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http://www.newsmax.com/politics/hazleton_mayor_congress/2008/02/07/70988.html
Hazleton Mayor Runs for Congress
Thursday, February 7, 2008
HAZLETON, Pa. -- Mayor Lou Barletta, whose local crackdown on illegal
immigration made him a national hero among those seeking tighter borders,
said Thursday he will try to parlay that celebrity into a seat in Congress.
Barletta announced he will seek the Republican nomination to challenge
12-term Democratic Rep. Paul Kanjorski. He lost to Kanjorski by more than 13
percentage points in 2002, but the mayor's illegal-immigration stance has
raised his profile significantly since then.
"I've done as much as I can fighting illegal immigration as the mayor of a
city," he told The Associated Press. "I need to take this fight to
Washington, because that's where the problem needs to be fixed."
Barletta has been a staple of talk radio and cable TV news for nearly two
years, since he began a campaign to get illegal immigrants out of Hazleton,
a city of about 30,000. He was courted heavily by Republicans hoping to pick
up a seat in Kanjorski's blue-collar, heavily Democratic district in
northeastern Pennsylvania.
"I will stand up for all of the victims of crime committed by illegal
aliens. I will speak out for the American workers who can't find a decent
job because of a depressed wage scale," Barletta said Thursday at a news
conference packed with supporters.
Democrats pounced on Barletta, who just began a third term as mayor.
"We are confident the people of the 11th Congressional District will
recognize the difference between a real leader and a political opportunist,"
said Pennsylvania Democratic Chairman T.J. Rooney.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee accused Barletta of favoring
the privatization of Social Security and "gambling with our seniors'
retirement savings," a line of attack Democrats hope will resonate in a
district whose population is largely elderly.
Kanjorski has yet to announce a re-election campaign but has tried to stake
his own claim on Barletta's signature issue. He sent a mailer to
constituents in October describing himself as "tough on illegal
immigration," and recently told an audience in the Pocono Mountains that
"closing the border is practical."
At Barletta's urging, the Hazleton City Council in 2006 approved the Illegal
Immigration Relief Act, which sought to deny business permits to companies
that employ illegal immigrants, fine landlords who rent to them and require
tenants to register and pay for a rental permit.
With Congress deadlocked over how address illegal immigration, many
municipalities across the country have passed similar laws.
Critics say Hazleton-style measures discriminate against Hispanics and
assume powers that belong to the federal government, but reaction from the
courts has been mixed. A federal judge in July struck down Hazleton's
ordinance as unconstitutional, but another judge upheld a similar measure in
Valley Park, Mo., last week.
Barletta said he wants to secure the nation's borders, airports and
seaports; punish "sanctuary cities" that offer a haven to illegal
immigrants; target criminals who supply fraudulent documents; and crack down
on businesses that hire illegal immigrants.
Hazleton Mayor Runs for Congress
Thursday, February 7, 2008
HAZLETON, Pa. -- Mayor Lou Barletta, whose local crackdown on illegal
immigration made him a national hero among those seeking tighter borders,
said Thursday he will try to parlay that celebrity into a seat in Congress.
Barletta announced he will seek the Republican nomination to challenge
12-term Democratic Rep. Paul Kanjorski. He lost to Kanjorski by more than 13
percentage points in 2002, but the mayor's illegal-immigration stance has
raised his profile significantly since then.
"I've done as much as I can fighting illegal immigration as the mayor of a
city," he told The Associated Press. "I need to take this fight to
Washington, because that's where the problem needs to be fixed."
Barletta has been a staple of talk radio and cable TV news for nearly two
years, since he began a campaign to get illegal immigrants out of Hazleton,
a city of about 30,000. He was courted heavily by Republicans hoping to pick
up a seat in Kanjorski's blue-collar, heavily Democratic district in
northeastern Pennsylvania.
"I will stand up for all of the victims of crime committed by illegal
aliens. I will speak out for the American workers who can't find a decent
job because of a depressed wage scale," Barletta said Thursday at a news
conference packed with supporters.
Democrats pounced on Barletta, who just began a third term as mayor.
"We are confident the people of the 11th Congressional District will
recognize the difference between a real leader and a political opportunist,"
said Pennsylvania Democratic Chairman T.J. Rooney.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee accused Barletta of favoring
the privatization of Social Security and "gambling with our seniors'
retirement savings," a line of attack Democrats hope will resonate in a
district whose population is largely elderly.
Kanjorski has yet to announce a re-election campaign but has tried to stake
his own claim on Barletta's signature issue. He sent a mailer to
constituents in October describing himself as "tough on illegal
immigration," and recently told an audience in the Pocono Mountains that
"closing the border is practical."
At Barletta's urging, the Hazleton City Council in 2006 approved the Illegal
Immigration Relief Act, which sought to deny business permits to companies
that employ illegal immigrants, fine landlords who rent to them and require
tenants to register and pay for a rental permit.
With Congress deadlocked over how address illegal immigration, many
municipalities across the country have passed similar laws.
Critics say Hazleton-style measures discriminate against Hispanics and
assume powers that belong to the federal government, but reaction from the
courts has been mixed. A federal judge in July struck down Hazleton's
ordinance as unconstitutional, but another judge upheld a similar measure in
Valley Park, Mo., last week.
Barletta said he wants to secure the nation's borders, airports and
seaports; punish "sanctuary cities" that offer a haven to illegal
immigrants; target criminals who supply fraudulent documents; and crack down
on businesses that hire illegal immigrants.
