By Alan Burkhart (09/10/2006)

Can this really be happening? Have Americans finally awakened to the corruption and abuse of the American Civil Liberties Union? Please Lord, let it be true.

The city of Hazleton, PA has decided to stand up to the threat of an ACLU lawsuit over recently-passed city ordinances regarding illegal immigrants. Hazleton will now fine landlords who knowingly rent to illegals, and refuse to grant licenses to businesses that hire illegals. The city has also declared English to be its official language.

A Puerto Rican group is joining the ACLU in the suit. This in and of itself is rather odd, considering that Puerto Rico is an American territory and its legal residents are American citizens. Go figure.

By Sher Zieve

The city of Hazleton, PA is purposefully taking on the ACLU and the illegal immigrant battle.

Although most cities have recently caved to the ACLU, when it threatens a lawsuit against them for any number of perceived violations, Hazleton Mayor Louis Barletta says his city will not and has hired the former head of immigration in the Department of Justice as the city’s defense counsel.

The ACLU and a Puerto Rican group have filed a federal lawsuit against Hazleton for “unconstitutionally seeking to enforce immigration laws.”

Canyon News reports that the ACLU filed suit after it disputed Hazleton’s passing local ordinances that fine landlords for knowingly renting to illegal aliens. Canyon News further reports: “It [Hazleton] also decided to deny licenses to local businesses which knowingly hire such aliens. Lastly, it declared that English would be the official language of the town.”

By L. A. TARONE
tarone@standardspeaker.com

Hazleton City Council passed both ordinances of what had been the Illegal Immigration Relief Act on first reading Friday afternoon. The Illegal Immigration Relief Act as now constituted only concerns businesses that hire illegals and landlords who rent to them. Its provisions have changed substantively from earlier versions.

It passed, 4-to-1, with President Joe Yannuzzi, Vice President Jack Mundie, Evelyn Graham and Tom Gabos voting “yes.” Bob Nilles voted “no.”

The now separate official English ordinance has not substantively changed, though some wording was added to soften its tone. It passed, 5-to-0.

“Understanding of any phenomenon decreases in direct proportion to the observer’s distance from the phenomenon.”

We don’t think Newton, Einstein or any other physicist ever formulated that theory as a law of nature, but maybe they should have.

Put in the context of Hazleton’s fight against illegal immigration, our newly devised theorem means, simply, “Some outsiders just don’t get it.”

In the months since Mayor Louis Barletta unveiled his plan to control illegal immigration in the city, Hazleton’s struggle has been written about daily in newspapers and magazines across the country, and even overseas.

By L.A. TARONE
tarone@standardspeaker.com

A 38-year-old illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic was arrested after a raid on an East End apartment turned up crack cocaine, powdered cocaine, drug paraphernalia, two guns and perhaps stolen merchandise.

The man initially identified himself as Victor Clemente of 454 E. Diamond Ave. He said he was a native of Puerto Rico. Since the island is an American possession, everyone born there is an American citizen.

But his real name was Rosendo Valenzuela, and he is from the Dominican Republic. His ruse fell apart when he was questioned by District Judge Joseph Zola during his arraignment late Wednesday.

BY WADE MALCOLM
STAFF WRITER

The City of Hazleton will vote on a revised illegal immigration ordinance at a special meeting this afternoon.

Council will convene at 4:15 p.m. for the first reading of two ordinances that will take the place of an ordinance passed in July. Advocacy groups and local attorneys have filed a lawsuit opposing the ordinance, which sought to punish those who employ or rent to illegal immigrants and make English the city’s official language.

The city, with the help of two national immigration law experts, has decided to split the official language provision off into a separate ordinance, while another ordinance still addresses punishment for landlords “harboring” illegal immigrants or businesses employing them.

Changes to business penalties to protect legal workers; Mayor says changes 'will make it stronger, more defensible'

By L.A. TARONE
Standard-Speaker Staff Writer

Hazleton City Council will enact the latest revisions to the Illegal Immigration Relief Act during a rare Friday afternoon meeting.

The revisions are fairly substantive.

First, it will be split into two separate ordinances. The “official English” provision will become a free-standing ordinance, leaving IIRA itself to consist of the prohibitions on renting to and/or employing illegals.

Council will convene at roughly 4:15 p.m. to pass the two ordinances on first reading. It will then pass the bills on second and third readings 5:30 p.m. Tuesday – as the meeting scheduled for next Thursday has been moved up two days.

By Lou Barletta
Tue Sep 5, 7:36 AM ET

America is a nation of immigrants, but it is also a nation of laws.

When it comes to illegal aliens, some cities have looked the other way. Others have openly welcomed them, establishing "sanctuaries," restricting their police departments and other agencies from even asking about a person's immigration status.

This has led to a culture of entitlement among illegal aliens. Many believe they deserve to remain here. And why shouldn't they, when they've received jobs, health care, educational opportunities for their children and a mostly hands-off approach for decades?

By SAM GALSKI
Standard-Speaker Staff Writer

McAdoo Mayor Steve Holly accused majority council members of “cheating” residents by failing to adopt an Illegal Immigration Relief Act.

But council President Brian Kolbush said he personally wants to see the borough continue looking to officials from nearby Hazleton for guidance as the city council works to revise its own IIRA.

Holly on Monday picked up where he left off earlier this month – lambasting majority council members for not enacting an IIRA.

The mayor has publicly called on borough council over the past two months to adopt an IIRA-type ordinance and did the same at last week’s regular meeting.

By CARL HULSE and RACHEL L. SWARNS
WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 — As they prepare for a critical pre-election legislative stretch, Congressional Republican leaders have all but abandoned a broad overhaul of immigration laws and instead will concentrate on national security issues they believe play to their political strength.

With Congress reconvening Tuesday after an August break, Republicans in the House and Senate say they will focus on Pentagon and domestic security spending bills, port security legislation and measures that would authorize the administration’s terror surveillance program and create military tribunals to try terror suspects.