Alabama's HB 56 Illegal Immigration Law Surpasses Even Arizona's Controversial SB 1070

06/13/11

That is, when it comes to tough illegal immigration laws.


In recent days, Alabama passed what is being called the strictest illegal immigration law in the nation - surpassing even Arizona's now infamous SB 1070, and advocacy groups are lining up to oppose it, including the ACLU, Alabama Appleseed and Southern Poverty Law Center.

SB 1070, signed into law by Governor Jan Brewer last April, met with a great deal of controversy, and the issues are similar for HB 56, due to go into effect September 1^st.

The highlights of the bill include mandating use of the federal E-Verify system to confirm employees' immigration status, and allowing law enforcement officials to request proof of immigration status during stops or arrests if there is a reason to believe a person is an illegal alien. Additionally, under HB 56, persons found to be illegal aliens could be jailed for trespassing, and it would become a crime to knowingly transport an illegal alien. Perhaps the toughest restriction comes in regard to students - schools would be required to check their immigration status. However, according to the June 10th abcnews.go.com article, ''Alabama Passes Tough Illegal-Immigration Law'', this provision ''does not prohibit illegal immigrants from attending public schools; lawmakers said the purpose instead is to gather data on how many are enrolled and how the much the state is spending to educate them.''

Republican Gov. Robert Bentley signed it into law last week. In the abcnews.go.com article, he was quoted as saying: ''We have a real problem with illegal immigration in this country. I campaigned for the toughest immigration laws, and I'm proud of the Legislature for working tirelessly to create the strongest immigration bill in the country.''

Per data from the abcnews.go.com article, Alabama has approximately 120,000 illegal immigrants, per data from the Pew Hispanic Center. That's almost five times as many illegal immigrants than ten years ago. Many of those immigrants are thought to work on farms, in construction and at chicken processing plants.

Linton Joaquin, general counsel for the National Immigration Law Center in Los Angeles, was quoted as saying in the abcnews.go.com article: ''It is a sweeping attack on immigrants and people of color in general. It adds restrictions on education, housing and other areas. It is a very broad attack.''

Both supporters and critics of HB 56 might remember that following the passage of SB 1070, after the Justice Department sued, a federal judge blocked the more controversial parts of Arizona's law last year.

Will HB 56 follow suit? Is it possible that the bill was purposely drafted as 'top heavy', with the knowledge that the 'fat' might get cut in the end? Are illegal immigrants and advocacy groups up in arms prematurely? Or is HB 56 setting the standards for the newest witch hunt, and guaranteeing Bentley a place in the history books?

On June 10th, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet - a cooler head prevailing perhaps, or at least someone not quite as close to the issue as the other players - released the following statement on the new Alabama immigration law, shedding what some might consider much needed perspective and insight into the entire matter:

''Immigration is a federal responsibility and should not be done on a state by state piecemeal basis. It is past time to put politics aside so we can secure our borders and address the effects of our broken immigration system. Frustration with delays in Washington has led to rising tensions on the local level, unhelpful, inflammatory rhetoric and controversial laws. Rather than a patchwork of state laws, we need a tough, fair and practical solution to our border and immigration policy that will help bolster our economy and strengthen our national security.''