Flavia Jimenez, an immigrant policy analyst at the National Council of La Raza, predicted the Hazleton crackdown would prompt a civil rights lawsuit.

"Landlords are going to shut their doors to anyone who may look or sound Latino," she said. "On the other hand, landlords may attempt to actually determine whether a person is undocumented or not, and make multiple mistakes because of the complexity of immigration law."

I'm beginning to wonder if this refusal (on the federal level) to do something about the spic invasion, has something to do with their national ID card agenda. Down the road, ZOG may start saying things like "Look, if legal citizens carry a national ID card (or implanted chip or whatever), we will be better able to distinguish them from those who are here illegally." Scan your card (or chip, or barcode tattoo), get an apartment, be able to buy groceries, etc. Don't have a card, you get deported, or assigned to a job that Americans just won't do.

I'm beginning to wonder if this refusal (on the federal level) to do something about the spic invasion, has something to do with their national ID card agenda. Down the road, ZOG may start saying things like "Look, if legal citizens carry a national ID card (or implanted chip or whatever), we will be better able to distinguish them from those who are here illegally." Scan your card (or chip, or barcode tattoo), get an apartment, be able to buy groceries, etc. Don't have a card, you get deported, or assigned to a job that Americans just won't do.

I can easily see that happening. ZOG will use this ploy, to steal the few freedoms we have left, and use the illegals, as a way to take them from us.

We will all happily give away our freedoms. Joe Blow won't even know what hit him. George Orwell was right. Good Post.

Barletta Testifies Before Senate Committee

Mayor Lou Barletta of Hazleton testified before a U.S. Senate hearing Wednesday in Philadelphia.

Wednesday, July 5, UPDATED: 4:38 p.m.
By Julie Sidoni

A senate committee addressed the issues of foreign workers and illegal immigration Wednesday in Philadelphia and a familiar face was among the panelists.

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta has gotten a lot of attention lately for his ideas to combat illegal immigration in his city. Wednesday he was called on to share those ideas at a senate judiciary hearing.

Barletta was among the panelists about the need for foreign workers, broadcast live on C-SPAN.

Hosted by Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, Barletta took center stage for a time, talking primarily about Hazleton's boom in population and it's growing crime rate.

He specifically mentioned the May 10 murder of Derek Kishline, a man who was shot in the head and killed while he fixed his pick-up truck, and another shooting at a Hazleton playground the next day. Police suspect illegal immigrants are to blame in both cases.

"Hazleton's residents have been shaken by these and other high-profile crimes. The 31 officers of our police department have been stretched to the limit. They have spent hundreds of hours and the city has spent thousands of dollars investigating crimes by illegal immigrants," Barletta told the panel.

The mayor explained an act he wants to pass which would punish companies that hire illegal immigrants and landlords who rent to them.

He sat next to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who applauded the Hazleton mayor for his initiative in cleaning up the city but questioned his statistics.

"I don't know what Hazleton's experience has been. Ours in New York City is that some crimes are committed by illegal immigrants and lots of crimes are committed by third and fourth generation Americans," Bloomberg said.

He thinks the economy of the entire nation would collapse if illegal immigrants were deported all at once. Barletta said he has gotten some 7,000 e-mails about his proposal, the majority of them positive.

http://www.wnep.com/Global/story.asp?S=5114927&nav=5ka4

Hazleton judge joins immigration fight





07/09/2006
<a class="go2wpf-bbcode" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="">




By Erin L. Nissley

http://bannerads.zwire.com/bannerads/redirect.cfm?PAG=461&BRD=2259&ADLOCATION=4000&bdu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eadquest3d%2Ecom%2Fyptemplate4%5Fframe%2Ecfm%3Fbrd%3D2259%26enh%3D16546%26listURL%3Ddirlist%252Ecfm%253Fpag%253D403%2526BRD%253D2259%2526st%253D%2526ct%253D%2526zp%253D18702%2526AreaSearch%253D0%2526sic%253D%2526BC%253D%2526BN%253DGilroy%252520Construction%2526SCID%253D%2526YPID%253D%2526fc%253D%2526sdesc%253D%2526ic%253D%2526ShowEnh%253D%2526sradius%253D0%2526rid%253D%2526StartRec%253D1%2526StartLet%253D%26pag%3D766%26ln%3D%2D6355%26drawFrame%3D1&bdid=48944 Staff Writer

A state Superior Court judge based in Hazleton has sent a letter to Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff asking for more manpower in the fight against illegal immigration.

Judge Correale F. Stevens, who was first elected in 1997, has been hearing from county judges and local elected officials about the growing problem of illegal immigrants settling in Northeastern Pennsylvania. “County judges have been told to release illegals suspected of crimes back into the community and that (immigration enforcement) officers will not come to Northeastern Pennsylvania for those suspects,” he said in his letter to Chertoff.

