Meeting addresses Latino questions about civil rights

Prominent leaders of the Latino community gathered Sunday to inform members of the public of their civil rights in light of a federal court decision to nullify an immigration ordinance in Hazleton.

The Hazleton Area Latino Association organized a meeting in conjunction with the Hispanic Business Association and Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund.

Anna Arias, a representative of HALA, was slated to speak at the meeting. She speculated that the low turnout at the meeting was due to fear. Approximately 40 members of the public were in attendance.

“People are afraid,” Arias said. “They’ve been discriminated against. They know they’re hated.”

“I’m trying to unite the community,” Arias continued. “We have to stop hating each other.”

At the heart of the matter is the Illegal Immigration Relief Act Ordinance, passed by the city of Hazleton in July 2006, which curtailed the ability of illegal immigrants to rent homes or work in the city and was struck down by U.S. District Court Judge James Munley this July.

Rudy Espinal, president of the HBA, was present at the meeting and also fielded questions from the public. Commenting on the city’s ordinance Espinal said, “It was rough in the beginning. A lot people left town. A couple businesses failed.”

Since the ordinance has been struck down Espinal says he sees more traffic in the business environment.

“People got their confidence, that they would not be discriminated against,” Espinal said.

The meeting, held in the basement of St. Gabriel’s Church on South Wyoming Street in Hazleton, was advertised as being open to the public. However, the Rev. Peter O’Rourke, the parish priest, excluded all members of the press from attending the meeting, in an effort to “prevent controversy.”

A brief summary of the court decision and pamphlets were circulated to the public at the meeting. The pamphlets distributed included a bilingual “Rights Card” and “A Citizen’s Guide to Hate Crime in Pennsylvania.”

On Thursday, the city filed an appeal of Munley’s decision to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia.

George Barron was a member of the legal team that argued against the enforcement of the city ordinance. He said he has been made aware of the city’s appeal and that he does not think Munley’s decision, which he characterized as, “very scholarly,” will be overturned. Barron estimated this legal battle could rage on for at least another year.

Larry Norton was also a member of the anti-ordinance legal team and represented the Community Justice Project at the meeting. Norton said one of the main reasons for the meeting was to discuss with the current status of the case, the appeal and to gather feedback from the public about the actions of city officials since Munley’s decision.

“We’re interested in what the police are doing,” Norton said, “and that they’re not taking sides based on legal status.”

David Vaida, an attorney who argued against the city ordinance, echoed Barron’s opinion that Munley’s decision will not be overturned. Vaida cited the federal government’s preemptive “exclusive power over immigration,” as a key factor in determining the case.

Christina Iturralde, a legal fellow, represented the PRLDEF at the meeting. The group, based in New York City, was contacted by Hazleton residents in spring 2006 and has been involved with the legal battle ever since.

Iturralde said the aim of the meeting was “to have an open forum and better inform people of their rights.”

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