Yesterday the city council of a small town you’ve never heard of, Hazleton, Pennsylvania, passed a city ordnance making English the city’s official language, and making it a crime to be an illegal alien or offer housing and employment to illegal aliens. I saw this on Digg and was a little shocked that such a small town was getting such big recognition. I did a quick search on Technorati and came up with quite a few results, with an even number of people on both sides. Some support the mayor’s initiative to prevent illegal immigrants from ruining the quality of life in the small town, while others are quick to pull the race card and say the town now hates Hispanics. These people have obviously never lived in Hazleton.
I grew up in Hazleton until I was about 13. I moved to Wilkes-Barre which isn’t too far away, but all my family stayed and still lives in Hazleton. The past 5 years or so I started noticing a large amount of Hispanic people whenever I’d drive down to visit. Normally I don’t think anything of other races, but in a place like Hazleton which is mostly white, they stuck out. As the years went by I noticed that some of the shops that had been there my whole life were now gone; replaced with stores and eateries that catered to Hispanic needs. Eventually Wyoming Street, the main street that runs through the town, was almost exclusively Hispanic. Again this isn’t a concern in any normal size city, but this is Hazleton, a city no bigger than 6 square miles. The hispanic population has grown from just over 4% to 30% in a period of 5 years. That’s really scary because it’s not normal. Hazleton is just a small town with no advantage over any other place to live. It has crime, it has poor folks, it’s small and looks a mess. With all these problems, a long time resident can’t help but wonder why they’re all migrating there. During this rapid growth in the Hispanic community, there was also a noticable amount of more dangerous crimes. Drugs were coming into the area more than they had ever been, assaults and robberies skyrocketed, and there were even a few murders. I couldn’t turn on WNEP-TV without hearing something about the town, and just be thankful I no longer lived there.
Eventually it came to light that so many Hispanics were coming to the city as illegal immigrants. A naturalized immigrant would get a house via public assistance, and then their illegal relatives would come and live with them, usually in numbers exceeding those allowed. Just like any other place that has a high volume of illegals, the public services starting deteriorating and soon the city was being overrun by them. It’s just a coincidence that the majority of the illegal immigrants in Hazleton are Hispanic. I’m glad the mayor took this initiative, regardless of all the heat he is taking, and I just hope he sticks to his word and fights this out. I only hope bigger towns and cities follow their lead.
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I’m inclined to agree with this action. As much as I like to preach tolerance, I can’t help but believe there’s a point where a line must be drawn in the sand. If an immigrant wants to live in Hazleton or anywhere else in the United States, there are rules to follow. Now, if only we could get a bouncer for the border.
Posted 14 Jul 2006 at 1:53 pm ¶While this may not apply to you, the vast majority of people who complain about illegal immigration are xenophobes who secretly harbor anti-immigrant and anti-minority sentiments. Xenophobes tend to conflate and demonize these three groups, and it seems pretty naive for someone to argue that the Hazelton ordinance will not be used to persecute United States citizens and legal residents who happen to be Latinos.
Posted 17 Jul 2006 at 3:08 pm ¶Recommended viewing: “A Day Without A Mexican.”
Some of it is absolutely fantastic and outright silly (it helps to be a little familiar with the surreal quality of the mexican cinematic mind but it’s not a prerequisite). As with most “mockumentary comedies” though, it runs all the social stereotypes through the blender and makes a really funny, educational (and thoughtful) stew.
Posted 25 Jul 2006 at 11:25 pm ¶Yeah, as we can see David F. Prenatt (comment above) is quick to label these people as ‘xenophobes’. Just because someone believes that America should have one language and it should be used as the primary language does not mean they have a phobia of immigrants. A phobia is a fear of something and to say that they have a fear of immigrants is just a fucking cop out. I absolutely agree that if you want to come to America you need to learn the English language and stop making excuses. If you want to speak your own language, do it in your own home. But we Americans don’t need all these foreigners invading our country trying to change the language or the customs of American tradition.
