Free Republic

Ahead of his transfer to a West Virginia prison, inmates there traded bets over how much time mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger had left to live, illustrating how well-known his location was around the time of his move, a Justice Department watchdog found. A remarkable flurry of mishaps and bureaucratic blunders preceded the ill-fated transfer as officials in the federal Bureau of Prisons took minimal security precautions, despite Bulger being a renowned informant to law enforcement, according to the watchdog report. But the DOJ's inspector general report stopped short of accusing BOP workers of acting maliciously. "We found that did...

“A recent piece in National Geographic tells you a lot about demographics in America, and about how bewilderingly fast they’re changing without any real public debate on the subject,” The Daily Caller co-founder said. “The magazine profiles the small coal mining town of Hazleton, Pennsylvania. In the year 2000, Hazleton’s population was 2 percent Hispanic. Just 16 years later, Hazleton is majority Hispanic. That’s a lot of change. People who grew up in Hazleton return to find out they can’t communicate with the people who now live there. And that’s bewildering for people. That’s happening all over the country. No...

HAZLETON — The crisis of unaccompanied children streaming across the nation’s southern border from Mexico and Central America has gone from 2,000 miles away to downtown Hazleton, U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta said during a press conference Monday morning. Mr. Barletta, R-11, Hazleton, will be traveling to McAllen, Texas, to see the problem firsthand and seek answers to questions regarding the children’s status, medical conditions and where they will be housed when released by U.S. border patrol agents. “We’re not talking about housing unaccompanied children at some military installation in Texas,” he said. “There are people looking into housing them right...

BIG news for supporters of the rule of law on immigration. 2 weeks after ruling in favor of AZ's law targeting employers who hire illegals- the U.S. Supreme Court voided a lower court ruling blocking Hazelton's law that does the same and also targets landlords who rent to illegals. The Court ordered the 3rd Court of Appeals to reconsider the case in light of the pro-AZ ruling, and may signal a major legal shift in our direction. Join Stand With Arizona

When: September 30, 2008 Time: 7:00 - 9:00 PM Where: UALR Campus - Donaghey Student Union - Room C The debate will feature 3 Republicans and 3 Democrats, with one Young Republican and one Young Democrat on each side. Questions may be submitted by students and guests. The debate will focus on the main issues of the 2008 Presidential Election. I will be asking both parties about illegal immigration. Please invite as many people to the event as possible!

A Republican mayor who has clamored for immigration reform is leading a longtime Democratic incumbent in the race for Pennsylvania's 11th Congressional District, according to a Franklin & Marshall College poll released today. In 2002, U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, easily defeated Hazelton Mayor Lou Barletta by a margin of 56 percent to 42 percent. Now Kanjorski, a 12-term incumbent first elected to the House in 1984, is fighting for his political survival. Barletta has opened a 9-point lead in the race, making it one of the nation's most closely watched congressional battles. Kanjorski has been dogged by questions about...

Hazleton will get to argue before a federal appeals court Oct. 31 that a federal judge wrongly struck down the city's ordinance making it against the law to hire or rent housing to illegal immigrants, Mayor Lou Barletta announced today. The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to have the appeal heard by a three-judge panel, and recent rulings by other circuit appeals courts have given the city hope it can prevail, said Kris Kobach and Hank Mahoney, attorneys representing the city in defending its Illegal Immigration Relief Act. "We're not going to waver, we're not going to back...

Four children including two brothers were killed, and 12 others were hospitalized with injuries, in Minnesota last week when a van reportedly ignored a stop sign and barreled into a school bus. The driver of the van, who did not speak English or have a valid drivers license, was charged with homicide. Authorities described the driver as an illegal immigrant using a phony name. She had pled guilty in 2006 for driving without a license. For years, courts and lawyers have intimidated towns from protecting themselves against the invasion of illegal immigrants. In 2006, Escondido, Calif., backed away from its...

Mayor Lou Barletta, whose local crackdown on illegal immigration made him a national hero among those seeking tighter borders, said Thursday he will try to parlay that celebrity into a seat in Congress. Barletta announced that he will seek the Republican nomination to challenge 12-term Democratic Rep. Paul Kanjorski. He lost to Kanjorski by more than 13 percentage points in 2002, but the mayor's illegal-immigration stance has raised his profile significantly since then. "I've done as much as I can fighting illegal immigration as the mayor of a city," he told The Associated Press. "I need to take this fight...

NOTE: there are now 100 cities across the country proposing laws similar to Hazelton. I’m Lou Barletta, the proud Mayor of the City of Hazleton, Pennsylvania. I believe the United States of America is the greatest nation on Earth. People who are in this country have an incredible amount of opportunities and blessings. But some people have taken advantage of America’s openness and tolerance. Some come to this country and refuse to learn English, creating a language barrier for city employees. Others enter the country illegally and use government services by not paying taxes or by committing crime on our...

