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Hazleton mayor issues an illegal-immigrant challenge

    Inquirer
    Published 

HAZLETON, Pa. - Mayor Lou Barletta, whose bid to unseat a 12-term Democratic congressman is based largely on his reputation as an anti-illegal-immigration crusader, yesterday announced the "Lou Barletta I-9 Challenge" - his latest effort to rid Hazleton of illegal immigrants. Even so, he conceded that immigration may have been eclipsed as an issue in his campaign to oust Rep. Paul Kanjorski.

"Mainly gas and energy and the economy has been what's on the minds of most people," the three-term Republican mayor said.

Yesterday, Barletta asked city businesses to work with a Florida company, Legal Employer Inc., to ensure that their employees are in the country legally.

Kanjorski's campaign spokesman, Ed Mitchell, said voters are talking more about jobs and the plunging real-estate market than about illegal immigration.

- AP

    Inquirer