Pa. mayor: Aggressive stand needed in illegal immigration fight

An aggressive approach to illegal immigration can help stem crime and reduce the strain on government services, the mayor of a Pennsylvania city told a gathering of the Beaufort County Republican Club Monday.

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, one of the most well-known figures in the country's anti-illegal immigration movement, told about 60 attendees at the luncheon how he became involved in politics and how his city became embroiled in a controversial national debate over illegal immigration.

He said it started with a series of grisly crimes committed by illegal immigrants and an uptick in gang and drug activity in his city.

"I knew I had to do something," he said.

In 2006, Hazleton passed a law targeting illegal immigrants and punishing landlords who rented to them and employers who hired them.

Beaufort County borrowed from Hazleton's ordinance when it crafted a measure designed to discourage businesses from hiring illegal immigrants.

While Hazleton's measure was struck down as unconstitutional by a federal judge, Barletta gained a following as he made appearances defending the ordinance on national television.

Illegal immigrants "affect the quality of life when you can't put a police officer on the playground," Barletta said. "Every time you send a fireman,a police officer, a codes enforcement officer, a health officer to an incident involving an illegal alien, it drains the budget."

And though Barletta's controversial efforts were stymied in court, he's now running for a U.S. House of Representatives seat so that he can tackle illegal immigration at the federal level.

"I'm told that only Washington can deal with this problem; that a mayor in a small town does not have the right," he said. "So I've decided I'm going to take this fight to Washington."

Barletta is not without critics. Civil liberties groups and the Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund, which opposed both the Hazleton and Beaufort County ordinances, have said he exaggerates the connection between illegal immigrants and crime.

But Barletta was among supporters at the Monday lunch, winning applause from the group. Several attendees also contributed to Barletta's campaign after the speech.

One of the people attending the luncheon, Alan Herd, who grew up near Hazleton, said he was glad Beaufort County was able to learn from Barletta's example as it crafted its ordinance, adding that Barletta "had to take drastic measures."