‘Never seen anything quite like it’: How rural Pennsylvania’s $165 million data center fight became representative of the bipartisan battle against AI

An area of Pennsylvania once known for its anti-immigration crackdown is now resisting data centers, just one example of how the AI buildout has created a unified, bipartisan front in an increasingly splintered America. About 20 years ago, Hazleton passed the controversial Illegal Immigration Relief Act, which withheld permits from businesses employing undocumented immigrants and fined landlords who rented to them. Capitalizing on a time of deindustrialization and demographic changes in a heavily Hispanic city, the law galvanized a base of white, working-class supporters. Fast forward to today, and Hazle Township, the area where Hazleton sits at the foot of the Poconos, is still making headlines. But this time, it’s the AI infrastructure boom. Data center opponents, diverse…