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ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Hispanic activists and the ACLU sued Hazleton on Tuesday over one of the toughest crackdowns on illegal immigrants by a U.S. city. Hazleton, a city of about 31,000 people 80 miles from Philadelphia, voted last month to fine landlords $1,000 for renting to illegal immigrants, deny business permits to companies that give them jobs, and make English the city's official language. The lawsuit contends that the Constitution gives the federal government exclusive power to regulate immigration and that the city's ordinance is discriminatory and unworkable. "It makes every person who looks or sounds foreign a suspect, including...

Latino groups are challenging the city of Hazleton, Pa.'s recent crackdown on illegal immigrants. The Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, the first in the nation against a city that has passed an illegal immigration ordinance. The group and other plaintiffs contend the measure is illegal, and they are asking a federal judge to prevent its enforcement. Hazleton's illegal immigrant ordinance is one of the toughest of its kind in the United States. It imposes $1,000 fines on landlords who rent to illegal immigrants, denies business permits to companies that give them jobs, and...

Dear Friend, This is Mayor Lou Barletta from Hazleton, Pennsylvania. I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your support regarding the Illegal Immigration Relief Ordinance, which City Council passed on July 13. As you can imagine, my office has been inundated by thousands of e-mails, letters, and phone calls of support - from coast to coast and border to border. I am grateful for every sign of support. You have my personal thanks because we have accomplished this together. Soon, Hazleton will implement the ordinance, which intends to make my city one of the toughest places in...

Hazleton Mayor Louis Barletta and Gov. Ed Rendell traded barbs over a new city ordinance that cracks down on illegal immigrants, with Rendell saying during a Thursday stop in Scranton that it had been drafted by “mean-spirited” politicians who “feed off hate and divisiveness.” Barletta disagreed, saying the ordinance simply upholds the law. The only mean-spirited remarks that Barletta said he could recall were made by two members of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs, who publicly called Hazleton a “Nazi city” and said that Latinos would never assimilate into American culture. The Associated Press and The (Scranton) Times-Tribune...

HAZLETON: City tentatively plans to hire worker to get information from tenants who need occupancy permits. HAZLETON (PA)– The city expects any Latino moving into an apartment to come to a code enforcement officer and prove that they’re legal. But the city will not have an interpreter on hand during the process. The city administrator said that using a bilingual employee will conflict with the English-only stance. When a reporter asked if that employee will speak Spanish because of the city’s large Hispanic population, City Administrator Sam Monticello said, “That’s a good point and I’m sure we’ll consider that.” He...

A city council in Pennsylvania has passed what are said to be some of the strictest local laws on illegal immigrants in the United States. Under the law, businesses and landlords in Hazleton could be penalised if they help illegal immigrants, and all city documents will be written in English. The measure has divided the former coal town, which has seen a large rise in Hispanic residents in recent years. Hundreds of people on both sides protested outside the City Hall. Police officers were drafted in to prevent any trouble after the measure was approved in a 4-1 vote following...

HAZLETON, Pa. (AP) - The mayor signed a city ordinance Friday that punishes people who do business with illegal immigrants or provide them with jobs or housing, while critics said it was unenforceable and predicted it will be overturned. Mayor Lou Barletta said his office will soon begin to train city workers in how to check people's immigration or citizenship status after the city council on Thursday passed one of the nation's strictest ordinances to fight illegal immigration on a 4-to-1 vote. He also expects the City Council to approve a companion measure requiring all tenants to register with the...

Hazleton, Pa., creates one of the strictest laws in the U.S., polarizing its whites and Latinos.Standing outside City Hall in the gathering dark, Norman Tarantino felt, for once, that he was lucky to live in Hazleton. Most of his friends had moved away, over the years, convinced that the old coal city's best days were behind it. But as of Thursday night, Tarantino said, Hazleton once again has something to be proud of: It is the most hostile environment in America for illegal immigrants. Not 20 feet away stood Daniel Jorge, a Dominican immigrant who moved his family to Hazleton...

By a vote of 4-1, Hazleton City Council approved the Illegal Immigration Relief Act Thursday night. The ordinance is due to take effect in 60 days. The ordinance makes English the official language of Hazleton. It also punishes landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and businesses who hire them. A large crowd packed Hazleton City Hall for Thursday night's council meeting. People who could not fit in the room watched on a large TV in a nearby auditorium. A limited number of people were allowed to speak before the vote took place. Dr. Agapito Lopez of Hazleton used his time...

HAZLETON (PA)– Two illegal immigrants from the Dominican Republic were charged Tuesday in the shooting death of a city man. Police said a third man, Cesar Ariel Jaquez, will also be charged in connection with the case.Joan “Mike” Romero and Pedro “Marco” Cabrera are charged with homicide in the killing of Derek Kichline. The 29-year-old was shot once in the head near his East Chestnut Street residence on May 10 just before midnight.Romero and Cabrera, both 23, of South Cedar Street, are charged with criminal homicide, criminal conspiracy, receiving stolen property, persons not to possess, use, manufacture, control, sale...

Council passes first reading of ordinance calling for hiring and rental regulations, and English as city’s official language. “Because people … need a place to sleep, our landlords are our first line of defense.” -Mayor Lou Barletta HAZLETON (PA) – After a lively debate, city council on Thursday voted for an ordinance that would establish English as the city’s official language and punish the hiring of illegal immigrants and renting property to them. The 4-1 vote was on a first reading of the ordinance. A second reading is scheduled for July 13. Councilman Tom Gabos voted against. Councilman Robert Nilles...

Pennsylvania town presses for a crackdown against hiring or leasing to illegal immigrants HAZLETON, PA. - With tensions rising and the police department and municipal budget stretched thin, Hazleton is about to embark on one of the toughest crackdowns on illegal immigrants in the U.S. Last week, the mayor of this former coal town introduced, and the City Council tentatively approved, a measure that would revoke the business licenses of companies that employ illegal immigrants; impose $1,000 fines on landlords who lease to illegal immigrants; and make English the official language of the city. "Illegal immigrants are destroying the city,"...

HAZLETON - Hazleton police charged two men yesterday with the shooting death of a borough man last week. Pedro Cabrera and Joan Romero, both 23 and Hazleton residents, were charged with criminal homicide and ordered held without bail in the slaying of Derek Kichline, 29. Police said Cabrera and Romero are illegal immigrants from the Dominican Republic. According to police, the men shot Kichline in the head at point-blank range at 11:40 p.m. Wednesday in front of his East Chestnut Street home, and he died early Thursday at Hazleton General Hospital. Cabrera also faces a murder charge in New York...

SCRANTON - He had just pleaded guilty to felony charges that could send him to prison for up to 10 years, but polka king Jan Lewan's spirits seemed high as he left a federal courtroom Tuesday. "Yes, merry Christmas," Lewan said when asked by a reporter if he had anything to say about his plea to bilking hundreds of investors out of at least $1 million. Four of his investment scam victims who attended the brief hearing were not nearly as jovial. "I know the money is lost. The satisfaction is he will be going to jail," said one victim,...