Supreme Court orders review of Hazleton immigrant law

The Supreme Court Monday ordered a federal appeals court to take a new look at a northeastern Pennsylvania city’s crackdown on illegal immigrants. The order follows the high court’s recent decision upholding an Arizona employer-sanctions law.

The high court threw out a ruling by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that stopped Hazleton from denying permits to businesses that hire illegal immigrants and fining landlords who rent to them.

Hazleton resident and community leader Dr. Agapito Lopez said the ruling “just prolongs the agony for the people that are living here.”

In a past appearance on CNN, former Hazleton mayor and now Congressman Lou Barletta said he’s not fighting all immigrants–just the illegal ones,

“It’s unfair to the hard-working taxpayers of this community, the legal citizens, that they should pay taxes, that they should pay for health care, that they should pay for education and (illegal immigrants) should not,” said Barletta. “It’s not that kind of country and it is literally breaking our budget.”

Municipalities across the country have drafted their own versions of Hazleton’s legislation, and have criticized the federal government for not doing enough to stop illegal immigration.