HAZLETON Pa.
A federal judge on Thursday struck down the city of Hazleton’s
tough crackdown on illegal immigrants, ruling unconstitutional a law that has
been emulated by towns and cities around the nation.
The Illegal Immigration Relief Act, pushed by the city’s Republican
mayor last summer after two illegal immigrants were charged in a fatal
shooting, was voided by U.S. District Judge James Munley following a nine-day
trial in March.
“This decision should be a blaring red stoplight for
local officials thinking of copying Hazleton’s
misguided and unconstitutional law,” said Witold J. Walczak, legal
director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, which
represented the plaintiffs.
Mayor Lou Barletta called the decision bizarre and said he
intends to file an appeal.
“This was a case where a federal judge protected the
rights of anonymous illegal aliens,” he told The Associated Press in a
phone interview. “This fight’s far from over.”
Hazleton had
sought to impose fines on landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and deny
business permits to companies that give them jobs. A companion measure would
have required tenants to register with City Hall and pay for a rental permit.
