HAZLETON, Pa. - The mayor signed a city ordinance Friday that punishes people who do business with illegal immigrants or provide them with jobs or housing while critics called the new law unenforceable and predicted it will be overturned. Mayor Lou Barletta said his office will soon begin to train city workers in how to check people's immigration or citizenship status. He also expects the City Council to approve companion legislation requiring all tenants to register with the city and prove their legal residency. "We will start the process of training employees and possibly hiring someone as well," Barletta said Friday. "We're also going to be talking with Immigration and Customs (Enforcement) to see if possibly we could receive some assistance."The city's Code Enforcement Department will implement the Illegal Immigration Relief Act, a law passed by the City Council on Thursday that fines landlords $1,000 per day for each illegal immigrant living on their properties. It takes effect in two months.
"Do I have confidence that employees of the City of Hazleton will be able to implement this policy in a way that makes sense? Absolutely not," said Lee Llambelis, legal director of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund. Llambelis said her organization will file a lawsuit that will claim the ordinance violates the federal government's jurisdiction over immigration. "We very much expect there to be similar cookie-cutter ordinances popping up all over the country," she said. "We will start in Hazleton but are prepared to litigate them nationally."