Congressman Lou Barletta On Senate Passage of Immigration Bill

 

 

Statement of Rep. Barletta Regarding Senate Passage of Immigration Bill

 

WASHINGTON – Congressman Lou Barletta, PA-11, today issued the following statement regarding Senate passage of S. 744, the bill that claims to address illegal immigration.  The statement is as follows:

“It has been the worst kept secret in Washington these past few months that the Senate was determined to pass a sweeping immigration bill that in reality isn’t even a Band-Aid on our illegal immigration problem.  We have immigration laws for two main purposes: to protect our national security and to protect American jobs.  This bill violates both of those principles.

“I cannot support any legislation that does not secure our borders first.  While it is true that this means our southern, northern and maritime borders, it also means our interior ports of entry.  I fear that not enough people are talking about our visa system.  If you consider that nearly half of the illegal immigrants currently present arrived on a visa that has since expired, you will realize that if your state is home to an international airport, you effectively live in a border state.  As we have seen too often – and very recently – the holes in our immigration system represent a real and credible threat to the safety of Americans.

“If signed into law, this bill will greatly increase the number of newly-legalized workers in this country, who would then compete for scarce resources and jobs with legal immigrants and the 22 million Americans who woke up this morning unable to find a job.  Granting amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants would be a fiscal drain on the federal budget, the economy and legal American residents.  It will suppress wages, and cost taxpayers about $6.3 trillion in social benefits over the life spans of the new residents – even after tax receipts are realized – according to a study by the Heritage Foundation.

“I will oppose this bill when it reaches the House and anything that remotely resembles amnesty for illegal immigrants.”

Supreme Court Not Impressed With Obama Team On Immigration

Supreme Court casts doubt on Obama’s immigration law claim

Supreme Court justices took a dim view of the Obama administration’s claim that it can stop Arizona from enforcing immigration laws, telling government lawyers during oral argument Wednesday that the state appears to want to push federal officials, not conflict with them.

The court was hearing arguments on Arizona’s immigration crackdown law, which requires police to check the immigration status of those they suspect are in the country illegally, and would also write new state penalties for illegal immigrants who try to apply for jobs.

Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli Jr. said the federal government has limited resources and should have the right to determine the extent of calls it gets about possible illegal immigrants.

“These decisions have to be made at the national level,” he said.

But even Democratic-appointed justices were uncertain of that.

“I’m terribly confused by your answer,” said Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who went on to say that the federal government can always decline to pick up illegal immigrants when Arizona officials call.

Click the title to read more......

But the 53 Democratic Senators want to overrule the Supreme Court with new legislation stripping the states of their apparent rights.  Can you imagine that 53 residents of the United States have the audacity to tell over 308 million what to accept?

There's A Catch- Another Obama Gimmick

Third Circuit Court Of Appeals Vacates Own Order Against City of Hazleton

On September 10, 2010 it was reported that the Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the City of Hazleton concerning its local ordinances dealing with the effects of illegal aliens within its borders. This year the Supreme Court vacated the decision of the Third Circuit in June and remanded the case back to them for further review.

Today sources tell SOP that the Third Circuit Court of Appeals vacated its own decision from last September meaning the City of Hazleton no longer has a decision against it from that court.

This development is significant for the City of Hazleton, Congressman Lou Barletta, Mayor Joseph Yannuzzi, and Councilwoman Evelyn Graham who spearheaded the ordinances in 2006.

SUPREME COURT VACATES 3RD CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS DECISION AGAINST HAZLETON

Court Orders New Look At Pa. City Immigration Regs

Appeals Court Effectively Blocks Hazleton Ordinance

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia handed down its ruling today that states federal law largely pre-empts states and local municipalities from enacting their own laws to deal with local issues as a result of illegal immigration.

Michael Rubinkam of the Associated Press quoted the following opinion from the courts ruling.

"It is ... not our job to sit in judgment of whether state and local frustration about federal immigration policy is warranted. We are, however, required to intervene when states and localities directly undermine the federal objectives embodied in statutes enacted by Congress," wrote Chief Judge Theodore McKee.

Their Opinon means that local municipalities have handcuffs on where local issues that arise out of an influx of illegal aliens create an undue economic burden to the community. The local governments are forced to suffer the consequences of a pathetically lax federal government.

