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Following scrutiny and public outcry over secret charter flights carrying illegal immigrants into Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport in the past few weeks, the Biden administration has apparently shifted their relocation efforts to the Lehigh Valley in the hope that no one would notice. Former mayor and congressman Lou Barletta, the leading Republican candidate for governor of Pennsylvania, received a tip and confirmed through FlightAware.com that a flight occurred on December 30 through a charter company which has been used in previous flights. World Atlantic Airlines has frequently contracted with the federal government to transport illegal immigrants.
FlightAware screenshot confirms World Atlantic Airlines charter flight
“The incredible secrecy and disregard for Pennsylvanians continues,” Barletta said. “First, we had to discover for ourselves that illegal immigrants were being shipped into Northeast Pennsylvania on at least four flights. But then when people demanded information, the flights were shifted to the Lehigh Valley and they just hoped no one would notice. While the Biden administration is playing games with the safety of Pennsylvanians, Gov. Tom Wolf and Attorney General Josh Shapiro are just throwing up their hands and saying it’s not their problem.” Barletta has repeatedly drawn attention to the secret charter flights since he first exposed them in a letter to Wolf and Shapiro on December 23, 2021. It has now been established that at least four flights landed at Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport: on December 11, December 17, and twice on Christmas night. Barletta also appeared on Fox News last week, highlighting the public safety issues that arise with the relocation of illegal immigrants. Based on his experience as a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security, he knows that it is nearly impossible to conduct adequate background checks on adults or teenagers who have already entered the country illegally. Barletta has also argued that it’s impossible to determine the actual age of any minors on board the flights and pointed to a recent incident in Florida, where an illegal immigrant claiming to be 17 years old was actually 24, and subsequently was charged with murder in a stabbing attack. Further, there has been no proof that health screenings were conducted on adults or children on the flights. At a time when COVID-19 cases are rising again, health checks are of paramount importance, but the need for vigilance does not stop there. Pennsylvania school students are required to be vaccinated against a number of diseases, including polio, hepatitis, mumps, and measles before they enter school, and there is no evidence that children on the airplanes have been fully inoculated. These immunizations are required by law and are different from the unconstitutional Biden COVID-19 vaccine mandates issued by the Executive Branch of the federal government. Incredibly, both Wolf and Shapiro have issued statements that express identical sentiments: that these flights of illegal immigrants into Pennsylvania are not their problem. “This is a flippant and childish response that shows blind trust in an incompetent and uncaring Biden administration, and doesn’t explain whether Tom Wolf and Josh Shapiro knew these flights were happening and kept them secret,” Barletta said. “Obviously, the federal government is tasked with immigration enforcement, but the governor and attorney general are responsible for keeping Pennsylvanians safe and informed.” Barletta said Wolf and Shapiro, who is the likely Democratic candidate for governor, have shown that they are just rubber stamps for the Biden administration. “Wolf and Shapiro don’t answer whether they had knowledge of the health status of the illegal immigrants, or whether there were background checks conducted on any adults in the group,” Barletta continued. “The attitude displayed by Wolf and Shapiro shows a complete disregard for the safety of Pennsylvanians, and it shows that they have no problems keeping the truth from our citizens.” Barletta has listed several new proposals to protect Pennsylvania and local residents from illegal immigration when he is elected governor. First, Barletta would prohibit state and local agencies from conducting business with any private entities which assist in the resettlement of illegal immigrants, such as the charter bus companies that helped transport the illegal immigrants from Wilkes-Barre Scranton Airport and presumably from Allentown. Second, Barletta would prohibit the granting or renewal of any licenses to entities to provide assistance to Unaccompanied Alien Children unless there is a cooperative agreement between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the federal government. Third, Barletta would prohibit admittance to Pennsylvania schools any illegal immigrant children who are not verified to have been fully immunized as required by state law.
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