202typical
Long Time Member
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I sure wish I knew which Constitution this scum bag judge was talking about!!!!
US judge rules town's anti-immigrant laws unconstitutional
Thu Jul 26, 6:03 PM ET
NEW YORK (AFP) - A US federal judge on Thursday ruled that a small town's efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants were unconstitutional, in a blow to similar laws adopted across much of the United States.
Judge James Munley ruled that Hazleton, a town of some 30,000 people in rural Pennsylvania, did not have the right to enact a law punishing businesses for employing illegal immigrants or landlords for renting them property.
The Illegal Immigration Relief Act was adopted last year, but has been in limbo ever since due to legal challenges posed by civil rights activists.
"Federal law prohibits Hazleton from enforcing any of the provisions of its ordinances," Munley wrote in his 206-page decision.
"Hazleton, in its zeal to control the presence of a group deemed undesirable, violated the rights of such people, as well as others within the community," he added.
"Even if federal law did not conflict with Hazleton's measures, the city could not enact an ordinance that violates rights the constitution guarantees to every person in the United States, whether legal resident or not."
Since 2000, Hazleton's population has swelled from 23,000 to an estimated 30-33,000, fed largely by an influx of Latino families, many from the New York and New Jersey areas, seeking affordable housing and better paid jobs.
Hazleton's Republican mayor Louis Barletta reportedly accused illegal immigrants of "destroying the city," and said he wanted Hazleton to be "one the most difficult places in America for illegal immigrants."
But Munley said Barletta had overstepped his authority.
"Whatever frustrations officials of the city of Hazleton may feel about the current state of federal immigration enforcement, the nature of the political system in the United States prohibits the city from enacting ordinances that disrupt a carefully drawn federal statutory scheme."
Ever since Hazleton passed its law last year, dozens of towns across the United States have sought to introduce similar legislation. It was unclear immediately how Thursday's ruling would affect other laws.
The Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform immediately welcomed the ruling as a victory for the rule of law, fairness and equality.
"This ruling sends a clear message that the Hazleton ordinance, and other similar anti-immigrant laws around the country, are unconstitutional and will not be allowed to stand," the group's campaign manager Clarissa Martinez said.
US judge rules town's anti-immigrant laws unconstitutional
Thu Jul 26, 6:03 PM ET
NEW YORK (AFP) - A US federal judge on Thursday ruled that a small town's efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants were unconstitutional, in a blow to similar laws adopted across much of the United States.
Judge James Munley ruled that Hazleton, a town of some 30,000 people in rural Pennsylvania, did not have the right to enact a law punishing businesses for employing illegal immigrants or landlords for renting them property.
The Illegal Immigration Relief Act was adopted last year, but has been in limbo ever since due to legal challenges posed by civil rights activists.
"Federal law prohibits Hazleton from enforcing any of the provisions of its ordinances," Munley wrote in his 206-page decision.
"Hazleton, in its zeal to control the presence of a group deemed undesirable, violated the rights of such people, as well as others within the community," he added.
"Even if federal law did not conflict with Hazleton's measures, the city could not enact an ordinance that violates rights the constitution guarantees to every person in the United States, whether legal resident or not."
Since 2000, Hazleton's population has swelled from 23,000 to an estimated 30-33,000, fed largely by an influx of Latino families, many from the New York and New Jersey areas, seeking affordable housing and better paid jobs.
Hazleton's Republican mayor Louis Barletta reportedly accused illegal immigrants of "destroying the city," and said he wanted Hazleton to be "one the most difficult places in America for illegal immigrants."
But Munley said Barletta had overstepped his authority.
"Whatever frustrations officials of the city of Hazleton may feel about the current state of federal immigration enforcement, the nature of the political system in the United States prohibits the city from enacting ordinances that disrupt a carefully drawn federal statutory scheme."
Ever since Hazleton passed its law last year, dozens of towns across the United States have sought to introduce similar legislation. It was unclear immediately how Thursday's ruling would affect other laws.
The Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform immediately welcomed the ruling as a victory for the rule of law, fairness and equality.
"This ruling sends a clear message that the Hazleton ordinance, and other similar anti-immigrant laws around the country, are unconstitutional and will not be allowed to stand," the group's campaign manager Clarissa Martinez said.
