licenses, and in many states lawsuits to force the states to clean up their laws and regulations to ensure fairness to LEGAL immigrants.

For example, status adjustors, those who entered the U.S. on nonimmigrant visas and applied for permanent resident status, and are still waiting for USCIS to approve their applications, a process that can take over a year with current backlog. Status adjustors are lawfully present while their applications are pending, EVEN IF their original visa EXPIRED. They received a receipt to prove they applied for permanent resident, but almost no one without training believes a receipt is an immigration document proving lawful presence.

Are we now expecting untrained landlords to review someone's immigration documents and determine whether they are illegal aliens? I don't think that's very practical or fair to LEGAL immigrants. Once landlords see how complex the regulations can be, they will opt to simply refuse to rent to anyone who is a non-citizen, and that will be discrimination.

There was a comment earlier about illegal immigrants automatically being felons and having no due process rights. Under our constitution all persons have the right to due process, including illegal immigrants and felons in general. No one is automatically a felon unless and until they have been convicted of a felony in a court of law.

A first offense for illegal entry is a misdemeanor; repeat offenses or entering illegally after being deported is a felony. Unlawful presence (i.e. overstaying a visa) is a civil offense. Any of these are a bar to admission or adjustment of status. Conviction of a felony for a legal immigrant results in deportation; no exceptions.

bquasius wrote:

Are we now expecting untrained landlords to review someone's immigration documents and determine whether they are illegal aliens?

The ordinance does not request that the landlord review immigration documents. It's my understanding that a renters permit has to be acquired at Hazelton's Town Hall. The landlord responsibility ends with checking the permit.

I agree. The hell with the judge.

It's better if the landlord isn't involved in checking documents. Then the question will be whether the town has the expertise and whether immigration will work with the town.

A lot of State and Federal agencies have proven themselves incapable, and Immigration is really backlogged, requiring two years to process naturalization applications and adjustment of status is often taking over a year to complete. Naturalization applications are required to be processed in 120 days or less, per law.

Another potential glitch: everyone, including illegal aliens, is entitled to their day in court (i.e. due process). As soon as the town refuses to permit someone who is here legally they open themselves up to other lawsuits.