Anti-illegal immigrant law raises town tensions

[Rose Siding]

HAZLETON, PA. - Standing outside City Hall in the gathering dark, Norman Tarantino felt, for once, that he was lucky to live in Hazleton.

Most of his friends had moved away, over the years, convinced that the old coal city's best days were behind it. But as of Thursday night, Tarantino said, Hazleton once again has something to be proud of: It is the most hostile environment in America for illegal immigrants.

Not 20 feet away stood Daniel Jorge, a Dominican immigrant who moved his family to Hazleton last year after 25 years in New York City. Jorge, a real estate agent, was wondering how he would break the news to his wife, who had been enchanted with the small-town friendliness she found in Hazleton, a small city 80 miles northwest of Philadelphia......

Hazleton's mayor signed the Anti-Illegal Immigration Relief Act on Friday, a day after the city council approved it by a 4-1 vote. The ordinance imposes severe penalties on landlords who rent space to illegal immigrants, suspends the licenses of businesses that employ them and establishes English as the city's official language.
...
But the mood in City Hall was upbeat Thursday; white residents exploded into applause when Barletta strode into the chamber, accompanied by a bodyguard. They yelled "Yes!" when a local Hispanic leader asked if they would deport U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants, and cheered again when Joe Yannuzzi, the city council president, compared illegal immigrants to burglars.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/nation/4048427.html

[MercutioATC]

1. Barletta sounds a little extreme, but it's a sound plan.

(except for the official language thing)

They're doing exactly what needs to be done, penalizing businesses that profit from illegal labor.

[unlawflcombatnt]

2. "suspends the licenses of businesses that employ them (illegal immigrants)"

"suspends the licenses of businesses that employ them (illegal immigrants)"

Excellent. The amnesty advocates can't claim that Hazelton is "not going after employers," like they always try to claim. This ordinance goes directly after employers,
not the illegal immigrants themselves.

Hooray for Hazelton. If the federal government won't stand up for American workers,
maybe states and cities will.

unlawflcombatnt

EconomicPopulistCommentary

EconomicPatriotForum

___________
The economy needs balance between the "means of production" & "means of consumption."

[Rose Siding]

3. Are you kidding? Without some compassionate structure, they may as well

heave them into debtors prison. A room full of white people -hey! that IS the majority, after all- work themselves into a frenzied, helpless victimhood and become thieves themselves. hip hip hoorah.

[unlawflcombatnt]

4. Without "compassion," poor employers might have to hire Americans.

We certainly don't want to put that much "hardship" on the poor American employers who are illegally hiring illegal aliens, would we. Poor babies. They wouldn't be able to afford another Lexus SUV, or a 3rd home. That would just be too much to bear. How could they be so heartless as to cut into business profits like that? :sarcasm:

unlawflcombatnt

EconomicPopulistCommentary

EconomicPatriotForum

___________
The economy needs balance between the "means of production" & "means of consumption."

[acmavm]

5. Haven't you heard? American cannot survive without all the illegals

doing the work that Americans won't do. Americans are soooooo picky they'd rather let their families starve than do these jobs that only illegal immigrant labor are doing. You know, landscaping, meat packing, construction. All those jobs that American's just will not do. See, it must be my imagination but I seem to remember Americans doing all those jobs and not all that long ago.

We will not cloud the issue by saying Americans think that they deserve a livable wage for their labor. And we won't cloud the issue by saying that getting a livable wage is never going to happen when there's so much cheap labor flooding into the country. I mean, we don't want to be logical and realistic now, do we? And we won't cloud the issue by saying illegal means illegal.

[Rose Siding]

6. Maybe you didn't understand that I wasn't talking about business owners

Perhaps I was unclear. The long time, hard working, tax paying immigrants and their American children, who will be unfairly damaged by this thoughtless policy are the ones that concern me (as much as American workers, in fact).

A more compassionate, forward-thinking approach would be to write a date certain into the laws -a point at which the hiring infractions will become illegal. As it stands, it's worse than the legislated lower class designed by bush's guest worker program.