Hazleton, PA. grows a pair!

F1nut

City Passes Harsh Law Against Illegal Immigrants (Talk about the liberal press:rolleyes:)

"HAZLETON, Pa. (July 14) - The City Council approved a law Thursday night designed to make this small city in northeastern Pennsylvania among the most hostile places in the U.S. for illegal immigrants to live or work.

The 4-to-1 vote came after nearly two hours of passionate debate. Opponents argued it was divisive and possibly illegal, but supporters said illegal immigrants' growing numbers have damaged the quality of life here.

"We must draw the line, and we are doing it tonight," Mayor Lou Barletta told a packed council chambers.

Barletta proposed the Illegal Immigration Relief Act last month as a response to what he said were Hazleton's problems with violent crime, crowded schools, hospital costs and the demand for services. The ordinance would deny licenses to businesses that employ illegal immigrants, fine landlords $1,000 for each illegal immigrant discovered renting their properties, and require city documents to be in English only.

"The illegal citizens, I would recommend they leave," Barletta said after the meeting. "What you see here tonight, really, is a city that wants to take back what America has given it," said the mayor, who said he wore a bulletproof vest to the meeting. He said he had not been threatened but took precautions because the issue was so emotionally charged.

Outside City Hall, about 300 people gathered with opponents of the measure, some with signs that read "Bias," separated by a line of police from supporters, some waving American flags.

Anna Arias spoke at the council meeting against the law. She asked the council, "Are any of us ready to support U.S. citizens born of someone who is undocumented?" Several people in the audience responded, "Yes!" She warned the council that approving the ordinance would make Hazleton "the first **** city in the country."

Council Vice President Jack Mundie voted for the ordinance. "We're against illegal immigrants that are coming here and that are draining the resources of our city," he said.

The Republican mayor's proposal has thrust the city, with a population of 31,000, to the fore of the national debate on illegal immigration.

The number of Hispanic residents in Hazleton, a former coal-mining town about 80 miles northwest of Philadelphia, has increased dramatically in the past six years.

City officials acknowledge they do not know how many are illegal immigrants, whom Barletta has blamed for higher crime rates, failing schools and a diminished quality of life.

Carolina Taveras, a 30-year-old naturalized citizen from the Dominican Republic who moved to Hazleton from New York City a year ago, said before the council's vote that the mayor's proposal has made her feel unwelcome. A few doors down from where Taveras was getting her hair done at a downtown beauty salon that caters to Hispanic women, restaurant owner George Giannakouros said he is sympathetic to Barletta's approach. "I agree with the mayor. There is a problem," Giannakouros said. "I work at my business at night. I like to feel safe."

In a letter sent to Barletta earlier this week, attorneys with the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund threatened to sue on the grounds that the law infringes upon the federal government's power to regulate immigration.

The lone "no" vote was cast by councilman Robert Nilles, who expressed concern about the legality of the ordinance. Nilles tried to amend the law by stripping out a portion regulating landlords, but his motion died for lack of a second.

The law passed the council 4-1 on a preliminary vote last month. A similar measure was approved Tuesday by the supervisors in Hazle Township, which surrounds the city of Hazleton.

Other municipalities across the country also have considered acting to address illegal immigration. Ordinances similar to the Hazleton measure have been proposed in the Florida communities of Palm Bay and Avon Park and the California towns of Escondido and San Bernardino."

ND13

Hoorah!!!!! Great for them. It's about damn time someone took a stand.

read-alot

Tyson Chicken would have to shut down if the town of North Wilkesboro would grow a pair and do the same.

I'm sure they are nice hard working people but they are illegal.

Thom

F1nut wrote:

... said the mayor, who said he wore a bulletproof vest to the meeting.

****.

aaharvel

read-alot wrote:

Tyson Chicken would have to shut down if the town of North Wilkesboro would grow a pair and do the same.