Congress may feed the public that it is trying to deal with illegal immigration but this ruling points out otherwise. Congress is telling state and local governments "This is our sandbox and stay out." It is clear indication that Congressman like Paul Kanjorski are feeding a bunch of hockey puck to his district when he states "I have consistently supported legislation to secure our borders and enforce our current federal immigration laws."

Why are so many states and municipalities taking matters into their own hands and creating their own laws if current federal immigration laws are protecting them from undue financial burdens?

Here is a link to the court's ruling. Here is a picture of Judge Theodore McKee. He was nominated to the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit by President Clinton in 1994.

At the time of this posting there were 1,206 comments posted on Yahoo concerning this ruling. Most are decidedly negative against the ruling.

Obama and Kanjorski want us to prove we have health insurance but their laws make it illegal for illegal aliens to prove their status or citizenship. Go figure.

Lou Barletta's Interview With La Voz Latina

The Morning Call's state house reporter John Micek will poke fun at Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta by reporting on Barletta in Spanish rather than English. Here is a link to one of those posts.

La Voz Latina is a regional newspaper marketed to the Hispanic community. Unlike El Mensajero that publishes exclusively in Spanish, La Voz editors recognized the importance of publishing in both English and Spanish so readers across both spectrums would be interested in their articles.

This month's issue contains an interview with Mayor Barletta by J. Gonzalez.

Here is an excerpt from that interview.

When I interviewed Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, we discussed many issues. I brought the president of La Voz Latina Newspaper, Paul Oreck, with me to the interview. We started the interview by discussing immigration issues, and I asked Mayor Lou Barletta directly why it appeared as if he had discriminated against Hispanics?

You can pick up a copy of the paper for yourself. Mr. Gonzalez ended his article with this summary.

Mr. Barletta is a candidate for Congress that comes from a family of immigrants; he understands the issue clearly but he believes in a legal immigration policy. I left the interview with the impression that Mr. Barletta is a man of great leadership and energy and not a bit racist as potrayed by others. Best of luck and God bless. J. Gonzalez

For my friend Gort and his buddy Mr. Micek I will retype the summary.

El Senor Barletta es el candidato para el Congresso y le deseamos lo mejor para esta campana. Mi impresion esta clara con respecto al Senor. Barletta, un hombre de liderazgo y energia, que no es racista. Siga adelante y qque DIOS lo bendiga. por J. Gonazlez.

I guess that is why Lou Barletta received 52% of the Hispanic vote in the last election.

Buy American??

I was thinking about the lawsuit filed by the Obama team against the state of Arizona over illegal immigration. If the federal government was doing its job Arizona would have no need to enact the controversial legislation.

But its not doing its job, plain and clear.

Frustration by states and local municipalities in dealing with the effects of the U.S. government failure to contain illegal migration into our soverign soil has sparked many attempts to take matters into their own hands. Another blur by the courts is the interpretation that states or local municipalities are pre-empted by federal law where illegal immigration is concerned. If they are pre-empted then doesn't that force states and municipalities to suffer the consequences of inaction?

So here is how I see it. I don't do my job but any attempt to have the job done will be met with lawsuits. What are states and municipalities to do in that case? What it proves to me is that the Obama administration wants illegal immigration and will stall any real attempt to fix it. UPDATE: Here is a link to today's ABCNews story that validates my assumption. Obama 'Scheming' on Immigrant Amnesty? Memo Draws Republican Fire

When this country was founded it was the states who were in charge of immigration. Along the way the Supreme Court and the federal government took the position that immigration was a national interest issue therefore the purveyance of the federal government.

Devin Dwyer penned this story on ABCNews today that further demonstrates the federal government's inability to be the central processor on immigration. The story is about a legal resident where his family's attempt to become U.S. citizens can take up to seven years. That is totally unacceptable. The U.S. government can't control the borders or process applications in a timely manner. The rest of us suffer.

So why is the title of this post "Buy American"? A little known provision in the stimulus law, ARRA, contains a Buy American provision for water projects funded and aimed at the Clean or Drinking Water State Revolving Funds.

The question I have is why does the federal government have a Buy American mandate but is willing to challenge an American state over illegal immigration? Doesn't make sense.

Barletta Hits The Airwaves First- Proven Leader Who Makes Tough Decisions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Shawn Kelly, Communications
Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Hazleton, PA – The congressional campaign for Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta announced today that it would begin airing its first television ad on both network and cable stations starting Wednesday, July 14.
The 30-second spot highlights Mayor Barletta’s accomplishments and the tough stances he has taken as mayor.