Barletta, who spoke in Berks County Tuesday, backs laws penalizing landlords and businesses that exploit illegal immigrants. Senior citizens in Hazleton are afraid to sit on their front porches for fear they will become crime victims. Parents, including those who speak Spanish, refuse to allow their children to visit playgrounds for fear the youngsters will be approached by drug dealers or recruited into gangs. Those conditions were described by Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, who said they have caused him to be labeled a racist and led him into a legal quagmire over illegal immigration. Barletta said he actually is just...

HARRISBURG – Some were holding signs, banners and American flags. Others were wearing T-shirts with slogans, buttons and even patriotic costumes. They all came to the steps of the state Capitol on Saturday with a common purpose: to make known their opposition to illegal immigration. The words on the signs and clothing of rally attendees echoed the overall message of many of the scheduled speakers. “Secure our borders; stop illegal immigrants; illegals kill 25 Americans everyday,” three of the signs read. The rally drew a crowd of about 150 to 200 people from across Pennsylvania. Saturday’s was the seventh and...

That's what Barack Obama called it. "A victory for all Americans." A small town in Pennsylvania votes overwhelmingly to elect a mayor on a platform of cracking down on the damage illegal aliens are inflicting on the community. The heroic mayor, Louis J. Barletta, fulfills his promise to his constituents by enacting an ordinance last summer prohibiting renting to those in the U.S. illegally. A group of "activists" challenge the law in court. And U.S. District Judge James Munley, an appointee of Bill Clinton, overturns the popular measure with a stroke of the pen. That is what Barack Obama characterizes...

WASHINGTON - National Republicans continue to court the mayor of Hazleton, the city where a much-copied anti-illegal immigration law was struck down last week by a federal judge. Rep. Tom Cole, the chairman of National Republican Congressional Committee, told reporters on Monday that he recently had dinner with Mayor Lou Barletta and is hopeful he'll run for a seat in the U.S. House. If Barletta runs, it would be one of the party's top priority House races, Cole said during a conference call. "I think he would be a tremendous candidate," said Cole. "I think he's got a couple unique...

<p>Title: "VICTORY FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS"</p> <p>The decision of a US Federal Judge in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, was considered a victory for the illegal aliens when he declared unconstitutional a municipal ordinance that was established to punish and to fine those who employ and those who house people who cannot demonstrate their legal presence in the United States.</p>

In America, land of opportunity, an illegal immigrant can anonymously sue a city and win. It happened last week in federal court in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, where a judge struck down the city of Hazleton's laws aimed at evicting illegal immigrants. Four of the eight individuals who sued Hazleton were in America illegally. All received protection from U.S. District Judge James Munley, who allowed them to bring their case against the city without being identified publicly. Judge Munley said he had good reason to allow these four illegal immigrants to remain anonymous as their lawyers fought Hazleton's ordinances...

Interview with Mayor Barletta of Hazleton, Pennsylvania JULY 27, 2007 GLENN BECK PROGRAM BEGIN TRANSCRIPT GLENN: With talent on loan from Johnny Sutton. Hello, you sick twisted freak. Welcome to the program. I'm glad you're here. My name is Glenn Beck. Saw a disturbing story today from Hazleton, Pennsylvania. U.S. judge last night struck down as unconstitutional a local law designed to crack down on illegal immigration, dealing a blow to similar laws passed by dozens of towns and cities across the country. This is from U.S. District Judge James Munley. He says the City of Hazleton, 100 miles north...

FReep This Poll! Actual poll question: Do you agree with the federal judge's decision to strike down the Illegal Immigration Relief Act in Hazleton, Pa.? Yes No Not sure

A federal judge has struck down the Illegal Immigration Relief Act, ruling Hazleton's proposed crackdown on landlords and employers doing business with illegal immigrants is unconstitutional. In a 206-page opinion, U.S. District Judge James M. Munley stated, "Federal law prohibits Hazleton from enforcing any of the provisions of its ordinance" aimed at expelling illegal immigrants. "Whatever frustrations ... the city of Hazleton may feel about the current state of federal immigration enforcement, the nature of the political system in the United States prohibits the city from enacting ordinances that disrupt a carefully drawn federal statutory scheme," Munley wrote. The ruling...

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta is cutting a family vacation short and planning a press conference in anticipation that a federal judge will issue a ruling on Hazleton's illegal immigration ordinance tomorrow afternoon, the mayor said.Hazleton has been at the heart of a national debate ever since July 2006 when it passed an ordinance punishing landlords and employers for doing business with illegal immigrants. A separate ordinance makes English the official language. Hundreds of municipalities around the country - and at least two dozen in Northeastern Pennsylvania - passed or considered copycat laws. The American Civil Liberties Union and several other...