Department of Homeland Security officials in Washington referred all questions about the letter and illegal immigrants to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office.

‘Stretched to their limits’

The nearest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office is in Philadelphia, which Stevens said was too far away to help with cases here.

“The legal system is not being used to enforce immigration laws,” he said. “If someone who committed a crime locally is found to be here illegally, they’re released.”

The request comes on the heels of controversy stirred up by Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, who recently made several proposals that “make things tougher on illegal immigrants in our community.” Among his ideas: making English the “official language” of Hazleton, punishing landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and revoking business permits of for-profit entities that hire illegal immigrants.

Although he hadn’t seen Stevens’ letter, Barletta supports the request.

“I’ve made that request myself,” he said. “Obviously, the staff in place is stretched to their limits.”

See HAZLETON, page A11

HAZLETON

From page A3

Judge Stevens sent the letter to several elected officials, including Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke. No one from his office could comment on the letter Friday.

‘Crack down on the laws’

There are no reliable estimates available regarding the number of illegal immigrants living in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Census records for 2000 say that about 2.6 percent of Scranton’s population was Hispanic, and Hazleton’s population was almost 5 percent Hispanic. Experts say those numbers has grown in the last six years.

The reason behind Barletta’s proposal is his belief that illegal immigrants are “draining the city’s resources” because they use services and don’t pay taxes.

“Every single dollar we receive should be used on taxpayers,” he said. “They’re a burden in our hospitals and our schools. They’re a burden on our police and ambulance services.”

Barletta’s reasoning is rejected by some, however, including Bob Whitman, vice president of La Voz Latina Mensual, a Spanish-English newspaper distributed throughout the region.

“I called the chief of Hazleton police. I’d like to know the percentages of people arrested — Hispanic, black, white,” he said. “Of course, the chief hasn’t responded to my requests. But I don’t think Hispanic people are committing crimes at a higher rate than any other group.”

He also doesn’t buy that they are a large drain on resources. Many have fake documents they use to obtain employment, he said, so taxes on their earnings are still withheld.

“It’s extremely difficult to get work under the table,” he said. “And they can’t file tax returns to get that money back because of how little they make.”

But Whitman said he sees no problem if an Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office is set up locally.

“If they want to crack down on the laws, that’s all well and good,” he said. “But there should also be programs set up to help them.”

‘This is a local issue’

Local and state police do not go looking for illegal immigrants as part of their jobs. But when they respond to an accident or crime scene or investigate a crime, they come into contact with people who have no paperwork proving they are legally in the country.

“Our procedure is to call Immigration and Naturalization Services and let them handle that evaluation,” said Trooper Bill Satkowski, the public information officer at the Dunmore barracks. “They’re the experts, even though we have the initial contact.”

Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Ernestine Fobbs could not say how many enforcement agents are working in Pennsylvania. There are two offices in the state — the main one in Philadelphia and a sub-station in Pittsburgh. If police encounter someone here illegally, they can call a law enforcement center in Vermont, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to take information about believed illegal immigrants.

Fobbs couldn’t comment on the resolution of local cases referred to them by law enforcement officers.

Both Stevens and Barletta believe local law enforcement officers could be helped by a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.

“I know (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) cares. But I believe this is a local issue and we need to find ways we can help locally,” Barletta said. “You won’t get on if you don’t ask.”

That’s not quite true, Fobbs said.

“We need more than just a request. There needs to be a need proven,” she said. “It has to go through Congress. It could take years.”

enissley@timesshamrock.com

©The Citizens Voice 2006





http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16899674&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=455154&rfi=6

Small Pennsylvania city bans illegal immigrants

Posted 7/13/2006 9:27 PM ET

HAZLETON, Pa. (AP) — 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 argued 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.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Posted 7/13/2006 9:27 PM ET

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-07-13-hazleton-immigrants_x.htm?csp=24

My guess is the feds will go after this guy for infringing on the "rights" of illegal criminals.

Its like the world's been turned upside down by these jews. When Americans turn to their local lawmakers to take action, because they know the jews in D.C. won't do a damn thing, the full weight of Izrahell's Uncle comes down on them like a steel toed boot.

If its not clear to anyone out there by now, D.C. is the enemy. If you're not hip to that then you're lost chasing your own tail.

Posted on Fri, Jul. 14, 2006

Mayor Barletta reaping media coverage that spans the globe

Even The New York Times has written a story about how he is influencing a mayor in Florida.

By KALEN CHURCHER

Times Leader Correspondent

HAZLETON – His Web site is called “small town defenders,” but Mayor Lou Barletta has become a big time celebrity since he began his push to drive illegal immigrants out of Hazleton.

For one Floridian, the mayor’s words have been almost prophetic.

