Congressman Lou Barletta Takes His Enforcement Campaign National

Pennsylvania U.S. Representative Lou Barletta, well known to immigration reform patriots for his strict enforcement of federal immigration laws when he was the Mayor of Hazelton is continuing his fight against illegal immigration in Congress. Just four months after his inauguration, Barletta has taken two strong actions on behalf of concerned Americans. At his press conference last week, Barletta announced that he’s in the early stages of writing a bill to be called the “Mobilizing Against Sanctuary Cities Act” that would withhold federal funding from sanctuary cities. Among the more than 100 cities that do not enforce immigration laws are some of the nation’s largest from coast-to-coast including Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. Barletta has asked the Congressional Research Service to calculate how much each city receives in federal taxpayer dollars. According to Barletta: “If the federal government wants to sue the state of Arizona because it claims the state is breaking federal law, then it should also sue the mayors of sanctuary cities because they are willfully breaking federal immigration law. Local elected officials who choose to ignore enforcement of federal immigration policy are aiding and assisting illegal aliens. They should not receive millions or even billions in tax dollars as a reward.” Barletta also announced that he will form a new Congressional caucus that will focus on ending illegal immigration. Said Barletta: “I’m putting together a group of freshman members to address the problem of illegal immigration in this country. I’m optimistic that other new members of Congress who are concerned about our flawed immigration system will join this caucus so we can devise some real solutions.” The caucus, for freshman lawmakers only, will supplement the Immigration Reform Caucus founded by retired U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo and currently chaired by California’s Brian Bilbray. Barletta’s actions are timely. Despite virtually no chance that so called comprehensive immigration reform would pass in the 112th Congress, President Barack Obama continues to meet with the Hispanic Congressional Congress and high visibility but low impact figures outside the Beltway. Among them are television personality Eva Longoria, former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and New York mayor Michael Bloomberg. Obama’s subversive agenda is always couched in the same deceptive words: “to fix the nation’s broken immigration system.” But Obama is having a hard time convincing even his most devoted backers. Jan Ting, a Temple law professor who ran as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in 2006 but left the party to support Obama in 2008, said when it comes to immigration he believes most Americans are on Barletta’s side. Ting finds it hypocritical that self-designated “sanctuary cites” defy the federal government, yet localities and states wanting to enact stricter immigration laws are told they’re not allowed. In the meantime, between now and November 6, 2012 Americans will have to endure reading about Obama’s commitment to pass amnesty for millions of illegal aliens. But Obama’s desire to see amnesty pass doesn’t increase the odds that it will.