Immigrant crackdown is challenged in Pa.

[pedroh 21]

And once again:

It makes every person who looks or sounds foreign a suspect, including those who are here legally

This is the key sentence, and yes, that is the consequence resulting out of any ordinance passed like the one this article is all about.

And that results in witch hunting.

Everything else written on your part I regard as written in haste. I don't even take offence - you got carried away. Which is quite understandable with a topic like this.

thas a BS cop out. subjective and without proof. another case of "he said/she said" and not provable. sure i'll grant that some will be profiled... but EVERY person? please... lets make a mountain out of a mole hill and call it good.. m'kay

lol.. Hola racial profiling!! yea.. Im curious how can the authorities define that someone 'looks like an illegal'.. accent? skin color? all people named jose or pedro? (zomg! lol)...

[*Robert* 2]

glad to see at some level, someone is taking action to enforce our immigration laws that the feds are unwilling/unable to do.

[peejay 327]

I don´t get it, these peoplle are puerto ricans or the puerto ricans filed the lawsuit? `Cus puerto ricans are american citizens by birth.

It is the same old song that illegal immigration is groovy...as long as my little ethnic group is benefitting from it. And the opponents of these ordinances have the absolute gall to cry "racism". That is the mantra when these clowns don't have anything else to use. The law applies to everyone, but we all know who the biggest offenders are. Hence, they will be the ones that get nailed the most.

Tough luck! Quit breaking the law!

[KarenCee 3]

IF one is here LEGALLY, then you would have documentation to prove this...yes? One would think that it would be imperative to hold on to such papers, in case they might ever be needed....as in this case. If one is suspected of being an illegal immigrant, then one would only have to produce said papers to prove otherwise.

Profiling? Maybe. Fair? Considering the amount of illegals here in this country, it's sad but a fact of life. Racial? No, if done right it would not be a racial thing. There are other illegals here other than the mexicans. If it's this upsetting to so many there in that town, maybe they are the very ones that need to leave. Just MHO of course.

[iceyspots 0]

[*Robert* 2]

[pedroh 21]

so no more tacos & tamales in hazeltown?

[mawilson 2,133]

"You might as well just paint a target on every foreigner's forehead or a sign saying, 'Please treat me differently.'"

No need to paint a sign - their foreign accents are a dead giveaway.

[irishgirl73 0]

The crime rate in Hazelton has gone up in the past few years................people can say what they want but I believe that it has to do with the growing ILLEGAL population(and so do the the residents). If our so-called leaders in Washington don't want to do anything, I think that local officials should have the right to govern the way they see fit.

As for the idiots filing a lawsuit-pi$s off and get lives!

[Mirorgate 0]

so no more tacos & tamales in hazeltown?

hahahhahahahaaaaaa...

"yo quiero taco bell"

seriously though... what? There are not legally immigrated hispanic ppl? adn as far as I know..... there are other nationalities that are here illegally also... not just south of the border.

[Fischkoepfin 1]

And once again:

It makes every person who looks or sounds foreign a suspect, including those who are here legally

This is the key sentence, and yes, that is the consequence resulting out of any ordinance passed like the one this article is all about.

And that results in witch hunting.

Everything else written on your part I regard as written in haste. I don't even take offence - you got carried away. Which is quite understandable with a topic like this.

thas a BS cop out. subjective and without proof. another case of "he said/she said" and not provable. sure i'll grant that some will be profiled... but EVERY person? please... lets make a mountain out of a mole hill and call it good.. m'kay

lol.. Hola racial profiling!! yea.. Im curious how can the authorities define that someone 'looks like an illegal'.. accent? skin color? all people named jose or pedro? (zomg! lol)...

Has happened before, under the Braccero-program and similar attempts to tighten immigration. Lots of the people deported in the 1950s were actually Mexican Americans whose families had lived in the Southwest since the 1600s, and who were citizens.

The claim that there are other illegals and that the program doesn't target a specific group are cheap excuses because the article explicitly states that Hazeltown has had an influx of Mexicans and that it was in reaction to recent changes in the population make-up that led to teh decision. We here in Indiana have similar measures and believe me noone is targeting people speaking Mandarin or Hindu natively but those who crowd the aisles at Walmart speaking Spanish.

No wonder the Puerto Ricans are suing because there is no reason to believe that they might not be targeted as well. After all, they speak Spanish too and ordinances making English the only official language hurt them as badly -if not more- than any illegal immigrants.

Edited August 16, 2006 by Fischkoepfin

[Fandango 1,439]

Yet the ACLU sat impotent while FL starved and dehydrated a woman to death....they are nothing but a bunch of troublemaking b@stards

[Mirorgate 0]

Has happened before, under the Braccero-program and similar attempts to tighten immigration. Lots of the people deported in the 1950s were actually Mexican Americans whose families had lived in the Southwest since the 1600s, and who were citizens.