Mayor Barletta said, “Our strong fundraising efforts have allowed us to begin our TV campaign sooner than expected. Paid media is a part of every campaign, but it should not be the only part. I hope Paul Kanjorski will change his mind and agree to meet me in a series of town halls and debates across the district over the next three months.”

“This is our initial ad and we plan to rotate it with other commercials in the weeks and months to come. We felt it was important to get Lou Barletta’s record of accomplishment and positive message out to the voters. The ad will run for indefinite period of time, and we will likely change things up as we head into the busiest part of the vacation season,” said Lance Stange, campaign manager for Lou Barletta.

Kanjorski Isn't The Only One With The Gaffes

Obama orders NASA to Improve Relations With the Muslims? Why?? Former NASA Director Says Muslim Outreach Push 'Deeply Flawed' At least someone sees it right.

I thought job creation is the Number One priority in this country. That was yesterday.

Obama can't tackle immigration so he decided to tackle Arizona instead at the fifty yard line. Federal government files lawsuit against Arizona This action follows 34 illegal immigrants who were caught landing on the shores of California including 18 at Camp Pendelton.

He can't handle the BP Oil spill so he decides to take on the next two most important items on the country's agenda. What flawed thinking. But don't worry. Just when you think he's lost direction along comes Specter and Casey to save the day.

Our wounded veterans will be facing a tax on prosthetic limbs courtesy of Senators Robert Casey and Arlen Specter.

“On March 24, Senate Democrats had the opportunity to exempt our veterans from Obamacare’s new tax on medical devices such as prosthetic limbs. But 54 Democrats voted against the measure. They chose to side with the tax-and-spend crowd in Washington over our wounded warriors,”said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. “This is one of the many reasons Harry Reid and the Democrats did not want Americans to read the 2,500 page health care bill before it was passed.”

In addition to those who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Department of Veterans Affairs reports the following number of veterans from America’s wars:

World War II: 2,079,000

Korean War: 2,507,000

Vietnam War: 7,569,000

Desert Shield/Storm: 2,254,000

Casey and Specter(Democrats) voted against Senator Orin Hatch's(Republican) attempt to remove the tax from the bill. The pair announced in December that they would support defense funding including the following appropriation.

• $1.6 million for KCF Technologies in Centre County develop a self-powered prosthetic limb to aid combat-injured veterans. (Specter, Casey, Thompson)

Did I read that right???

Eachus And Obama's Immigration Comments

It was July 29, 2007 when Barack Obama, candidate for President of the United States praised a federal court decision overturning Hazleton City Council's attempt to protect itself from illegal aliens filling their streets with drugs, crime and gangs as "a victory for all Americans."

And Obama, in a statement issued by his campaign this week, agreed. “The anti-immigrant law passed by Mayor Barletta was unconstitutional and unworkable – and it underscores the need for comprehensive immigration reform so local communities do not continue to take matters into their own hands,” he said.

Mayor Lou Barletta, who led the effort, wanted to make his town of 30,000 "the toughest place on illegal immigrants in America."

"What I'm doing here is protecting the legal taxpayer of any race," he told the Washington Post. "And I will get rid of the illegal people. It's this simple: They must leave."

Lou Barletta has said if they had listened to him in 2006 we wouldn't be having a problem at this point; it would have been addressed. Instead Hazleton and most communities in Luzerne and Lackawanna County are dealing with the effects of illegal immigration with unsustainable budgets leading to service cuts or tax hikes. It was recently discovered that Luzerne County was owed a whopping $38 million in back taxes. The deliquency rates for garbage fees, sewer fees, and water fees have soared in many municipalities. Bankruptcies and mortgage foreclosures are on the rise in many counties. But the pundits bury their head in the sand and say illegal immigration should be embraced.

The Pennsylvania House led by House Majority Leader Todd Eachus passed two immigration bills aimed at curbing illegal hiring. Will Obama come back and say his own party "defeated all those in America"?

Democrats ran on a platform of immigration reform in 2008 and were successful. Well, it didn't happen. Illegal immigration has moved front and center once again with states like Arizona taking matters into their own hands because Obama was too busy growing a government "too big to fail".

To Obama and Eachus, welcome to the party.

Immigtation Bills Gaining Momentum in Pennsylvania

Much has been written in the blogosphere about Lou Barletta and his stance against illegal immigration, both pro and con. However the same veracity of reaction doesn't seem to be occuring over the Pennsylvania legislature's latest attempt to attack illegal immigration in the Commonwealth.

