Hazleton, Pa., is about the halfway point on our way back home to Upstate New York, making it a regular stop on our road trips. Whether it’s just lunch at Wendy’s or a trip into town to the fabulous Knotty Pine restaurant, we’ve enjoyed stopping there and spending our money in the community.

It’s because of that connection that I paid extra-close attention to the illegal immigration rules enacted by the city and strongly supported by its residents. Those measures, which included a $1,000-per-day fine on landlords and declared English as the official language, were struck down yesterday by a federal judge. An appeal is planned.

I found Fred Thompson’s commentary on the subject right on target:

Our constitutional system allows cities to take reasonable steps to protect their citizens. When the federal government is unwilling to enforce immigration laws effectively, then cities need to be able to act, and take reasonable steps to secure their citizens from the social, financial, and criminal costs of illegal immigration.

Thompson nails it. What he doesn’t mention is that the people opposing this law are out-of-town liberals and open-borders advocates bankrolled by the American Civil Liberties Union. What a disgrace.