A group of reportedly undocumented Romanian immigrants have caused controversy for residents in a Pennsylvania town, who say their new neighbors are defecating on the streets and publicly beheading chickens.
“What I’ve seen is men and children — never usually the women — the men and the children dropping their pants in the middle of the street, defecating, pulling their pants up and going on their way,” resident Dawne Roberts told Pittsburgh’s Action 4 News.
Another resident reported littering and rampant speeding. Now, more than 600 California, Pa, residents have signed a petition demanding that the Romanian immigrants cease their destructive behavior.
Town official and borough administrator Dr. Richard Martin said the immigrants were relocated to his town, without warning, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as part of a program called Alternative to Detention.
The program, Dr. Martin said, requires that town residents must participate in an orientation “about who these folks (the Romanian immigrants) are, why they’re here, Basically, we need to come together as a community and work through the issues.”
Another town resident stress that their concern and frustration has nothing to do with race and everything to do with safety.
“Race, origin, that doesn’t matter,” one resident told local reporters. “We’re concerned about the safety of our town and our residents.”
Some of the Romanian immigrants said they enjoy living in the small town and said he has been treated well by his new neighbors.
“People here have been nice to us,” the man told the Pittsburg Post-Gazette. “We say ‘Hello, good morning,’ and they tell the same back to us.”
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