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Friday, July 27, 2007

Chamber Applauds Hazleton, Pennsylvania Immigration Ruling

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Chamber Litigation Center (NCLC) applauded today’s decision by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania to strike down as unconstitutional the employment provisions of Hazleton, Pennsylvania’s immigration ordinance.

“Federal law provides a comprehensive and uniform system for regulating the employment of foreign-born workers in the U.S.,” said Robin Conrad, NCLC executive vice president. “State and local attempts to restrict or regulate immigration would create a patchwork of inconsistent requirements that would have a negative effect on the U.S. economy.”

In a friend-of-the-court brief supporting a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, NCLC argued that Hazleton’s ordinance was unconstitutional because it ignored employers’ due process rights and was preempted by federal law.  In Lozano v. City of Hazleton, federal district court judge Robert M. Munley agreed and permanently enjoined its enforcement. 

“This ordinance placed unreasonable burdens on employers and ignored federal immigration law,” Conrad said. “This decision should send a message to states and localities throughout the country that piecemeal immigration laws are unconstitutional. It should send a message to Congress to finish work on a comprehensive immigration reform law that serves our nation’s interest.”

NCLC, the public policy law firm of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is a membership organization that advocates fair treatment of business in the courts and before regulatory agencies.  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region. 

NCLC

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