“It was almost as if I was sitting in church at a revival and he was preaching to me,” Avon Park Mayor Tom Macklin told The New York Times in a story published Monday after hearing Barletta promote the city’s Illegal Immigration Relief Act on a radio show.

“If we address the housing issue – make it as difficult as possible for illegals to find safe haven in Avon Park – then they are going to have to find someplace else to go,” Macklin added.

Monday marked Barletta’s second appearance in The New York Times in as many weeks.

Macklin has been in contact with Barletta and plans to copy the new ordinance. Tallassee, Ala., Mayor Bob Payne also requested a copy of the ordinance, which prompted the creation ofwww.smalltowndefenders.com.

“I never believed (the act) would go beyond the city of Hazleton,” Barletta said, estimating he has received more than 8,000 e-mails – most supportive – since initiating the act. “It was really born out of frustration, a problem in the city.

“I believe there will be a domino effect across the nation.”

Since introducing the act in June, Barletta has become a star among national and international media outlets. In addition to The New York Times, the mayor has been interviewed by Time magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Bill O’Reilly of “The O’Reilly Factor” and CNN’s Lou Dobbs.

He has been featured in Canadian and Argentine newspapers and on network newscasts as well as Telemundo and mtv.com. Many blogs also have been quick to laud and chastise Barletta.

Thursday night’s vote meant more publicity for the mayor, with national media, including Newsday and CNN, again present at City Hall.

Barletta admits the coverage has been daunting at times; he has been accused of bigotry and racism. However, he looks back on the experience as being gratifying.

“I now realize the frustration I’ve been feeling in Hazleton, a good number of Americans were feeling the same thing – that something similar could be done (in their own communities).

“I’m learning how illegal immigration affects people.”

http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/15036165.htm

[color="red"]White mayor tired of wetback invasion, takes action.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060619/ap_on_re_us/illegal_immigrants_crackdown

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 anywhere in the United States.

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]He said the mayor is "confusing illegal people with criminals." [color="Red"]Uh, jose, the mayor's not confused, you are. 'Illegal' and 'criminal' mean the same damn thing.

That's nice. I applaud the mayor.

However...

Way too leeeeetle, 50 jew years too late.

(But maybeeeeee eeeeeet's a starrrrrrrrrrt.)

Posted on Sat, Jul. 15, 2006

Code officer won’t speak Spanish

HAZLETON: City tentatively plans to hire worker to get information from tenants who need occupancy permits.

By BONNIE ADAMS badams@leader.net

HAZLETON – 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 said a bilingual employee would be a benefit in that position.

“There’s no law against speaking another language,” he added.

But Monticello called back a short time later and said he wanted to clarify a point. He said the city’s new illegal immigration ordinance would require all city business to be conducted in English.

The ordinance states: “Unless explicitly mandated by the federal government, the state of Pennsylvania or the city of Hazleton, all official city business, forms, documents, signage will be written in English only.”

On Thursday night, city council adopted the controversial Illegal Immigration Relief Act, which cracks down on landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and businesses that employ them. Council also approved the first reading of a proposed landlord-tenant ordinance that, if adopted, would replace a 2004 ordinance and require new tenants to show proof of legal U.S. citizenship or residency.

The proposed ordinance would support provisions in the newly adopted law that established fines for landlords who knowingly rent to illegal immigrants and sanctions for businesses that employ them.

Monticello stressed that the proposed ordinance and plans to implement it are works in progress. He said Friday that the city tentatively plans to hire a part-time code enforcement employee whose only job will be to gather information from tenants who need occupancy permits.

Monticello said the new code enforcement employee will gather documentation from new tenants, such as proof of legal U.S. citizenship or residence, but the worker will not be able to authenticate those documents. He said an occupancy permit will be issued to the tenant in the interim, subject to authentication by another entity the city has not identified. He said the city will receive direction from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.

City council could hold a final vote on the proposed ordinance during its Aug. 17 meeting.

Jonathan Encarnacion, executive director of The Hispanic Center in Reading, has followed Hazleton’s actions. “The potential for discrimination there is incredible,” he said. Encarnacion predicted that lawsuits will follow.

“At the national level, I think they’re looking foolish right now,” he said of the city. Encarnacion said the city is opening a “Pandora’s box” by asking tenants to provide proof of citizenship. He pointed out that those Hazleton residents who were born in Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens.

City solicitor Chris Slusser said the city hopes there won’t be any legal challenge, but it’s prepared if that happens.

Hazleton landlords who rent to illegal immigrants will be subject to at least a $1,000 fine under the new ordinance. The law will deny a business permit to those employers who hire illegal immigrants. Monticello said employers have a responsibility to hire documented workers. He said employers, not the city, will continue to handle citizenship documentation.