I'm sure they are nice hard working people but they are illegal.

no kidding. my hometown i should know.

nadams

I live around 45 minutes away from Hazleton, and have worked there in the past. I applaud Lou Barletta, and much of the press coverage in my local paper is positive. The city of Hazleton has no problem with LEGAL immigration. And of course there's a big stink being raised about the "English only" part, but come ON... city documents are NOT going to be drafted in Spanish, when this is an ENGLISH SPEAKING country. Who gives a crap if you want to speak spanish at home, but don't expect to move here and be provided a spanish-speaking worker at every business you walk into, so that you can be treated "equally".

I have no problem with people of any ethnicity moving to the states, but just do it LEGALLY, and support the local government like the rest of us.

HBombToo

I just had a new roof put on my house. The sales rep was a white male that told me he has just moved back to the KC area (he was raised here) since he lost everything to Katrina. I had a few other quotes and he was in the middle of the road so I went with him thinking I was helping.

The work started while I was at work and nearly finished when I got home. Everybody on the roof was Mexican... How do I know? Well my blinds for the sky lights would no longer open so I had to approach them. NOT ONE individual could communicate with me! Fortunatly we are close to a neighbor who is a native to Mexico but has her citezenship and we called her for help in translating.

Tomorrow morning this joker is supposed to show up and I'm thinking that my check will not allocated in the proper way but I'm at a loss as to what I should do.

What the hell can I do anyway???...!!!

ND13

Call the PO-PO;)

PhantomOG

ND13 wrote:

Call the PO-PO;)

seriously... call immigration and you may find you no longer have any bill to pay.

it seems like every Tom, Dick, and Harry around here owns a landscaping business that is completely employed by illegals picked up from the local Home Depot. It would be so easy for immigration to catch businesses that use these illegals... seriously, what's stopping them?

Skynut

Good for Hazleton.

We are getting a pool built at our house and if the foreman is not there I have to use short words and sign-language to talk to the workers.

Am I supposed to believe that pool construction is one of the many jobs that Americans don't want to do any longer?

dkg999

HBombtoo - there is a lot of buzz in the construction trade about hiring illegal immigrants, and the fact that if they don't start being more self-policing the INS is going to be more aggressive.

My suggestion would be to take pictures of the workers (maybe too late now) and then ask the manager for proof that all of the workers on your project were legally in the country and have work permits, etc. Unfortunately without the pictures they are going to give you a list of names and associated information that says they were all legal. If you have the pictures then it becomes a lot tougher for them. You should also write into the work order when you hire a contractor that if the contractor utilizes any illegal workers that you have the right to decline payment. I have been told by an attorney that you have to decline the entire payment, because if you just deduct 30% or some other percentage then it could make you an accessory to using the illegal workers.

PhantomOG

Skynut wrote:

Am I supposed to believe that pool construction is one of the many jobs that Americans don't want to do any longer?

I bet the pool company can't find someone (legal) to do that job for the same pay as the illegal.

HBombToo

Obviously I did not take any of their pictures. For the hell of it I have been searching for contact info to report such a thing and I can't find squat!

No wonder the illegal workers go unchecked...

Polkersince85

I saw in the news yesterday that Tyson was going to layoff 850 people. Mostly managers .... they said. Hmmmmm

Airplay355

Good. Get the hell out. I have no patience for that crap. It has nothing to do with being a ****, that statement is insane. Genecide and torture have nothing to do with removing illegal immigrants, geeze.

MacLeod

Good for them!

Actually taking a stand against LAW BREAKERS!!! The novelty of that idea is astounding.

aaharvel

Polkersince85 wrote:

I saw in the news yesterday that Tyson was going to layoff 850 people. Mostly managers .... they said. Hmmmmm

HA! Nice try guys. :rolleyes:

850 won't even put a dent into their problem.

Mike682

Great for Hazelton.

Mike682

PhantomOG wrote:

it seems like every Tom, Dick, and Harry around here owns a landscaping business that is completely employed by illegals picked up from the local Home Depot.

Because of easy access to cheap labor. Greedy owners/contractors charge the customer full price and pocket the difference.

Thom

Mike682 wrote:

Because of easy access to cheap labor. Greedy owners/contractors charge the customer full price and pocket the difference.

