On Friday, Javier Alcala Jr., 21, allegedly was abducted and beaten by three men who duct-taped and blindfolded him.
This follows the July 12 killing of Luis Eduardo Ramirez Zavala, 25, an illegal immigrant who had been living in the U.S. for six years. He allegedly was pummeled near a local park after a confrontation with at least four teenage boys.
Four white youths face charges in the killing, which prosecutors have labeled a hate crime. Witnesses say that the teens yelled racial epithets. Three of the four youths are former football players for the Shenandoah Valley High School Blue Devils.
The killing polarized the community and attracted unwanted national attention to this town of 5,200, which is nestled in the lower anthracite coal region about 100 miles northwest of Philadelphia.
Shenandoah police yesterday confirmed details of the Alcala beating, which also is being reviewed by the FBI and the Justice Department.
Alcala, of Shenandoah, was hit on the head from behind. His mouth, hands and legs were duct-taped. He was then forced into an SUV, said lawyer Gladys Limon of the Los Angeles-based Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF).
Alcala suffered a head injury, damaged teeth, bruises and an arm injury, said Limon, who contacted Justice Department officials over the weekend. Police have interviewed the victim twice, including once at a hospital, Shenandoah Mayor Tom O'Neill said.
The case is under investigation, and no one has labeled the beating a racially motivated crime.
But Brent Wilkes, of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said: "We're very concerned that this is another case of people acting out animosity toward immigrants."
Last night, Pennsylvania State Police and Shenandoah cops executed a search warrant at a house where investigators believe Alcala was taken during his ordeal.
Two suspects, a woman and a man, were in police custody last night and were being questioned about the case, police said.
Alcala's legal status is unclear, but victims of violent crimes who are not U.S. citizens are eligible for visas that would allow them a legal path to citizenship.
On a recent Saturday, the Babe Ruth League field around the bend from the Mrs. T's Pierogies factory was crowded with people waving Old Glory, surrounded by their families and dogs.
The sun was still out, but mosquitoes were circling. Some folks carried placards - "Gallon of Gas: $3.69, Purchase of a Gun: $419, Deportation: Priceless," - that hinted at the turmoil that has simmered and occasionally boiled over since Ramirez's death.
Midway through the anti-illegal-immigrant rally, Crystal Dillman, who had been Ramirez's fiancee, arrived with her sister and some friends. The women, all of whom are white, unfurled a large Mexican flag.
"I'm here to support the cause; I'm here to support my husband," said Dillman, a Shenandoah native, quickly amending her statement to say "fiancee."
When some in the crowd noticed them and the flag, they shouted: "Why don't you go to Mexico?" and "Go home, Crystal!"
But the mother of three held her ground. "I'm not going nowhere," she said. "Let them say what whatever they want."
The trash-talk continued: "Wetback kids!" was directed toward Dillman's group. Her sister Lita responded joyfully with her arms raised in obscene gestures.
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