Hazleton immigrant law voided by judge - Do you agree with Hazelton or the Court?

A federal judge on Thursday struck down Hazleton's tough anti-illegal immigration law, ruling unconstitutional a measure that has been copied around the country. The city's Illegal Immigration Relief Act sought to impose fines on landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and deny business permits to companies that give them jobs. Another measure would have required tenants to register with City Hall and pay for a rental permit. Based on testimony from a nine-day trial held in March, U.S. District Judge James Munley ruled that the act was pre-empted by federal law and would violate due process rights. . . . [Read More] See also: Judge strikes down Hazleton's illegal immigrant law & Judge overturns Pa. city's illegal immigrant ordinance

Your Opinion - leave your comments!
A couple public comments so far:
- Anna Arias, president of the Hazleton Area Latino Assoc: "It is a bittersweet victory. It is sad in the sense that we should be spreading love and unity, and not hatred and division as this has created. This has divided the community."
- Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta: "Sadly, today's decision sends the wrong message to elected officials in Washington and elsewhere. We, the American people, want our cities secured, our borders protected and our citizenship respected. This battle is far from over."
- Fred Thompson, potential GOP presidential candidate: "Think about what this ruling means. Congress has preempted the field, so state and local governments are powerless to act. Then, Congress and the federal authorities do next-to-nothing to prevent illegal immigration, burdening the states and local communities around the country. But those communities cannot act because Congress said they couldn’t. What sense does that make? None. Congress could not have meant to prevent state and local governments from exercising their traditional police and regulatory powers over businesses and landlords to address the problems caused by uncontrolled illegal immigration. [Full Statement]

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Tags: Hazleton, PA, Mayor, Lou Barletta, illegal aliens, immigration reform, Pennsylvania, District Judge, James Munley To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!