Immigrant crackdown catches fire throughout eastern Pa.

ALLENTOWN — More than a half-dozen communities in eastern Pennsylvania have either passed or are considering crackdowns on illegal immigrants similar to the one approved by the city of Hazleton earlier this month.

Although the Hazleton measure will almost certainly face a legal challenge, officials in nearby municipalities said they want to discourage illegal immigrants who leave Hazleton from settling in their towns.

“If you don’t go along with what’s happening, you’re putting the bulls-eye right on your borough,” said Jerry Teter, manager of Mahanoy City, a former coal town about 15 miles from Hazleton that is about to approve its own illegal immigrant law.

Hazleton, a northeastern Pennsylvania city of about 31,000, approved one of the toughest measures of its kind in the United States earlier this month, imposing $1,000 fines on landlords who rent to undocumented immigrants, denying business permits to companies that give them jobs and making English the city’s official language.

Its mayor, Lou Barletta, has said that he proposed the law because illegal immigrants are committing crimes and draining city resources. It’s not clear how many illegal immigrants live in Hazleton, but the city’s Hispanic population has skyrocketed in recent years.

The Hazleton measure prompted officials in West Mahanoy Township, Shenandoah, Ashland, Frackville, Mount Pocono and Hazle Township to draft similar laws. Hazle Township, which borders Hazleton, has already approved its ordinance; votes in the other communities are expected soon.

“It’s about taking somebody’s good idea and acting on it,” said Dan McDavitt, a councilman in Mount Pocono. “It’s been a long-standing problem that the federal and state governments across the country have been failing to deal with.”

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Immigrant crackdown catches fire throughout eastern Pa.
Pocono record