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A telling irony shines through last week's ruling by a federal judge that found only Congress can set immigration law. The judge knew full well that half the plaintiffs in the case were in the US illegally. But he let them challenge a city ordinance on immigration anyway – and anonymously. And so it's been in America for too long: Turn a blind eye to the massive lawbreaking of an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants. Imagine if a scofflaw wanted by the FBI had sued a city for enacting a criminal law tougher than a federal law. Would that person...

A federal judge cast the bright light of reality into the immigration issue last week when he ruled that cities have no place in deciding who is legal or illegal. The ruling found unconstitutional the ordinances written by the leaders of Hazleton, Pa., a small town that has become a model for towns wanting to take the law into their own hands. The ruling came as a reminder that though Congress has failed to take responsible action on immigration, the job of writing immigration law can't be usurped by local government. The ordinances in Hazleton were meant to punish landlords...

Even as Sen. Barack Obama found himself under fire from the Hillary Clinton campaign over what she called his "naive" intention to meet with leaders of countries hostile to the U.S., the presidential hopeful praised the recent court decision overturning one city's attempt to protect itself from hostile foreigners filling their streets with drugs, crime and gangs as "a victory for all Americans." On Thursday, U.S. District Judge James Munley overturned Hazleton, Pa.'s "Illegal Immigration Relief Act" in a 206-page opinion that declared states and municipalities have no authority to stem illegal immigration.

HAZLETON — When Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta’s assistant checked the office voice mail box at 7 p.m. Thursday, it was full. By 6 p.m. Friday, it was loaded with yet another batch of well-wishers, some asking how they could donate to the city’s legal defense fund. Then there’s the city’s e-mail inbox. Cherie Homa, the assistant, estimates it has received more than 500 messages since a federal judge struck down the Illegal Immigration Relief Act Thursday afternoon. “We’ve been going nonstop,” she said. But no matter how numerous the supporters, one number is perhaps most important to the next step...

This is a simple question. Everyone should know the answer. It goes to the heart of the American experiment in self-government. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote that “just” government rests on “the consent of the governed.” The Constitution put that in writing, in law. But recently, two federal judges have decided that they should run America, not the people. Federal judges are, of course, not elected and serve for life. The idea that they should decide public issues rather than officials elected for that purpose is an attack on the basis of American government. And yet it...

U.S. District Judge James M. Munley, in a much anticipated 206 page decision with national implications, also ruled that the ordinance violated the nation's Supremacy Clause, which acknowledges federal law as the supreme law of the land. "Whatever frustrations ... the city of Hazleton may feel about the current state of federal immigration enforcement, the nature of the political system in the United States prohibits the city from enacting ordinances that disrupt a carefully drawn federal statutory scheme," Munley wrote. The ordinance, which would have imposed heavy fines on landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and businesses that hire them,...

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- A federal judge on Thursday struck down the city of Hazleton's tough immigration law, which has been emulated by cities around the country. The Illegal Immigration Relief Act sought to impose fines on landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and deny business permits to companies that give them jobs. Another measure would have required tenants to register with City Hall and pay for a rental permit. It was pushed by Hazleton's Republican mayor last summer after two illegal immigrants were charged in a fatal shooting. Hispanic groups and illegal immigrants sued in federal court to overturn...

So, what happens after the decision comes down? With U.S. District Judge James Munley expected to issue a decision in the suit against Hazleton’s Illegal Immigration Relief Act today, the city is making plans – for both the long and short terms. The immediate short-term plans are to discuss the decision, whatever it may be. While the plaintiffs will discuss the decision at the federal courthouse in Scranton, Mayor Lou Barletta will hold a press conference at City Hall about 4 p.m. He said he wanted to react to the decision here rather than in Scranton so the national media...

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta is cutting a family vacation short and planning a press conference in anticipation that a federal judge will issue a ruling on Hazleton's illegal immigration ordinance tomorrow afternoon, the mayor said.Hazleton has been at the heart of a national debate ever since July 2006 when it passed an ordinance punishing landlords and employers for doing business with illegal immigrants. A separate ordinance makes English the official language. Hundreds of municipalities around the country - and at least two dozen in Northeastern Pennsylvania - passed or considered copycat laws. The American Civil Liberties Union and several other...

Sometimes a small story can tell much more than it intends to. A story sent out by the Associated Press on Friday, 6 June, is apparently about crime and punishment in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. It is actually about journalistic crime and punishment at the AP. The title, as printed online by the Philadelphia Daily News, is, “Hazleton mayor loses key argument for illegal immigrant crackdown.” This title is the exact opposite of the truth. Why that is so, is the real story here. To provide the back story, Hazleton is one of the first towns to pass ordinances which restrict the...