It seems most of the major newspapers are reporting on two bills cleared the Pennsylvania House last week with wide support that aim to keep illegal immigrants from working on public and private construction projects.

Current state law already forbids using illegal-immigrant labor, but local legislators believe the new measures are needed to ensure only legal residents can get well-paying construction jobs.

"These bills protect hard-working Pennsylvanians," Goodman said in a press release this week. "Illegal immigrants who skirt the system and avoid paying taxes push Pennsylvanians off payrolls and onto the unemployment roles."

Seip said the bills confront "important issues related to illegal immigration in the commonwealth" and remove obstacles for businesses operate by the book.

Representative Todd Eachus voted for the bills however there was a time in the past when he said illegal immigration was a federal issue. Last time I checked he is the Pennsylvania legislature, not Congress so how does he explain his support now. Back to the campaign contributions.

A student in high school asked about the corruption of Luzerne County judges. Eachus said the events have been “embarrassing to every citizen” living in the county.

When the same student asked about illegal immigration, Eachus pointed out that the federal government, not the state House majority leader, makes those decisions.

But he ended his answer with a plea for unity among students. Alluding to immigrant miners of different nationalities who marched together into the massacre at Lattimer in 1897, Eachus implored students not to let the community become divided.

“I’m asking you to stand together,” he said. Mr. Eachus didn't understand that everyone of those immigrant miners waited in line, were examined, and received papers that had to carry with them to enter the country. Some immigrants never made it into the country. There was no Social Security nor Medical Assistance. They had to get a job to make it in this country. Different time and wrong argument on this issue.

Guess he finally saw the light or was it the campaign contributions from organized labor that influenced his decision. Just like the donations from Robert Powell, admitted felon, money is priority one.

Although embedding has been disabled you may want to view this Youtube video capturing a public hearing on immigration in the Commonwealth in 2007. Representative Curtis Smith states that in 2006 there were 500 bills introduced in states concernining immigration. In 2007 it jumped to over 1400 bills, a number of them signed into law.

Many in the blogosphere try to say that Hazleton's oconcerning a rdinance is unconstitutional because Judge Munley said so. He has yet to have his decision upheld by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals where its review been sitting for over 19 months waiting for a decision. If Judge Munley's ruling was that solid why didn't they dismiss the case sooner?

Only six or seven members out of 203 in the House voted against these measures. Where is the battle cry denoucing their votes?

NCFE Post

Steve Albert over at Not Cease From Exploration posted this item which links to a Busniess Week article. It is excellent reading on the illegal immigration problem.

Locally farmers complain about the points made in this article. It is time for the federal government to quit running banks and the auto industry and get back to the business of governing.

Lou Barletta strongly supports Arizona law against illegal immigration

Mayor: Where do Kanjorski, O'Brien, Kelly stand on the new law?
May 3rd

Hazleton, PA – Today, Hazleton Mayor and 11th Congressional District Candidate Lou Barletta strongly endorsed the Arizona law that cracks down against illegal immigration.

Arizona’s SB 1070 gives local and state law enforcement officials more authority to query the federal government about a person's immigration status.

“Four years ago, the failure of the federal government to address the problems created by millions of illegal aliens led me to introduce and champion the Illegal Immigration Relief Act in Hazleton. It's amazing to me that now, four years later, the federal government has still failed to secure our borders and deal with the drain of illegal immigration on municipalities and states,” Mayor Barletta said. “I commend Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona for signing into law what her courageous legislators passed. I understand the pressure they will now be under because I faced that very same pressure in Hazleton by the very same groups. I was called some of the very same names they’re being called right now.
“But, after reviewing the law and speaking with experts who helped draft the legislation, I am confident that the Arizona law includes sufficient safeguards against racial profiling and protects the rights of legal American citizens,” Mayor Barletta continued. “Just like the people of Hazleton several years ago, the people of Arizona were confronted with a dangerous problem and they looked to their elected officials for leadership. I’m proud to say I led the fight here in Hazleton, and I congratulate Gov. Brewer and Arizona lawmakers for standing tall in the face of misguided criticism.