I think construction guys are pretty cheap compared to plumbers or electricians. And I don't think most of them are rolling in dough.

For anyone who's really worried about it, talk to the contractors ahead of time and ask about their crew. Would you be willing to spend 2- 3 times as much just so there's no illegals in the crew? When I worked a laborer job it was all white guys and most of the day wasn't spent busting their asses...:D

schwarcw

HBombToo wrote:

What the hell can I do anyway???...!!!

Don't pay up until everything is fixed. Tell him you'll deposit it in an escrow account.

Hopefully, you didn't pay everything upfront:(

amulford

PhantomOG wrote:

I bet the pool company can't find someone (legal) to do that job for the same pay as the illegal.

Have you priced a pool lately? I can assure you the price trends do not reflect the labor savings.

Let's face it. They are degrading the quality of life. Sorry to say it, but it's true.

I think construction guys are pretty cheap compared to plumbers or electricians. And I don't think most of them are rolling in dough.

Don't be so sure. I see them framing houses, doing drywall, concrete, running excavation equipment, landscaping, painting....

I had some concrete work estimated a little while ago. One of the contractors had a questionable crew. His estimate was not lower than the others.

Quite a few people are doing VERY well using this labor pool.

We need stiff laws, at the local level. Obvoiusly the present federal government isn't going to do anything.

VR3

I wish they would do something around here...

Our population would go down by like... 30%...

reeltrouble1

I did not realize that Landlords were an investigative force, with the ability to determine a persons citizenship. Any info on what a land owner is supposed to do to determine this?? I suppose this town stopped short of a bounty for scalps.

PA is the only state I ever lived in that taxed me for breathing, yes, they still have a head tax, oh yea, and I had to pay a tax for the right to work, and lets see yea, they had one based on my job position title too. Wonderful place the Keystone state. I bet Big Ben did not quite have all that in his vision but who knows.

RT1

brettw22

They're working on having a system set up to allow landlords to check people's ssn's and dl's to verify the validity of their presented ID. I heard this guy on the radio a few weeks ago talking about all of this and I support them in their effort. It'll be interesting to see how it's going in a year from now.

Mike682

brettw22 wrote:

They're working on having a system set up to allow landlords to check people's ssn's and dl's to verify the validity of their presented ID. I heard this guy on the radio a few weeks ago talking about all of this and I support them in their effort. It'll be interesting to see how it's going in a year from now.

Before I moved into my old apartment, one of the landlord's requirements was a credit report. In addition to seeing if one could pay bills, this seems to be a good way to check for a valid social

reeltrouble1

That system seems easy enough, i just dont want some land owner or employer forced to pay any more money to government. If the person shows up with a gov. picture ID and SS card and a quick way can be used to determine validity then I would be for it. I think the person should get rented to or hired on the spot subject to his/her ID verification, make government do its job not the average businessman. It would be very bad for the little guy who is just trying to run his business and needs someone to work or rent to.

As far as charging a homeowner money for having some illegal work on his property who works for some contractor that sounds about right for our present government. Fine that no good home owner!!!! HOw dare he put on a new roof or get pool or whatever without checking all this out.

Its all your fault, now apologize and drop the check at the door!!!

Big Brother.

RT1

brettw22

A Credit report isn't totally sufficient IMO. All it takes is getting a gas card to establish some sort of credit. I'd rather have a direct link to a gov't agency to verify the validity of the information being presented.

ND13

I've caught several illegals that were trying to get car credit with illegal or dead men's SSNs.

reeltrouble1

Exactly Noel, but if the ID's were better forgeries it could happen, its just info in a computer somewhere and if they got the cars/credit I would not want to see the dealership or the credit company fined for doing business with a person who had entered the country illegally.

RT1

ND13

They probably get away with it sometimes, when someone doesn't pay close enough attention to the report. When I see a person in their mid twenties or early thirties with a ss# that was for a person that was born in 1926, it kinda sets off alarm bells in my head....not too sure about other's heads though.