Alabama latest state poised to crack down on immigration

[Jeanfromfillmore]

Alabama latest state poised to crack down on immigration
(Reuters) - The Alabama Senate late on Thursday approved and sent to Governor Robert Bentley a law cracking down on illegal immigration, the latest state to follow Arizona in targeting illegal immigration.
In the closing minutes of the second-to-last legislative day on Thursday, the Alabama Senate passed the immigration bill by a vote of 25-7 after lengthy debate, according to the state legislative website.
The bill had previously passed the state House of Representatives with a large majority. Republicans took over majority control of both houses of the Alabama legislature last year for the first time in 136 years.
If Bentley, who is a Republican, signs the bill into law, it would be a crime to knowingly transport or harbor someone who is in the country illegally. It would also impose penalties on businesses that knowingly employ someone without legal resident status. A company's business license could be suspended or revoked.
The bill also will require Alabama businesses to use a database called E-Verify to confirm the immigration status of new employees.
As in other states which have passed anti-immigration laws, civil rights and immigrant rights groups are mounting a campaign against the measure, urging voters to contact the governor and ask him to veto the measure.
Several states have enacted immigration restrictions, even though the issue is supposed to be the responsibility of the federal government.
Immigration rights advocates have sued Arizona, Utah, Indiana and Georgia to block these efforts.
Key parts of the Arizona law, which was passed last year, were blocked by the federal courts.
But on May 26, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Arizona's right to require employers to use E-Verify. The court also ruled that Arizona could suspend or revoke business licenses of those companies that knowingly hire illegal immigrants.
Also last month, a federal judge temporarily blocked a milder Utah immigration law. The ruling came on the same day the Utah law, passed earlier this year, went into effect.
A hearing is set for June 20 on an attempt to get a preliminary injunction against the immigration law passed this year in Indiana.
A lawsuit was filed against the Georgia law on Thursday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...7526E620110603

[Jeanfromfillmore]

Alabama Governor Signs Tough Illegal Immigration Law
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has signed a tough new law cracking down on illegal immigration.
The bill signed Thursday allows police to arrest anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant if they're stopped for any other reason. It also requires public schools to determine students' immigration status and makes it a crime to knowingly give an illegal immigrant a ride. Alabama employers are now required to determine if any new worker is in the country legally.
Bentley, a Republican, says he campaigned on passing the toughest anti-illegal immigration bill possible. He predicts the new law will pass court review.
Groups including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Montgomery-based Southern Poverty Law Center agree the new law is the nation's toughest. They say they plan to challenge it.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011...#ixzz1OoGZQSDI