Appeals Court Blocks Two Sections of Alabama Anti-Immigrant Law Fought by ACLU

[PeaceNikki]

Two of the more-pernicious sections of HB56, Alabama's sweeping anti-immigrant law, were blocked this afternoon by a federal appeals court.

However, the judges left intact other parts of the law, which has prompted thousands of immigrants in Alabama to flee the state, go into hiding and stop showing up for work for fear of being arrested by authorities.

The ACLU and a coalition of civil rights groups, along with the U.S. Department of Justice, have mounted a vigorous challenge to the law, the most restrictive of its kind in the nation.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit enjoined a provision that required public schools to determine whether a new student who registers was born outside of the U.S. or is the child of an "unlawfully present" alien. No other anti-immigrant law passed by a state contains such a provision, and fears over its enforcement have led to a drop in attendance for Latino students in Alabama.

The court also prevented Alabama from enforcing a part of the law that would have created a new state criminal offense for failing to carry specified immigration documents.

More at link: http://www.aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/aclu-lens-appeals-court-blocks-two-sections-alabama-anti-immigrant-law-fought

[saras]

1. Not just bad but stupid...

I'm not sure I understand this part. "The court also prevented Alabama from enforcing a part of the law that would have created a new state criminal offense for failing to carry specified immigration documents."

Does this law only apply to brown people? What if you're white and get stopped for something. Do you have to have papers proving you're a legal white, or is whiteness good enough?

[truebrit71]

2. I'm white, and a legal alien, I have to have my papers with me at all times...

...the weird thing is that no-one has the right to demand to see them, but I have to have them on me at all times...

[PeaceNikki]

3. Under section 30 of the new law, HB56, anyone who lacks proper immigration papers

is deemed to be committing a crime if they try to enter into a "business transaction" with the "state or a political subdivision of the state".

The law does not spell out what constitutes a "business transaction" or what particular state bodies are implicated, but judging from the poster put up by the Allgood Alabama Water Works company it is being interpreted widely enough to include the basic essentials of life.

[pampango]

4. Also blocked was the requirement for schools to check students' immigration status.

"The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit enjoined a provision that required public schools to determine whether a new student who registers was born outside of the U.S. or is the child of an "unlawfully present" alien. No other anti-immigrant law passed by a state contains such a provision, and fears over its enforcement have led to a drop in attendance for Latino students in Alabama.

"We are particularly relieved that the court has blocked the provision of the law that has had a devastating effect on children's access to schools, along with the documentation provision that has led to unjustifiable arrests and detention," said Omar Jadwat, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project. "We remain deeply concerned about the provisions that are still in effect, and are confident that we will ultimately succeed in overturning this entire unconstitutional scheme."'

[midnight]

5. Our immigration laws sound more like hate crimes...

[jowsybart]

6. how dare alabama worker citizens try to stop the low wage immigration holocaust

why, how do they expect the rich to keep increasing profits? Immigration and the consequent low wages is vital for investor profits! Mercedes payments need to be made!