The claim that there are other illegals and that the program doesn't target a specific group are cheap excuses because the article explicitly states that Hazeltown has had an influx of Mexicans and that it was in reaction to recent changes in the population make-up that led to teh decision. We here in Indiana have similar measures and believe me noone is targeting people speaking Mandarin or Hindu natively but those who crowd the aisles at Walmart speaking Spanish.

No wonder the Puerto Ricans are suing because there is no reason to believe that they might not be targeted as well. After all, they speak Spanish too and ordinances making English the only official language hurt them as badly -if not more- than any illegal immigrants.

Yes, I am aware of what happened under the Braccero program, but let me ask you this. Do you actually believe the "Guest Worker" program will be any better? Or will even work? Who is first in line to go back and wait for their work documents?

It is not that difficult either to prove that you are an actual citizen with gov'ment granted SSN, and birth cert sitting in hospital. Well know how to request one of those (its in the process).

And if they are not also targeting the ppl speaking hindu, mandarin, cantonese, korean.... they should turn a color-blind eye to the situation... illegal immigration is not just from 3rd world countries either.

Yet the ACLU sat impotent while FL starved and dehydrated a woman to death....they are nothing but a bunch of troublemaking b@stards

No money it for them there because without the autopsy.. he coulda (and was) correct in his assessment about her brain atrophying.

[derekkj 0]

"It makes every person who looks or sounds foreign a suspect, including those who are here legally," Witold Walczak, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, said in a statement. "You might as well just paint a target on every foreigner's forehead or a sign saying, 'Please treat me differently.'"

story

A few hundred years ago this was called witch hunt.

Welcome to medieval times. Bring out the stakes and build the fires.

Only it will not be any longer "I saw her/him talk to a black cat" or "he/she has a wart on the nose". It will be "he/she has an accent" or "his/her eyes/skin are not round/is not white".

I am all for orderly and against illigal immigration. However, from ordinances like this to openly hunting down people in the street it is only a small step.

A step easily taken. Frighteningly enough, the lower he level of education, the faster. Bad luck, if after the fact the "foreigner" turns out to have been a US citizen or a legal residen, just one not with a lily white skin/run of the mill blue eyes/an accent (take your pick, there is more).

Umm, have you actually read the ordinance? Here is a link: http://www.hazletoncity.org/2006_10_Illega..._Act_%20NEW.pdf

All it says is that if you aid ILLEGAL immigrants, either by hiring them, renting them a place to live, providing them services etc., you will be punished. No witch hunt, no hunting people down in the street. In fact, it's the USC or business that gets punished, although I hope the illegal immigrant is deported as well.

Like KarenCee said, immigrants who are here legally can prove it, no matter what they look like. So show your green card or whatever documentation you have and all will be good. I can't imagine any more "orderly" way to help deter illegal immigration. Quite honestly, businesses already have to check any employees status, and it makes sense that landlords should, so I am not sure what the problem is here.

[Fischkoepfin 1]

Has happened before, under the Braccero-program and similar attempts to tighten immigration. Lots of the people deported in the 1950s were actually Mexican Americans whose families had lived in the Southwest since the 1600s, and who were citizens.

The claim that there are other illegals and that the program doesn't target a specific group are cheap excuses because the article explicitly states that Hazeltown has had an influx of Mexicans and that it was in reaction to recent changes in the population make-up that led to teh decision. We here in Indiana have similar measures and believe me noone is targeting people speaking Mandarin or Hindu natively but those who crowd the aisles at Walmart speaking Spanish.

No wonder the Puerto Ricans are suing because there is no reason to believe that they might not be targeted as well. After all, they speak Spanish too and ordinances making English the only official language hurt them as badly -if not more- than any illegal immigrants.

Yes, I am aware of what happened under the Braccero program, but let me ask you this. Do you actually believe the "Guest Worker" program will be any better? Or will even work? Who is first in line to go back and wait for their work documents?

No, I don't think the guest worker program will change anything and that also wasn't my point which was rather about the way in which "Mexican-looking" people were targeted for deportation under similar laws as the one in H-town. I'm for comprehensive immigration reform that gives birth to a system flexible enough to economic needs and recognizing that the US is still an immigrant country and is thus happy to give out visas to people who need them. Anything else will just recreate the problem we have had for the last 80 years or so.

It is not that difficult either to prove that you are an actual citizen with gov'ment granted SSN, and birth cert sitting in hospital. Well know how to request one of those (its in the process).

Producing documents is easy indeed and forging them is also not that hard. There are enough forgeries on the market to induce people not to believe anyone producing a real document. There are also no ID-laws, meaning you don't have to carry around documentation to proof you're really a citizen (I do think it would be a good idea to change this because it would help ICE). In theory, by the time you can proof that you're not illegal you might already find yourself at the other side of the border.

And if they are not also targeting the ppl speaking hindu, mandarin, cantonese, korean.... they should turn a color-blind eye to the situation... illegal immigration is not just from 3rd world countries either.

Right on! I just don't think that was the intention of people in H-town and it is certainly not the intention of the people here where everyone raves about "illegal Mexicans" and Spanish but noone talks about the other groups not speaking English (and potentially here illegally despite their equally large number)