NOTE: The link will open a 206-page PDF file. Just copy and paste.

http://www.wbcitizensvoice.com/pdfs/hazletondecision.pdf

By WADE MALCOLM
Staff Writer

A federal judge is expected to rule today on the constitutionality of Hazleton’s illegal immigration ordinance, setting the stage for a long-awaited decision that could affect dozens of communities locally and hundreds more around the country.

U.S. District Judge James M. Munley’s ruling in the landmark case will decide whether local governments, specifically Hazleton, have the right to pass laws dealing with illegal immigrants by punishing landlords and employers doing business with them.

The American Civil Liberties Union and several other advocacy groups sued the city in federal court on behalf of residents and community groups, arguing the ordinance infringed on the civil rights of Latinos and conflicted with federal immigration law. A nine-day trial was held in March at the William J. Nealon Federal Building in Scranton.

By L.A. TARONE
Staff writer

So, what happens after the decision comes down?

With U.S. District Judge James Munley expected to issue a decision in the suit against Hazleton’s Illegal Immigration Relief Act today, the city is making plans – for both the long and short terms.

The immediate short-term plans are to discuss the decision, whatever it may be.

While the plaintiffs will discuss the decision at the federal courthouse in Scranton, Mayor Lou Barletta will hold a press conference at City Hall about 4 p.m. He said he wanted to react to the decision here rather than in Scranton so the national media could “see Hazleton again.”

To our supporters,
A technical glitch has erased the news posted for May and June.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
SmallTownDefenders.com

By WADE MALCOLM
Staff Writer

Whenever asked to justify the need for his controversial ordinance, Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta told the tragic tale of two illegal immigrants allegedly killing 29-year-old Derek Kichline.

With the murder charges against Dominican nationals Joan Romero and Pedro Cabrera now dismissed, those details were never proven in court.

But that won’t change how Barletta tells the story.

“Today, a young man is still dead, and illegal aliens got away with murder,” he said Friday. “The Illegal Immigration Relief Act can’t bring back Derek Kichline, but it could help save someone else’s life.”

By JAMES CONMY
Staff Writer

WILKES-BARRE — A lack of evidence has forced Luzerne County District Attorney David Lupas’ office to drop homicide and other related charges against two illegal immigrants accused of shooting a Hazleton man to death last year.

Pedro Cabrera and Joan Romero were supposed to be in Luzerne County Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr.’s courtroom Friday morning to begin jury selection in their trial for the May 2006 murder of Derek Kichline.

Through a translator, the two men learned the charges had been dismissed and instead they would be deported to the Dominican Republic. Both will remain jailed until they are removed from the country by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The murder led Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta to propose an ordinance to stop illegal immigrants from living and working in the city.

By Milan Simonich
Staff Writer

HAZLETON, Pa. -- A man with one leg arrived last week from Philadelphia. He made his way to city hall and donated $40 to Hazleton's government, which is in the thick of a lawsuit over its attempts to evict illegal immigrants.

His was one of hundreds of modest contributions that poured in during the week, mostly from people who had never heard of Hazleton until it was sued by civil rights groups that oppose its immigration reform ordinances.

Testimony over whether Hazleton's laws are constitutional concluded Thursday, but it will be at least two months before U.S. District Judge James Munley issues a ruling.

By MICHAEL RUBINKAM
Associated Press

SCRANTON, Pa. -- A federal judge during a nine-day trial learned a lot about Hazleton, a working-class former coal town that few outside Pennsylvania had heard of until the mayor declared war on illegal aliens.

Mayor Lou Barletta and his administration told U.S. District Judge James Munley that illegal aliens have ruined the town's quality of life and drained the municipal treasury.

However, the landlords and business owners who joined the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and others in suing to overturn the ordinance targeting those aliens said the crackdown was hurting them, emptying apartments and closing stores.

STEVE MOCARSKY
Staff Writer

SCRANTON – Hazleton’s Illegal Immigration Relief Act trial concluded Thursday, with attorneys for both sides presenting their closing arguments.

Plaintiff attorney Vic Walczak called Hazleton’s illegal immigrants “scapegoats,” who are unfairly blamed for the city’s crime and fiscal problems, and said the city failed to show it had just cause to pass the ordinances in question.

Representing the city, attorney Kris W. Kobach said illegal immigrants aren’t the sole cause of problems but contribute to them significantly. The plaintiffs, he said, fail to show that the ordinances have hurt anyone.

By Milan Simonich
Staff writer

SCRANTON -- The question of whether the old coal-mining city of Hazleton can begin enforcing its laws to evict illegal immigrants is now in the hands of a federal judge.

Lawyers for the city and civil rights groups challenging the ordinances made their closing arguments yesterday after a two-week trial with national implications.

If Hazleton wins the case, its strategy for drumming out illegal immigrants could be duplicated in cities across the country. Defeat for Hazleton could discourage mayors and city councils from trying to fight immigration battles at the local level.