MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama vaulted past Arizona on Thursday with what is being called the most restrictive law in the nation against illegal immigration, requiring schools to find out if students are in the country lawfully and making it a crime to knowingly give an illegal immigrant a ride.
Advocacy groups promised to challenge the sweeping measure, which like Arizona's law also allows police to arrest anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant if the person is stopped for some other reason. In addition, it requires all businesses to check the legal status of workers using a federal system called E-Verify.
"It is clearly unconstitutional. It's mean-spirited, racist, and we think a court will enjoin it," said Mary Bauer, legal director for the Southern Poverty Law Center.
It takes effect Sept. 1.
Republican Gov. Robert Bentley, who signed it into law on Thursday, expressed confidence it would withstand any legal challenges.
"We have a real problem with illegal immigration in this country," he said. "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."
Alabama has an estimated 120,000 illegal immigrants, a nearly fivefold increase from a decade ago, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. Many of them are believed to be working on farms, at chicken processing plants and in construction.
One of the legislation's sponsors, GOP Sen. Scott Beason, said it would help the unemployed by preventing illegal immigrants from getting jobs in the state. Alabama's unemployment rate stood at 9.3 percent in April, the most recent figures available.
"This will put thousands of Alabamians back in the work force," Beason said.
The measure instantly puts Alabama at the forefront of the immigration debate. Organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Poverty Law Center agreed that it is the nation's toughest crackdown on illegal immigration.
Linton Joaquin, general counsel for the National Immigration Law Center in Los Angeles, said the Alabama law covers all aspects of an immigrant's life.
"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," Joaquin said.
Among other things, the law makes it a crime for landlords to knowingly rent to an illegal immigrant.
Another provision makes it a crime to transport a known illegal immigrant. Arizona's law appears narrower: It includes language against human smuggling and makes it illegal to pick up laborers for work if doing so impedes traffic.
Alabama's law also goes further in requiring schools to check the immigration status of their students. The measure 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.
Jared Shepherd, an attorney for the ACLU, warned that because of that provision, some immigrant parents may not send their children to school for fear of arrest or deportation.
Activists such as Shay Farley, legal director of Alabama Appleseed, an immigrant advocacy group, said the bill invites racial profiling not only by law enforcement officers but by landlords and employers.
"It's going to make us profile our neighbors and our church brothers and sisters," Farley said.
Alabama's Hispanic population more than doubled between 2000 and 2010 to 186,000, or 3.9 percent of the state's nearly 4.8 million people, according to the Census.
Some farmers and other small businesses had hoped to be exempted from having to verify the immigration status of employees, fearing the database would be too costly and add too much red tape. Georgia's recently passed immigration law, for instance, exempts businesses with fewer than 10 employees from using the database.
Alabama's measure was modeled on Arizona's. A federal judge blocked the most controversial parts of Arizona's law last year after the Justice Department sued.
That includes the provision that required police to check people's immigration status while enforcing other laws if there was reason to believe the person was in the country illegally. The case appears headed for the U.S. Supreme Court.
A less restrictive law in Utah also was blocked after a lawsuit was filed.
Civil liberties groups have also sued to try to block Georgia's law cracking down on illegal immigration.
M3X1CAN L0V3R posted at 3:04 pm on Thu, Jun 9, 2011.
Who do they think they are?This was mexican territory first!You "americans" are the real immigrants you guys came from Europe.Don't believe it?look it up in a history book!Get to know the real story of an mexicans life and what they face to get here!What happened to liberty and justice for all?This probably will happen but it will not affect everyone.This law fails good luck getting all 125000 mexicans out of there own country.There not going down with fight i'll tell you that[sneaky]
M3X1CAN L0V3R posted at 3:05 pm on Thu, Jun 9, 2011.
Also they do the jobs you don't want to do.They help you and you help them think about your acts before you make them you might end up making the wrong choice and this is coming from a 12 year old
Leon Ceniceros posted at 3:18 pm on Thu, Jun 9, 2011.
THERE HAS TO BE A MISTAKE....THIS STORY IS A HOAX.
CNN, MSNBC, ALL THE LOCAL NEWSPAPERS IN THE.."VALLEY OF THE SUN"...HAD ............H.U.G.E.....EDITORIALS AND ARTICLES ABOUT .....THE "DEATH OF SB1070"...."ANTI-ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION" LAWS ARE A THING OF THE PAST......THE ..."AMERICAN PEOPLE SUPPORT AMNESTY FOR 20 MILLION MEXICAN ILLEGAL ALIENS AND WANT THEM TO INVITE THEIR EXTENDED FAMILIES IN MEXICO TO ....COME UP TO ...AMERICA ..AND SIGN UP FOR WELFARE".
Just look at this newspaper ....TOUTING.....the .....UTAH COMPACT.
WELL JUST LIKE DEMOCRAT CONGRESSMAN ANTHONY WEINER'S EXPLANATIONS.....................IT'S ALL BEEN A .......LIBERAL .....LIE.
There are dozens and dozens of towns, cities, counties and States all across America who are sick and tired of seeing the ......DEMOCRATS...."PIMPING AWAY" ....AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP FOR VOTES.
AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP ISN'T A ..."TOY IN A CRACKER-JACK BOX".....IT ISN'T .."AMNESTIED AWAY".... FOR DEMOCRAT VOTES OR TITHES (UTAH COMPACT)............AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP IS EITHER EARNED BY NATURALIZATION OR BY RIGHT OF BIRTH.
NothingButTheTruth posted at 4:28 pm on Thu, Jun 9, 2011.
ok which one of you right wing, brown people haters is masquerading as 12 year old M3X1CAN L0V3R? Too funny. Ya you'll all be sorry when the Mexicans are gone, no more tacos for you.
Leon, they think if they say it long and hard enough it will be true. Fact is that America is sick and tired of the illegals and have learned exactly what they are paying to have them here.
Slabside posted at 4:37 pm on Thu, Jun 9, 2011.
OORAH ALABAMA!!!!!! Good job!!!
Hey M3X1CAN L0V3R... why are you making this a racial issue? This is about illegals in MY country ILLEGALLY.
"There not going down with fight i'll tell you that"
Oh yeah? Bring it on homeboy... I've a 556 and a 762 for every one of you subhumans.
samkat posted at 5:23 pm on Thu, Jun 9, 2011.
Pretty soon, the Obama administration will run out of resources to sue every state for doing what they are not doing. M3xican: Where do you think the Spaniards came from? They made sure there was sufficient cross breeding in every territory they conquered to pass along a diverse blood line so you have more "White" blood in you than you may realize. Lands have been conquered since time began so your argument does not hold water.
NothingButTheTruth posted at 6:09 pm on Thu, Jun 9, 2011.
The Obummer administration can't run out of resources to fight every town and state that want's to rid itself of the infestation. All they have to do is print more money. The US Supreme Court had better way in on this before every state in the union decides to secede. They better check the direction the wind is blowing before they decide on Obummer's side. We the people are getting fed up with taking this cr@p the feds keep trying to feed us.
Richka posted at 6:56 pm on Thu, Jun 9, 2011.
We may not march through the streets demanding deportation of all illegal aliens, but we will get the job done in the long run. As more and more states implement laws to fight illegal immigration, even our government can't stop the wave of other states passing laws to protect the american tax payers from the free loaders and criminal elements crossing our borders illegally.. At one point our politicians will get it and see that americans have had enough and want to enforce the immigration laws that the government refuses to do.
M3x1canLov3r is just a snot nosed anchor kid spouting his nonsense. Little boy, you should have taken better advantage of our school system that provided you with a free education. You're english is just pitiful. You made it very plain that you are not an american......Your statenment " You "americans" are the real immigrants" makes that very clear. As far as liberty and justice goes, I'm sure you can get that in your home country south of the border.
Richka posted at 7:07 pm on Thu, Jun 9, 2011.
@ Leon....The number 20 million illegals in our country is just a propaganda fed lie. Perhaps just counting the illegal Mexicans adds up to that number. Let's not forget all the illegals here from Asia, Europa, Africa, Central and South America as well as every other country in the world.
The infestation is enormous and we have to clean up our country or we will loose it. Kudos to the states that have started the revolution to take our country back.
Reciprocator posted at 6:23 am on Fri, Jun 10, 2011.
GOD BLESS, ALABAMA! This has nothing to do with race. But the ignorant liberals only have one argument for everything. "racist." Breaking the law is just a way of life with these people. But they are the first ones to sue if you step on their toes. HYPOCRISY AT IT BEST.
Butters posted at 11:39 am on Fri, Jun 10, 2011.
Anyway who tromps on the rights of LEGAL U.S. American Citizens and defends ILLEGAL ALIENS from any country should be put up against a wall, blindfolded and then SHOT by a firing squad for being a TRAITOR.
AZ_Resident posted at 1:23 pm on Fri, Jun 10, 2011.
"It is clearly unconstitutional. It's mean-spirited, racist, and we think a court will enjoin it," said Mary Bauer, legal director for the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Who the hell is complaining now the Poverty Center?? - We'll why is that not suprising - taking advantageof freedom of speech..
And .. to Slabside I've got a 556 ready to do target practice on the border.
If the government continues to let us down -- its obvious It will be up to us to show people the difference between being here legally and Illegally.[beam][beam][beam]
Accuracy posted at 5:06 pm on Fri, Jun 10, 2011.
Barack Obama and his U.S. Department of Justice's lawsuit against Arizona's immigration law (SB 1070) actually alleges that by enforcing anti-illegal immigration laws, Arizona law enforcement is violating the rights of (1) illegal aliens and (2) Hispanics.
Now Alabama has an illegal immigration law tougher than Arizona's. So will Barack Obama sue Alabama?
AmericanPatriot posted at 6:03 pm on Fri, Jun 10, 2011.
I'm sure Obummer's DOJ will sue anyone who gets in the way of his open border agenda.
Masterrogue666 posted at 6:33 am on Thu, Jun 16, 2011.
To M3X1CAN L0V3R:
Why not go home an make a change in your own society, and stop trying to change ours. "This was Mexican" land? Yep, until WE BOUGHT IT so Mexico could pay off it's War Debt. You say you'll fight? So will we. We fought Mexico BEFORE, and won. We can do it again. By the way, when America TOOK OVER Mexico City, we gave it back. That was a mistake. Hopefully next time it won't be repeated.
M3X1CAN L0V3R, you are the one that doesn't have a clue about what is the truth....