Hazleton Sets the Stage for an Influx of Local Immigration Laws

Hazleton, Pennsylvania.  What do we know of it? It’s a place that has seen a recent population influx of 7,000 people—mostly Latino—over the last decade, which is about a third of its original population.  Most of the people who came to Hazleton are here illegally, but, as one could expect, some are not.

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta

Now this population surge has been the source of blame for the increase in crime in the Luzerne County area.  And, who better to point the finger at than the illegal aliens?  Hazleton Mayor Barletta pushed through  ordinances that punish landlords and businesses for renting to or hiring illegal immigrants.  The laws were recently struck down by the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in a decision that stated:

Regulatory 'cherry picking' is not concurrent enforcement, and it is not constitutionally permitted. ... It is, of course, not our job to sit in judgment of whether state and local frustration about federal immigration policy is warranted.  We are, however, required to intervene when states and localities directly undermine the federal objectives embodied in statutes enacted by Congress. … Whether Hazleton inadvertently stumbled into this exclusively federal domain, or decided to defiantly barge in, it is clear that it has attempted to usurp authority that the Constitution has placed beyond the vicissitudes of local governments.

Letters.  Vic Walczak, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Pennsylvania, expressed his view that the local immigration ordinances, "distracted local governments from solving the real problems that they were facing."  King.  But, in a recent press release, Mayor Barletta made it clear that his city's fight is "not over yet."  Video: "Mayor: Illegal Immigration Fight 'Not Over Yet' " - The Associated Press.

Similar legislations are being sought by states and municipalities across America.  It seems as though this barrage of local immigration laws is only just beginning.

References:  Information in this article was obtained courtesy of The Philidelphia Inquirer, TheDailyReview.com, and the Associated Press. Larry King, Federal appeals court strikes down Hazleton's immigration ordinances, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Sept. 10, 2010 (“King”), and Letters, Immigration is the province of the federal gov., TheDailyReview.com, Sept. 12, 2010. (“Letters”).