Posted 04 Aug 2006 at 7:22 pm ¶I agree with this post. Although I do believe anyone has a right to come to America to better their life, I also believe that if you come to this country, you should learn the NATIONAL LANGUAGE of English. I mean, I couldn’t go to Mexico and expect everyone there to cater to me and learn English for me, could I? And the fact that crime has increased exponentially in sequence with the rise in illegal immigrant population isn’t racism, it’s statistical fact.
Posted 09 Oct 2006 at 11:05 am ¶You guys only refer as spanish people been illegal, but you guys are so wrong. I would like to refrace that. Illegal are not just spanish people, Italians are illegal too,etc. So next time you guys talk about illegal immigrants please refrace where they are from.
Thank you!!
Posted 30 Nov 2006 at 10:52 pm ¶Hey! look! I’m not being disrespectful of you elizabeth, but the majority of illegals in the US is from Mexico. So, in order to make an appropriate reference towards esablishing an idea such as another country catering to us and our language, Mexico is an appropriate choice to use for the example. Also, in regards to the comments about adapting language, Im sure youve heard “press 2 for spanish” and the army bumper stickers that say “yo soy el army.” One final note for you, the blogger lived in Hazelton, so dont feel offended. you weren’t technically, unless you are close-minded of the country of America yourself, and in that case your opinion would be nullified as well as void.
Oh yeah, “Mr. Xenopoobe.” It was called “True Americanism” when the KKK made theyre manifesto, its pretty much a less aggerssive form, maybe? I dunno, but conspiracy theorists and cynics generally dont get my ear. Granted, the Klan does exist, unless its one big host, but I doubt that whole damn town is full of them or your mythical “xenophobe town.”
Posted 11 Dec 2006 at 3:52 am ¶http://thumbs.ebaystatic.com/pict/250005415495_0.jpg
ther ya go. sigh, the Army. why?
Posted 11 Dec 2006 at 3:55 am ¶I think Hazalton is doing the right thing! In 1941 my parents came to the US from Poland and if they didn’t learn how to speak english they would SOL. Today we pander to the hispanics and I agree if you are here you should learn english also all legal papers should only be in english heck it save money. When was the last time I saw those papers printed in Polish?
Posted 28 Dec 2006 at 8:35 am ¶all you so called “americans” are immigrants anyway! its just a pitty your illusory notion that the USA is the land of the free still pervades dispite so much pruning of civil liberties.
And for Jamie, who said this; “But we Americans don’t need all these foreigners invading our country trying to change the language or the customs of American tradition.” alls i can do is laugh at the irony of that 19th century attitude! It was only yesterday america was invaded and a genocide of the natives began. Those of American nationals which think like Jamie are are all hypocrites and sadly persecution, paranoia, xenophobia and self righteousness are in all your pseudo-american blood
Posted 01 Dec 2007 at 9:34 am ¶GOSH JOSH…VIVA LA Azteca eh? Try to keep in mind that virtually every generation of Immigrants who came to settle in a new place called America had to make sacrifices either in actually building this country to what it is today or fighting for its freedom. Even the late comers like the Irish in the 1850s and 60s, had to immediately enlist in the Union Army to fight in the civil war for their citizen papers. But today, all a legal immigrant has to do is follow a few rules and do some paperwork. But the Illegals don’t want to even do that? Why, because they don’t want to wait and they worry that they will be turned down. Why would they be turned down? Maybe a criminal past or lack of skills needed in the US. If you are Alien and you have a professional degree like a MD or Ph’D or Nurisng degree. Hey we have a shortage of those come on down. If you have no skills to offer, then work on border state farms during planting and harvesting seasons. True come on down. What we don’t need is free loaders who overwhelm our city services and demand their so called freedoms and rights as a non-US citizen. I applaud the many Mexicans who came to the US in the early 1900s and made a life, contributed, learned English and sent their sons to protect the US as needed. Not those who want to import their native culture and set up their own Lil anti american fiefdoms.
Posted 16 Feb 2008 at 10:05 pm ¶Post a Comment
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