2011 Luzerne County Elections

September 14, 2008

Kanjorski, Barletta not big on presidential nominees’ views

Kanjorski, Barletta not big on presidential nominees’ views

By Steve Mocarsky smocarsky@timesleader.com
Staff Writer
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Neither the small-town Republican mayor whose tough stance on illegal immigration garnered national attention, nor his incumbent Democratic opponent in the 11th Congressional District race is impressed with the two presidential candidates’ views on immigration.

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta said he was disappointed he didn’t hear much about illegal immigration at either nominating convention, and that “neither of the major tickets is talking about the issue on the campaign trail.” Both candidates declined his invitations to visit Hazleton and address the issue, Barletta said.

“They don’t have to agree with me. In fact, they can come here and tell me I am wrong, if that is what they believe,” Barletta said. “But if they are serious about dealing with the issue they should at least come to Hazleton, the city leading the charge to reform the problem.”

Barletta said Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has openly opposed the Hazleton ordinance while Republican nominee John McCain “has come around a bit in recent months.”

“If they are serious about fixing health care, education, local and national security, budget issues, and the economy, then they can’t deny the negative effect illegal immigration has on all those issues,” Barletta said.

U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, isn’t any more impressed with the McCain or Obama stances on immigration.

Kanjorski said he opposed providing federal benefits to illegal immigrants, and “helped ensure that illegal immigrants would not receive economic stimulus payments.”

“I supported and co-sponsored legislation to shut off the job magnet that draws illegal immigrants to the U.S. by mandating that employers use the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify program to immediately check the legal status of potential employees,” Kanjorski said.

“I believe that my approach to addressing illegal immigration would be more effective than both of their plans. After the election, I’ll work to address this issue with our new president and encourage him to take action that our current president avoided,” Kanjorski said.

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