Immigration
As the mayor of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, I introduced the Illegal Immigration Relief Act in 2006. The IIRA was the first local law of its kind in the nation. It cracked down on local employers who knowingly hired illegal aliens and landlords who knowingly provided refuge to them. My concentrated effort served as a blueprint for other jurisdictions, such as Valley Park, Missouri; Fremont, Nebraska; and the State of Arizona, to enact their own anti-illegal immigration legislation. On May 26, 2011, the United States Supreme Court ruled that states have the right to create and enforce their own anti-illegal immigration policies. A few days later, the high court overturned the lower court rulings that prevented the City of Hazleton from enforcing the IIRA, and ordered a federal circuit court to re-hear the case. In Washington, I continue to fight for the rule of law.
There should not and cannot be a plan to offer amnesty to the millions of illegal aliens present until we secure the borders. Various proposals are inadequate, in that there are no standards for what a secure border truly is. Putting the northern, southern, and water-bound borders aside, what about all of the inland portals? If your state is home to an international airport, then you effectively live in a border state, given that 40 percent of all illegal aliens present today arrived on visas that have now expired.
A homeowner would never replace the wet carpet while there was still a hole in the roof.
The real losers in this debate will unfortunately be those immigrants who have come here legally – new Americans – who have chosen our country to improve their own lives and those of their families. They have obeyed our laws and will see an untold number of illegal aliens emerge and compete for jobs, opportunities, and resources that are already scarce. The message we will be sending to them is that their hard work and perseverance was pointless, because we will reward lawbreakers with the chance to take jobs at lower wages and cut the line in front of them.
As a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, which has broad jurisdiction over border security, protecting the country from terrorist attacks, responding to disasters, and protecting national infrastructure, I will be a loud voice to fix our broken borders and immigration system.
More on Immigration
Kate Steinle, above, was murdered in San Francisco, a sanctuary city, in July of 2015 by an illegal immigrant who is a seven-time felon who had previously been deported five times.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Lou Barletta, PA-11, today looked back on the 114th Congress and highlighted his record of achievement in a variety of areas, including saving taxpayers more than $3 billion, combating the opioid epidemic, negotiating a new Highway Bill, protecting the steel industry, and strengthening after school programs for children. The 114th Congress opened in January 2015 and already has concluded much of its business leading into its final session days in November and December of this year. The 114th Congress has constituted Barletta’s third term in the U.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Lou Barletta (PA-11) today praised the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for passage of legislation that would crack down on “sanctuary cities” – those localities which refuse to cooperate in the enforcement of federal immigration laws. The legislation, which is now being considered by the Pennsylvania Senate, imposes financial penalties on such localities and requires local law enforcement to cooperate and share information with federal immigration officials. The legislation (HB1885), authored by state Rep.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Lou Barletta (PA-11) today drew attention to pending legislation in California’s state legislature which would impede the ability of federal immigration officials to do their jobs, effectively turning the entire state into a “sanctuary jurisdiction” resistant to enforcing federal immigration law. The California origin of the bill evokes the memory of Kate Steinle, the 32-year-old woman who was killed in 2015 by an illegal immigrant who was a seven-time felon who had been deported at least five times. Additionally, the legislation recalls the legal
By Rep. Lou Barletta
Op-ed in the Washington Times
WASHINGTON – Congressman Lou Barletta (PA-11) today issued a statement regarding a 4-4 deadlocked Supreme Court on the case of U.S. v. Texas, leaving standing a lower court ruling that blocked President Obama’s executive amnesty for illegal immigrants as unconstitutional. The divided court leaves in place the ruling of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which held that Obama’s blanket executive actions in November of 2014 violated the separation of powers as laid out in the Constitution.
Click here or on image to watch Rep. Barletta’s opening statement at the subcommittee hearing on border station construction and funding.
“… he shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed …”
- U.S. Constitution
Article II, Section 3
WASHINGTON – Congressman Lou Barletta, PA-11, today issued the following statement regarding the terrorist attacks in Brussels, Belgium this morning, leaving at least 31 dead and scores of others wounded:
“… he shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed …”
- U.S. Constitution
Article II, Section 3