USA Today - "Anti-illegal immigration mayor running for Congress"

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USA Today - "Anti-illegal immigration mayor running for Congress"

Mayor Lou Barletta — who has gained a national following with his get-tough approach to illegal immigration — is running for Congress.

Barletta announced Thursday that he will seek the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent 12-term Democratic Rep. Paul Kanjorski, who represents a heavily Democratic district in northeastern Pennsylvania.

"I realized that I'm not just fighting for Hazleton any more. I'm fighting for people all over the country who want their voices heard," Barletta said. "I've done as much as I can fighting illegal immigration as the mayor of a city. I need to take this fight to Washington, because that's where the problem needs to be fixed."

Barletta, who was courted heavily by Republicans and had been widely expected to run, announced his entry into the race Thursday afternoon at a news conference packed with supporters.

Kanjorski, who defeated Barletta in 2002 by more than 13 percentage points, did not immediately return a phone call. In a statement Thursday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee accused Barletta of favoring the privatization of Social Security and "gambling with our seniors' retirement savings," a line of attack Democrats hope will resonate in a district whose population is largely elderly.

Barletta said voters want change.

Kanjorski is "not my enemy, but he represents what Congress is about," said Barletta, who just began a third term as mayor. "Congress has failed us. People recognize that every time they fill their car up with fuel, or look at their paycheck. You can't fool the American people any longer."

Premising his campaign on opposition to illegal immigration, Barletta told the Associated Press he wants to secure the nation's borders, airports and seaports; target criminals who supply fraudulent documents to illegal immigrants; go after "sanctuary cities" that shelter them; and "crack down on businesses that are hiring illegal immigrants, who are profiting from cheap labor and depressing the wages of the American worker."

Barletta has sought to make his city of 30,000 inhospitable to illegal immigrants, whom he says are responsible for violent crime, graffiti, and overburdened schools and hospitals.

At Barletta's urging, Hazleton City Council in 2006 approved the Illegal Immigration Relief Act, which sought to deny business permits to companies that employ illegal immigrants, fine landlords who rent to them and require tenants to register and pay for a rental permit.

Anti-illegal immigration activists hailed Barletta's approach, and he became a fixture on cable TV and talk radio, advocating his view that illegal immigrants are wrecking the country and that local governments can no longer wait for federal action to do something about it.

Federal courts have split on the question of whether cities and towns may take steps to curb illegal immigration. A federal judge in July struck down Hazleton's ordinance as unconstitutional, but another judge upheld a similar measure in Valley Park, Mo., last week.

Critics say Hazleton-style measures discriminate against Hispanics and trample on the federal government's exclusive power to regulate immigration.

Kanjorski's district is a largely blue-collar area where illegal immigration is a hot-button issue. Anticipating that Barletta would run, the incumbent in recent months has sought to portray himself as tough on illegal immigration.

He sent a four-page color mailer to constituents in October headlined "Congressman Paul Kanjorski: Tough on Illegal Immigration." And he recently told an audience in the Poconos that "closing the border is practical."

Ed Mitchell, Kanjorski's longtime campaign consultant, said he believes he would prevail in a rematch with Barletta.

"The congressman has a dynamic record of delivering to the people of the 11th District," he said. "Mr. Barletta's candidacy seems to be premised on his record on illegal immigration, but even Mr. Barletta has said there is very little difference between the congressman and his record on this issue."

Kanjorski, who has yet to announce his re-election, had about $1.5 million in his campaign account as of Dec. 31. Barletta starts out his campaign more than $153,000 in debt, but he said he now has a national donor base and can raise money quickly.

"I believe there are a lot of people around this country who are looking for this kind of leadership," Barletta said.

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