Hazleton’s illegal-immigrant ordinance wastes resources, polarizes a community. Pennsylvania

“Hazleton burst into the national spotlight when Mayor Louis Barletta proposed a local illegal-immigration ordinance even as the national debate about immigration legislation continued in Washington. Mayor Barletta intended to target illegal immigrants. But the net effect is that many Hazleton Hispanics, the majority of whom are law-abiding, hard-working citizens, feel insulted.

The debate began to polarize the community even before City Council passed the ordinance Thursday night. The emotions of proponents and opponents have been so intense that, in the process, something learned by earlier waves of immigrants to America, including Hazleton, got lost: Always be proud of your heritage and celebrate its traditions, even as you strive to assimilate in your new country.”

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