“I'm disappointed but not surprised that the federal government is not taking any steps to stem the flow of illegal aliens into the United States,” Mayor Barletta added. “Our borders remain wide open to those wishing to sneak into this country. That poses an incredible threat to our national security. And, in these difficult economic times, the underground workforce of illegal aliens is taking jobs away from newly arrived legal immigrants, high school graduates, and other Pennsylvanians who desperately need a job.

Mayor Barletta started the national debate about illegal immigration in June 2006, when he proposed and spearheaded the Illegal Immigration Relief Act, an ordinance passed by the Hazleton City Council that requires all employers in the city to check the immigration status of all of its employees and for all landlords to keep on file a city-issued permit for all tenants. The ordinances also made English the language of official city business in Hazleton.

On the eve of the introduction of Pennsylvania’s own law, Mayor Barletta also asked where his opponents in the 11th Congressional District race – Rep. Paul Kanjorski, Corey O'Brien, and Brian Kelly – stand on the Arizona law.

“For more than a week, this legislation has been in the forefront of American debate, yet Mr. Kanjorski, Mr. O'Brien, and Mr. Kelly remain woefully silent on this critical national issue,” Mayor Barletta said. It's time they take a public position on this bill.

“I'd especially like to hear from Mr. Kanjorski, who absolutely needs to explain his inaction in securing our borders and stopping the flow of illegal aliens into the United States, Pennsylvania, and the 11th District. “He cannot continue to hide behind spokesmen. Let's hear from him directly.”

Amnesty Opinion by Pittsburgh Gazette

Illegals and amnesty: Repeating a failure

Saturday January 9, 2010

Expect a new amnesty for illegal aliens under the Obama administration to harm U.S. workers and the rule of law and also be a bureaucratic nightmare conducive to fraud, abuse and waste.


That's what amnesty under the Immigration Reform and Control Act was. Documenting the debacle is a new Center for Immigration Studies (cis.org) report, "Lessons from the Last Amnesty: Problems with the 1986 IRCA Legalization Program."


Author David North, a CIS fellow, conducted a study -- funded by the Ford Foundation and a federal agency -- of IRCA as it was implemented. He highlights IRCA failings including bureaucrats' tendency to go easy on their clients and easily defrauded decision-making processes. Expect a new amnesty to repeat those failings.


Mr. North notes that IRCA's problematic provisions for migrant farm workers were crafted largely by then-U.S. Rep. Leon Panetta, now CIA director, and then-U.S. Rep. Charles Schumer, now the senator who'll sponsor the administration's upcoming immigration bill. Expect that bill to be no better.


The immigration reform act of 24 years ago failed to meet its biggest expectation: shrinking existing and future numbers of illegals. Expect a new amnesty to fail similarly -- and this White House to pursue it anyway.

Gang Activity In Lackawanna County- Doherty, Is It Time To Admit It?

Detractors mocked Mayor Lou Barletta over his illegal immigration stance. One of the primary focuses of his efforts dealt with gang activity within the community of Hazleton. Posters on the blogs would state there was no gang activity in Hazleton and the Mayor plus supporters were making more out of it than was actually happening.

Let's roll the tape forward. Hazleton’s violent crime rate dropped over the past few years, despite a number of high-profile cases.

Contrast that fact with an article that appeared in today's Times Leader.

Residents of Lackawanna County should not “stick their heads in the sand” about local gang activity, according to county law enforcement officials who spoke to the Scranton-Lackawanna County Taxpayers & Citizens Association on Thursday night.

Robert Maguire, from the Lackawanna County Prison, and county first assistant district attorney Eugene Talerico advised the group of an ongoing effort to stem the growth of local street gangs.

One sign of local gangs is graffiti. He showed photographs of local graffiti, also known as the “newspaper of the street.”

The artistic or “tagger” graffiti is common in very high places, Maguire said. It is meant to impress other gang members.

The more ominous “gang” graffiti gives specific messages meant to intimidate other gangs and mark territory, he said. This type is usually easy to read, he added.

The Allentown area now has a rampant gang problem, he added. For the last four years, he and Maguire pushed gang awareness initiatives to help keep it down, Talerico said.

It is rumored among the troops that Mayor Doherty has a gag order on the police concerning the illegal gang activity occuring in Scranton. It would appear he doesn't want the public to know the extent his liberal policies are affecting his constituents.

As far as Allentown goes “After two agonizing hours of public comment Wednesday, Allentown City Council shot down Councilman Lou Hershmans proposal to fight illegal immigration, forcing supporters to try collecting the signatures of 2,000 city voters to put it on the ballot.