Abogados de Inmigracion

Hazelton voted 4 to 1 to bring harsh measures against undocumented immigrants. The one vote against was by a member of the Council who feels that the actions of that town are illegal. As a person committed to helping all people earn a GED, I can tell you that there is a federal mandate (not included in the act of Hazelton) allowing people who are illegal or undocumented to earn a GED (in any of three languages).

So this is a service that is not covered in the act of Hazelton. Since they can do the GED, it shows they are residents and are allowed to reside where they reside and pay rent. I have been advised that it is illegal to pay any illegal immigrant less than the minimum wage and employers are responsible for illegal immigrants that are injured at work.

Illegal immigrants who are hired must be paid overtime and be given time for lunch under federal law. Fining landlords who rent to illegal immigrants will cause hardships to people in the community who need the rent money to make ends meet. Putting people on the streets will put them in danger and create even more unforeseen problems for local residents. And putting neighbor against neighbor is bad.

In my opinion the people responsible for the new law in Hazelton are separatists, but they will suspend provisions of their law once it is determined that are wrong, it says in the law. Their separation is not physical, but they have separated themselves from federal laws and regulations. They are not as dangerous as the Southerners who fought for their communities by attacking Fort Sumter, South Carolina, the battle that started the Civil War, but they have created a problem that should be rectified at once. There were also people who were acting to nullify federal law in South Carolina and urging separation long before the Civil War started. Neither Republicans nor Democrats should give comfort to these so called “leaders” in Hazelton. We need a national solution, not this kind of “leadership.” Pushing the problem away from Hazelton to other towns and states is “Un-American.” The American flag does not wave with honor in Hazelton because people are taking the law into their own hands. I would suggest an immediate repeal of this new law by the city council.

English Only is another anti-immigrant feature of towns like Hazelton. I would appreciate this concept better if these towns can prove that they have created public and private English programs for fifty percent of the immigrants (Hispanics) who need to learn English. Tell us how much help have you give. President George W. Bush talks about immigrants learning English, too, but he has helped cut two-thirds from adult education budget. These people must convince us that they are sincere by educating immigrants and that means GED (even GED in Spanish) and ESL for all! All of their talk may just be a plot to bring back the good old days of the 18th, 19th, and part of the 20th centuries when minorities had fewer rights.

Business people who know how to promote business and keep our economy moving forward want people to learn English, but many of these same businesses have information in a few to several to a hundred and fifty languages. The English only campaign is a contradiction of what has made the United States successful. We cannot invest time and money with these hardliners who betray America’s success. It is time for Americans to become really educated about the issues.

The Pilgrims were blown off course and illegally set up Plymouth as their home. They were only allowed to go to Virginia. No problem! Such illegal matters were legalized later and the undocumented people of Hazelton and every town in the United States will be legalized in the future.

LET US LEARN FROM HISTORY AND NOT FROM THE PEOPLE IN POWER IN HAZELTON.

MARTIN N. DANENBERG
7 BLAZER DRIVE
ISLANDIA, NY 11749
631-348-1341
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