Pa. town's law cracking down on illegal immigrants revised

The new measure is a crock of crap. I think keeping the original ordinance, which punishes business & landlords who employ & rent to illegals should stand. I also think the illegals should be deported AND I think Upper Darby needs to adopt the same ordinance - but I know THAT would NEVER happen. Hazleton's City Council tentatively OKd a version that its backers say will withstand a court fight. By Michael Rubinkam Associated Press HAZLETON, Pa. - Seeking to put its groundbreaking crackdown on illegal immigrants on sounder legal footing, the City Council is scrapping the law it approved in July in favor of a dramatically overhauled ordinance that boosters say will have a better chance of withstanding a court battle. Like the version it replaces, the new ordinance given tentative approval Friday would punish businesses that employ illegal immigrants and landlords who rent to them. But the new measure would go about enforcement in a completely different way, putting the burden of verifying immigration status on the city, giving landlords and businesses time to correct violations before imposing sanctions, and softening penalties. "Once this ordinance is enforced, landlords and the public will know that the people who are here have a legal right to be here," said Republican Mayor Lou Barletta, who has championed the measure. Latino activists said the replacement ordinance was unconstitutional and vowed a court fight. The city has assembled a legal team to defend the measure, including Kris Kobach, a University of Missouri law professor and immigration adviser under former Attorney General John Ashcroft. The council, which voted 4-1 Friday in favor of the ordinance, is expected to give final approval on Tuesday. "This one is a lot better, a lot more legally sound," City Council President Joe Yannuzzi said. David Vaida, a civil-rights lawyer who also sued the city, said the new ordinance had the same flaws as the old one. "It is preempted by federal law. The United States has exclusive and sole jurisdiction over immigration," he told the council. Last week, officials in the city of 31,000 residents agreed not to enforce the original ordinance after the American Civil Liberties Union and Latino groups sued in federal court to overturn it. In return, the plaintiffs agreed not to seek an injunction against the city. Under the agreement, Hazleton must give the plaintiffs at least 20 days' notice before it begins enforcing the replacement ordinance - enough time for the ACLU to head back to court to try to stop it.