Attorney Theresa Brennan, solicitor and vice president of the Hazleton Area Landlords Organization, said she drafted most of the proposed landlord-tenant ordinance based on feedback from city landlords. She hammered out the provisions with Slusser, the landlord organization president and a board member. The proposed ordinance would shift the current duty of registering tenants from the landlord to the city.

Brennan said landlords expressed concerns about privacy issues by gathering tenant information. She said they also didn’t want to be “tax collectors” by collecting fees from tenants for the city. The proposed ordinance would require tenants to pay the city a $10 occupancy permit fee.

Bonnie Adams, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7241.

http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/news/15045139.htm

Hazleton tenants must prove their legal status by Oct. 1

Ordinance adopted last week requires landlords to verify that renters have occupancy permit.

By STEVE MOCARSKY smocarsky@leader.net

HAZLETON – City administrator Sam Monticello said that all city tenants will have until Oct. 1 to prove that they legally reside in the United States.




Monticello said that Mayor Lou Barletta’s Illegal Immigration Relief Act ordinance, which council adopted on July 14, will go into effect on Oct. 1.




The relief act requires landlords to verify that current tenants and potential tenants have obtained an occupancy permit from the city. It also establishes $1,000-a-day fines for landlords who rent to tenants who don’t have permits.




It’s important to note that the relief act is dependent upon Barletta’s proposed landlord/tenant registration ordinance, which requires tenants to pay the city a $10 fee to obtain an occupancy permit. However, city council is expected to adopt the landlord/tenant registration ordinance during its August meeting.




To get an occupancy permit, residents must provide “proper identification showing proof of legal U.S. citizenship and/or residency.”




Shawn Saucier of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services said there are several documents that can prove citizenship or legal residency status.




They are the same documents that would show employment eligibility in the United States and are listed on an I-9 form, which must be filled out by an employee and employer when someone is hired in the United States. By signing the form, an employer attests that the employee showed one or two of the listed documents.




Common documents include a U.S. passport or green card, or a combination of two documents, such as a drivers license and Social Security card or a hospital record and birth certificate.




Saucier said non-U.S. citizens who are legally present in the United States fall into two categories – immigrants and non-immigrants.




Non-immigrants are typically students, tourists or temporary workers who have passports, are issued non-immigrant visas, and are allowed to remain in the United States for a limited time for a specific reason. An immigrant might be a close relative of someone who has obtained U.S. citizenship, and is therefore eligible for legal residency.




“There are also people in a gray area,” Saucier said.




For example, someone whose visa might have expired but who has had an application for a green card pending with the department for more than 90 days might be issued an employment authorization document.




“The fact that they have a pending green card application allows them to remain in the United States,” Saucier said.




As far as issuing occupancy permits, Monticello said the city would follow the advice of officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.




“As to which (documents) they inform us would be responsible to require, we will follow their direction. … We’ve been in contact with them and we’re waiting to hear back,” Monticello said.




CALL THE MAYOR
Documents









The Pennsylvania Cable Network will air a live edition of its call-in program from 7-8 p.m. today with Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta. The program will be closed-captioned in Spanish. Viewers can ask questions or make comments by calling (877) 726-5001. For more information, visit www.pcntv.com.

A U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services official said that one of the following documents in List A – or a combination of one document from List B and one from List C – show proof of legal citizenship and/or U.S. residency, as well as employment eligibility.




List A – A U.S. passport (expired or unexpired); a Certificate of U.S. Citizenship; a Certificate of Naturalization; an unexpired foreign passport with an I-551 stamp or attached form I-94 indicating unexpired employment authorization; a Permanent Resident Card or Alien Registration Receipt Card with photograph (commonly known as a green card); an unexpired Temporary Resident Card; an unexpired Employment Authorization Card; an unexpired Reentry Permit; an unexpired Refugee Travel Document; or an unexpired Employment Authorization Document issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that contains a photograph.




List B – A drivers license or ID card issued by a state or outlying possession of the United States – or an ID card issued by federal, state or local government agencies or entities – provided the card contains a photograph or information such as name, date of birth, gender, height, eye color and address; a school ID card with a photograph; a voter’s registration card; a U.S. military card or draft record; a military dependent’s ID card; a U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Card; a Native American tribal document; a driver’s license issued by a Canadian government authority; or, if under age 18, a school record or report card; a clinic, doctor or hospital record; or a day-care or nursery school record.




List C – A U.S. Social Security card issued by the Social Security Administration; Certification of Birth Abroad issued by the Department of State; original or certified copy of a birth certificate issued by a state, county, municipal authority or outlying possession of the United States bearing an official seal; a Native American tribal document; a U.S. Citizen ID Card; an ID Card for use of Resident Citizen in the United States; or an unexpired authorization document issued by the Department of Homeland Security (other than those listed under List A).






http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/15070733.htm