Salvadore DeFazio, the poet laureate of Hazleton, Pa., is on deadline. In the days leading to the Fourth of July, his hometown is celebrating its 150th birthday. The centerpiece of the commemoration is a history pageant DeFazio is furi ously working to finish. He is searching for an ending, though he has settled on a musical theme in Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man." It's a perfect fit, DeFazio says: "Hazleton is a fanfare for the common man." Not everyone is thrilled with the choice of music. "'Fanfare for the Common Man' burns me up," says Joseph Palaggi, 80,...

SCRANTON – The crowd attending an immigration reform rally Friday outside the federal building wasn’t quite as large as the crowd that attended a similar rally nearly two weeks earlier at Hazleton City Hall. But it was just as enthusiastic. There were, however, quite a bit more people at the rally at the William J. Nealon Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse who were sympathetic to illegal immigrants. And tension between the two factions grew thick during one of the final speeches of the evening. Rally organizer Frank Scavo said the rally was a result of a promise he made during...

HAZLETON – Hundreds of people packed Church Street in front of City Hall on Sunday afternoon at a rally to support Mayor Lou Barletta, the city’s illegal immigration ordinance and national immigration reform. Organized by members of the Voice of the People movement, the 2 p.m. rally included speeches from a dozen local and nationally recognized supporters of immigration reform, as well as musical entertainment by the political rock band Poker Face. Local entertainer Tony Angelo got the crowd psyched up for the event, singing patriotic songs such as Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to be an American” starting at 1:30 p.m.,...

That's right, from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. And I would suggest that my senator, Jon Kyl, check this article before he continues his sell-out to Teddy Kennedy. The subject of the story is the mayor of Hazelton, PA who got a local ordinance passed that would penalize landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and businesses that hire them. By MICHAEL RUBINKAM - Associated Press Writer ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, who gained national prominence by targeting illegal immigrants living in his small northeastern Pennsylvania city, cruised to the Republican nomination for a third term on Tuesday - and...

Lou Barletta won a third term as mayor of Hazleton by thumping all comers in an historic election Tuesday. Barletta hammered Republican challenger Dee Deakos 1,343 votes to 80 in what appears to be the biggest landslide in city history. By percentage, Barletta got 94.4 percent of the vote, while Deakos got 5.6 percent.The shocker was Barletta’s winning the Democratic nomination through his write-in campaign. He beat Mike Marsicano by a near 2-1 margin, 1,211 votes to 699, according to unofficial results. Again by percentage, Barletta got 63.4 percent of the vote to Marsicano’s 36.6 percent.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, who gained national prominence by targeting illegal immigrants living in his small northeastern Pennsylvania city, cruised to the Republican nomination for a third term on Tuesday — and unexpectedly won the Democratic nomination, too. Barletta trounced GOP challenger Dee Deakos with nearly 94 percent of the vote. And he beat former Mayor Michael Marsicano for the Democratic nomination by staging a last-minute write-in campaign, all but guaranteeing himself another term, unofficial returns showed. "I think the message is clear," Barletta said. "The people of Hazleton want me to keep fighting for them."...

What do these towns have in common: Escondido (CA), Farmers Branch (TX), Hazleton (PA) Riverside (NJ) and Valley Park (MO)?They are among the cities and counties nationwide that have proposed or enacted local ordinances that bar landlords from renting to illegal immigrants, penalize businesses that hire them or train their police force to enforce federal immigration laws – and they all have been targeted by the ACLU, civil rights activists and business groups seeking to drive up the legal costs of defending the ordinances in court so high that town officials knuckle under.The strategy worked in the case of Escondido,...

PRO-IMMIG MIKE STICKS IT TO THE STICKS (Mayor Bloomberg opposes illegal immigrant ban) By DAVID SEIFMAN April 1, 2007 -- MAYOR Bloomberg has come out swinging against a fellow mayor trying to impose one of the most restrictive bans against illegal aliens in the nation. At a civic meeting in Brooklyn last week, Bloomberg verbally attacked Louis Barletta, the mayor of Hazleton, Pa., who enacted a law barring undocumented immigrants from holding jobs or renting apartments. The law gained nationwide attention, leading to a challenge from civil-rights groups. A federal judge is currently weighing whether it's constitutional. Responding to a...

A Hazleton man was assaulted by several teens apparently on their way home from school Thursday, city police said. Police are investigating an assault involving weapons — witnesses called it a stabbing — in the area of Fourth and Lincoln streets Thursday. According to Hazleton police, 23-year-old Craig Mason of Hazleton was assaulted by several Hispanic males. Mason was treated at Hazleton General Hospital for his injuries, police said. A witness at the scene said 17 or 18 Hispanic teens believed to be on their way home from school were involved in the assault on Mason, who was driving south...

The city government of Hazleton, Pa., got in trouble when it passed a law intended to drive out illegal immigrants. The American Civil Liberties Union sued to overturn the ordinance, arguing that it is the proper task of the federal government, not municipalities, to enforce immigration laws. But when good remedies are absent, it's no surprise to see bad ones emerge.