Pennsylvania pols offer bills to do the federal government's job.

From Pittsburgh's other newspaper:

HARRISBURG -- Some conservative lawmakers contend President Bush and Congress aren't doing enough to fight illegal immigration, so they want to see the state Legislature get involved.

A bipartisan group that includes Reps. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, Mark Mustio, R-Moon, and Tom Yewcic, D-Cambria, complained that crime, gang violence and health care costs are rising in the state -- while the state is being cheated out of income tax revenue -- because some companies are hiring immigrants who came to the state illegally. They plan to introduce a group of bills to penalize companies and individuals who help illegal immigrants.

"America's borders have been left unsecured against the very clear and present dangers of property theft, drug running, human trafficking and increased gang activity," Mr. Metcalfe said yesterday at a news conference.
Illegal immigration isn't just a problem for states on the U.S.-Mexico border, said another member of the group, Rep. Tom Creighton, R-Lancaster.

"Illegal immigrants crossing our borders and taking jobs away from U.S. citizens is becoming an important issue in Lancaster County,'' he said. "We need to provide the proper authorities with the means to help end the influx of [illegal] immigrants entering the state."

Mr. Mustio said that according to Revenue Department estimates, the state is losing $300 million or more each year because companies hiring illegal immigrants pay on a cash-only basis and don't deduct state income taxes from workers' pay.

"The federal government is refusing to take responsibility [for combatting illegal immigrants], so we have to protect our state borders," said Mr. Yewcic.

The group unveiled a package of bills called "National Security Begins at Home," which will face hearings this summer.

One would penalize Pennsylvania employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants, pay them substandard wages without health benefits and don't withhold state income taxes.

Others would empower state police to crack down on illegal immigrants without proper papers who do agricultural, construction or other jobs; give Pennsylvania district attorneys the power to detain illegal immigrants for up to 30 days, until federal officials can deport them; penalize anyone who furnishes false identification to illegal aliens; and stop state funds from going to a construction project if the prime contractor or subcontractor employs illegal immigrants.

State Rep. Bob Belfanti, D-Northumberland, said police raided a shopping center construction site in his district where most of the workers were illegal immigrants without proper identification.

The contractor doing the job had illegally hired two immigrant youths who were 17 and another who was 16, despite a law barring such underage youths from working on heavy construction projects. The state needs to impose serious fines against companies that try to circumvent the law, Mr. Belfanti said.

Also present yesterday was Lou Barletta, mayor of Hazelton in northeast Pennsylvania. He said his town has seen an outbreak of violence by illegal immigrant workers this year and he isn't going to tolerate it anymore. The town will revoke licenses of businesses that employ illegal immigrants and fine landlords who rent apartments to them.

Several family members of Americans who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center were present at the news conference and urged support for the crackdown on illegal immigrants.

The group, called 9/11 Families for a Secure America, said the foreign terrorists who flew planes into the two New York City office towers that day had entered the country illegally.

The family members claimed the federal government does little to stop such terrorists from coming or to find them once they're here, so state action is needed.