A federal judge in Pennsylvania struck down an ordinance enacted by the City of Hazelton to prohibit undocumented immigrants from working or renting homes there, according to the New York Times.  This marks the most resonant legal decision to affect U.S. cities who are cracking down on undocumented immigration.  

Judge James Munley of Federal District court ruled that ordinances first passed last July by the Hazelton City Council interfered with federal law, which regulates immigration, and violated the due process rights of employers, landlords and illegal immigrants.  The decision comes as a shock to Hazelton’s mayor, Louis Barletta, who vowed last year to make the city "one of the toughest places in the United States " for undocumented immigrants.

"I will not sit back because the federal government has refused to do its job," Mr. Barletta said at a news conference on the steps of City Hall.  Barletta says he plans to appeal the ruling.  

In his decision, Judge Munley emphasized that undocumented immigrants had the same civil rights as legal immigrants and citizens: "Hazelton, in its zeal to control the presence of a group deemed undesirable, violated the rights of such people, as well as others within the community."