Hazleton, PA shows the way

A few months ago I admired Mayor Lou Barletta of Hazleton, Pennsyvlania for proposing a tough law that would make it hard for illegal aliens to live and work in the town. I was even more impressed by him when he got the City Council to pass the law in September. But now I’m in awe of him. I thought for sure the courts would declare the ordinance unconstitutional before it could be put into effect. Instead it went into effect today. According to the AP, illegals have been leaving town for weeks in anticipation of the coming of the new order.

View from the Right officially declares November 1, 2006 to be Lou Barletta Day. Congratulations, Mr. Barletta, and long may you thrive.

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I should have known it. The AP item on Hazleton from which I got my information was published yesterday, the day before the ordinance was due to go into effect. But last night, according to the Hazleton Standard Speaker,

Federal Judge James Munley issued a temporary restraining order blocking Hazleton from enforcing both the Illegal Immigration Relief Act and the Landlords Tenant Registration Act…. In his 13-page opinion, Munley ruled that landlords, tenants and businesses who cater to Hispanics faced “irreparable harm” from the ordinances….

“I’m not discouraged,” Mayor Lou Barletta said after the hearing. “They may have delayed the enforcement for now, but this too shall pass. We’ve only begun to fight.”

Posted by Lawrence Auster at November 01, 2006 05:42 PM | Send