Lawsuit Filed Over Immigrant Crackdown

Hispanic Activists, ACLU Challenge Penn. Town's Illegal Immigrant Law

(AP)  Local and state officials across the country have expressed dismay over Washington's inability to agree on how to change the nation's immigration laws. Like Hazleton, many cities and states have passed their own measures aimed at restricting or punishing illegal immigrants and those who do business with them.

The Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan agency that writes reports for lawmakers, said in a recent analysis that federal law likely precludes municipalities from enforcing such measures.

The Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, the ACLU and other groups filed the lawsuit on behalf of 11 Hazleton residents and business owners and three nonprofit groups. Among the plaintiffs are landlords who says they lost tenants and a Mexican immigrant who says her grocery store and restaurant have fallen on hard times since the ordinance was passed.

They want a judge to declare the ordinance invalid and assess damages against the city.

Hazleton's law has divided the city 80 miles northwest of Philadelphia, with longtime residents supporting Barletta, but many Hispanics opposed.

Barletta said he has gotten thousands of calls and e-mails from around the country from people backing him, and that hundreds have pledged money to fight a legal battle. The city has set up a Web site to accept donations for its legal bills and several law firms have promised to help out, too, he said.

"I believe this will be a landmark case. A line has been drawn here in Hazleton. This will impact cities all across the country," he said.

[red1530]

The lawsuit by the ACLU is baseless because the people they represent don't have any rights of a US citizen ot legal immigrants.

[karateman39]

Get real. What part of illegal do these people not understand? They are here illegally! get it? Illegal.

I work with a lot of foreingers in my office, all who have come here legally. I have absolutly no problem with people coming here legally. By all means come if you want but do it the legal way.

This country needs to start enforcing the imigration laws it has. that is essentially what Hazelton is doing but at a local level.

[josefremonde]

Pennsylvania is a notorious white racist state
above the Mason Dixon Line. The action taken by
Hazelton comes as no surprise as I am familiar with the area. However, the action is thoroughly
unconstitutional. Pennsylvania is a state where state legislators and city council members will
pass laws without any legal consideration whatsoever as to whether these laws violate basic rights of the "Bill of Rights" of the U.S.
Consitition. The Constitution was written in Pennsylvania but by the behavior of law makers in
said state one would think not.