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BIRMINGHAM, Ala (Reuters) – Republican Governor Robert Bentley on Thursday signed into law a crackdown on illegal immigration in Alabama that both supporters and critics consider the toughest in the nation.
Under the new measure, police must detain someone they suspect of being in the country illegally if the person cannot produce proper documentation when stopped for any reason.
It also will be a crime to knowingly transport or harbor someone who is in the country illegally. The law imposes penalties on businesses that knowingly employ someone without legal resident status. A company's business license could be suspended or revoked.
The law requires Alabama businesses to use a database called E-Verify to confirm the immigration status of new employees.
Spending tax dollars "defending challenges to this stuff" will be cheaper than the 'economic hardship and lawlessness' cost of illegal immigrants.
Representative Micky Hammon said that "the cost in Alabama of educating children of illegal immigrants cost about $200 million a year" plus "the costs of medical care, law enforcement, depressed wages, lost tax revenue, and education."
This is what I meant when I said I don't care about whatever Bentley said about Christian brothers and all that.
I care far more about this (which I consider scapegoating), the embryo-personhood and anti-abortion bills, and the jeffco home rule bills. But alas, I'm far out of the Alabama mainstream.
I understand the need to enforce hiring practices through methods such as e-verify. Turning off the demand for black market labor is reasonable and beneficial for many parties (except some businesses, and those who want to pay people too little for agricultural products and construction). Although I do think increased enforcement on the business end should be in concert with increased legal avenues for immigration.
The method of criminalizing individuals in the bill is, in my view, demagoguery that can have real on the ground effects.
There are enough criminal laws for individuals on the books. Punishing people further is not helpful.
I also agree with the ridiculousness of the outright admitted attempts of getting into supreme court battles for these issues. But I guess if I were passionate about these issues from a conservative stance I would be fine with it.
Last edited by bluebeard; 06-09-2011 at 04:50 PM..
mimpdaddy - as bluebeard noted, this bill may increase legal employment in agriculture and construction. Bentley may get to cash a paycheck yet (Bentley promised not to take a paycheck until unemployment hits 5%). Jobs formerly done by illegal immigrants can be filled by unemployed citizens.
I don't know that Bentley is interested in a second term - he'd be over 70.
Now illegals can be replaced by those here legally, and will open up more jobs for people. My state of Mississippi has a law based of Arizona's, but from what I understand, Alabama's law is tougher- which I like. The labor shortage in Georgia will start to become less of a problem, I believe, when legal immigrants and citizens take over the labor jobs the illegals once had.
Now illegals can be replaced by those here legally, and will open up more jobs for people. My state of Mississippi has a law based of Arizona's, but from what I understand, Alabama's law is tougher- which I like. The labor shortage in Georgia will start to become less of a problem, I believe, when legal immigrants and citizens take over the labor jobs the illegals once had.
Oh pardon me, the law in Mississippi similar to the Arizona law did not advance in the Mississippi State Government. We need one like y'all in Alabama though!
This is not a good for Alabama and it will show in the future. The greatest cities in America are made up of immigrants. This is not well thought out and trying please a certain segment of the population is not good. Foreign companies will not see us in a good light. Bentley just hurt Alabama. If people from Mississippi are telling us we did a good job than that gives me more confidence in my opinion. In theory there will be more jobs for Alabamians but in a practical sense that might not be the case.
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