Federal Court Reverses Ruling and Upholds Hazleton’s E-Verify Law

A federal appellate court reversed its original ruling that found Hazleton’s local ordinance requiring businesses to use E-Verify was unconstitutional. The court was instructed by the Supreme Court to revisit its ruling after upholding Arizona’s statewide law earlier this year.

Hazleton’s Illegal Immigration Relief Act was passed while current House Member Lou Barletta (R-Pa.) was mayor. Current mayor Joseph Yannuzzi called today’s ruling good news for the town.

The Hazleton law was the first immigration enforcement ordinance passed at the local level and sparked a flurry of other localities and states to pass their own enforcement laws in response the federal goverment’s lax enforcement.