Free Republic

LAFAYETTE — An Amelia businessman who is the husband of a former state representative has pleaded guilty in federal court to harboring illegal aliens. Lenny J. Dartez of Morgan City now faces a sentence of up to five years in jail and a possible maximum $250,000 fine for harboring aliens, according to court records. He will be sentenced in federal court Oct. 22. As part of his plea agreement, Dartez agreed Monday to pay $45,000 in civil penalties to the Department of Homeland Security, $5,000 of which will be paid on or before sentencing with the remainder to be paid...

Trash-talking about Miami has earned a Colorado congressman a rebuke from Florida's governor. Don't mess with Miami. That's the message Texas-born Florida Gov. Jeb Bush delivered Tuesday to fellow Republican, Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, who dissed the governor's adopted hometown as a ''Third World country'' in recent remarks. In a two-page letter, the governor, born in Midland, Texas, but claiming Miami as his home since 1981, used statistics -- citing high-scoring Hispanic students at Miami high schools and declining crime rates -- to tout the city. ''The bottom line is Miami is a wonderful city filled with diversity and...

Scottsdale Congressman J.D. Hayworth late Tuesday conceded defeat to former Tempe mayor Harry Mitchell in their contentious Arizona congressional contest. Mitchell, a Democrat, led Hayworth on election night but the Republican refused to concede until more early and provisional ballots were counted. Hayworth said in a statement Tuesday that it appeared he would not overtake Mitchell for the U.S. House seat representing Tempe, Scottsdale and Ahwatukee. The Arizona contest was an especially negative and bitter one, centering around ethics accusations, border security and the Iraq war. Mitchell's victory in a Republican-oriented suburban district was part of national tide for Democrats...

BUCHANAN: Well, what I'm saying is the Hispanic folks coming into the country, as I mentioned to Bob, many of them are not assimilating because they don't want to assimilate. They're proud Mexicans. They come here to work....

The Arizona-Mexico border and the pathways to northern cities and farm fields have always been dangerous places. Just ask the granddaughter of a Cochise County rancher. The 13-year-old was surprised on a hike by armed immigrant smugglers who were bringing their human cargo across her grandfather's ranch and through the desert. She still has terrible nightmares of these men with guns. Or the 13-year-old immigrant girl named Montserrat who was making a trek to find work. Montserrat told the New York Times she thought she would go to school and eventually get a good job in the United States. Instead...