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Latinos protest Pennsylvania town's immigration law
Reuters ^ | 09/03/06 | Jon Hurdle

Posted on 09/03/2006 10:29:46 PM PDT by Pikamax

Latinos protest Pennsylvania town's immigration law Sun Sep 3, 2006 10:44 PM ET

By Jon Hurdle

HAZLETON, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - Latinos and their supporters gathered on Sunday to protest a local law that was the first in the United States to crack down on illegal immigration.

About 250 representatives of Hazleton's Hispanic community, and others from surrounding cities, met in a city park to protest the town's Illegal Immigration Relief Act Ordinance.

The ordinance penalizes businesses hiring illegal immigrants, fines landlords renting rooms to them and establishes English as the official language of the town.

Agapito Lopez of the Hazleton Area Latino Taskforce, an organizer of the event, said many illegal immigrants have left the town since the measure was passed by the city council on July 13.

"They don't want to be where they are not wanted," he told Reuters. He said some local farms and factories now have a labor shortage because illegal immigrants are leaving town.

Before the law was enacted, he estimated a quarter of the town's Latino population of some 10,000 were undocumented aliens.

The town's Latino population has surged to about a third of the 31,000 total from about 5 percent in 2000, officials say.

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, principal backer of the law, blames illegal immigration for rising crime and overburdened schools and hospitals being used by those who don't pay taxes.

Hazleton is being sued over the law by civil rights groups including the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, which says the measure has been copied by six other towns -- four in Pennsylvania, one in New Jersey and one in Missouri.

The city council last week agreed to delay implementing the law so it can be redrafted to exclude a measure that would have penalized shopkeepers for selling to illegal immigrants. A new version of law, which had been scheduled for implementation on September 11, could be voted on by the middle of the month.

Protesters were asked not to chant or shout to avoid a repeat of a rally in Riverside, New Jersey, on August 20 when opponents of that town's illegal immigration ordinance were heckled by hundreds of local residents.

Ed Makuta, 35, one of about a dozen local residents who gathered to oppose the protest, said he was "100 percent in favor of Barletta" and called Lopez a troublemaker. "He is the one causing divisions in this town," Makuta said.

John Studer, 59, who traveled from Philadelphia to support the protest, argued that the law is discriminatory.

"It's effect is that anyone who is Latino is going to come under special scrutiny," he said.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aliens; barletta; hazleton; immigrantlist; pennsylvania
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To: metmom
My family is so sick of the criminals who invade here and disregard the law and rob us of our tax money. It's enough to make you scream! My wife worked for 10 years to become an American citizen and you have 20 million criminals who can just cross our border and leech our nation of prosperity without so much as a "please" or "thank you".

I assure you that Americans of Latino descent are angry to no end for this slap in the face.

21 posted on 09/04/2006 5:13:55 AM PDT by Caipirabob (Communists... Socialists... Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)
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To: Pikamax
John Studer, 59, who traveled from Philadelphia to support the protest, argued that the law is discriminatory.

"It's effect is that anyone who is Latino is going to come under special scrutiny," he said.

No, it's effect will be just the opposite. It's when illegals are allowed to roam freely that every Latino is suspect. When illegals leave because of this law, then eveyone will presume that the ones left are LEGAL.

22 posted on 09/04/2006 5:14:21 AM PDT by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: Caipirabob
My wife worked for 10 years to become an American citizen ...

And I haven't yet met a legal immigrant who I don't think highly of. They have all been intelligent, hard-working and have integrity. I wish it would be easier to do it legally; not *easy*, just easier. I hear too many stories from people trying to get in about how ridiculously difficult it is.

23 posted on 09/04/2006 5:18:06 AM PDT by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: Pikamax

These protesters are all "racists!" They're assuming that all illegal aliens are hispanic or latino! How dare they? Where are all the hispanic and latino groups that should be protesting the illegal aliens, who are giving them a bad name.

There are plenty of illegal aliens who are here from Asia, Africa, and Europe!

Where's the outrage over this "racism?"

Mark


24 posted on 09/04/2006 5:21:15 AM PDT by MarkL (When Kaylee says "No power in the `verse can stop me," it's cute. When River says it, it's scary!)
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To: Pikamax

This is very simple. There are immigrants. And there are ILLEGAL immigrants. What part of ILLEGAL do the leftist socialist revolutionaries (Democrats) not understand?

Why complicate it with gobblygook, nonsensical talk, and protests?

It is true that legal immigrants had it tough going because they were discriminated against, but they were LEGAL immigrants. Trying to drop or obfuscate the distinction is CRIMINAL IMO.


25 posted on 09/04/2006 5:27:21 AM PDT by olezip
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To: Pikamax
"He said some local farms and factories now have a labor shortage because illegal immigrants are leaving town."

#####

These criminals should be driven out of business. It's against the law to hire illegal aliens. Anyone who does is a criminal and should be jailed. Five or ten years in a maximum security prison would serve them right.
26 posted on 09/04/2006 5:43:14 AM PDT by SUSSA
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To: martin_fierro; Pikamax; Charles Henrickson

Or-

"Just not wanting to be where regular Americans don't want to them to be..."


27 posted on 09/04/2006 6:33:32 AM PDT by mikrofon (To want to be or not want to be, that is the question)
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To: Pikamax

Tough titty.


28 posted on 09/04/2006 6:34:27 AM PDT by toddlintown (IT)
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To: Pikamax
Protest? If illegal, send their illegal arses to their beloved mother countries.
29 posted on 09/04/2006 7:32:50 AM PDT by conservativecorner
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To: Pikamax; xsmommy; Caipirabob; Cacique
From this week's Circuit City flyer:

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

They've still gotta work on their Spanish.

30 posted on 09/04/2006 11:00:22 AM PDT by martin_fierro (< |:)~)
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To: martin_fierro

que significa JEJOR?


31 posted on 09/04/2006 11:02:27 AM PDT by xsmommy
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To: Dane; sinkspur
Look! the plan that can't possibly work is...

Well...Working.

Maybe it isn't impossible to send 12 million illegals home after all.

32 posted on 09/05/2006 11:38:09 AM PDT by MrEdd (The easiest way to LIE with statistics is to use the average instead of the Median.)
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To: martin_fierro

If I found an ad like that in my town, I'd be ALL OVER someone's azz at Circuit City.


33 posted on 09/05/2006 12:25:32 PM PDT by Kimberly GG (TANCREDO '08)
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To: Kimberly GG

Sending continued words of support to Mayor Barletta!

Mayor's Office:
cherie@hazletoncity.org


34 posted on 09/05/2006 12:32:36 PM PDT by Kimberly GG (TANCREDO '08)
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Comment #35 Removed by Moderator

To: Pikamax

"Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, principal backer of the law, blames illegal immigration for rising crime and overburdened schools and hospitals being used by those who don't pay taxes."

Mayor Barletta deserves a medal. Better yet, if congress ever has the stones to pass a tough immigration bill, name it after this mayor.

God bless this guy, truly.


36 posted on 09/05/2006 1:08:38 PM PDT by Dazedcat (Dear God, please make it stop)
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To: Dazedcat
Mayor Barletta deserves a medal. Better yet, if congress ever has the stones to pass a tough immigration bill, name it after this mayor.

Great idea.
37 posted on 09/05/2006 6:21:28 PM PDT by CottonBall
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