Hispanic activists and the ACLU sued Hazleton, a northeastern Pennsylvania city that has recently approved a tough law to crack down on illegal immigrants.
The new law imposes $1,000 fines on landlords who rent to illegal immigrants, denies business permits to companies that give them jobs and makes English the city's official language.
The lawsuit contends that the Constitution gives the federal government exclusive power to regulate immigration and that the city's ordinance is discriminatory and unworkable.
Mayor Lou Barletta said that he was confident the ordinance will stand up to legal scrutiny, and Hazleton would stand its ground.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs told Barletta that they would drop the lawsuit if City Council repealed the ordinance and agreed not to pursue a similar measure in the future.
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