By: Daniel Nardini
As if the state legislature’s attempt to keep Alabama’s anti-immigration law is not bad enough, now the state government is sinking to a new low. In 2012, basically without debate, the Alabama state legislature approved a law that creates a list of “illegal aliens.” The list will provide not only their names but their addresses to the public. This law is a complete violation of federal law, and could put not only undocumented but also legal permanent residents and even U.S. citizens in serious danger of harassment and intimidation. There are a whole list of problems with this Alabama black list. There is no possibility of being removed from it even if someone proves the list is in error of their immigration status, that it violates federal privacy laws, that the information on the list about any person could be wrong, and worse the list exposes any individual to harm’s way.
Because of this, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the American Civil Liberties Union, and National Immigration Law Center have brought a lawsuit against the State of Alabama over this black list. Specifically, the lawsuit is in defense of four undocumented immigrants in Montgomery County, Alabama, who were put in jail for not having a fishing license. Normally, such a crime would have been only a misdemeanor where suspects simply paid a fine. But since they were seen as “illegal,” they were placed on the list. Of course, we do not know if they truly are undocumented—we only have the word of the state government. Even if they are undocumented, their rights have been completely violated by this law, and hence why the lawsuit has been filed. In the meantime, the Southern Poverty Law Center has filed a motion to a federal judge to block further implementation of this law.
Hopefully, a federal court will block the law from being further implemented. You can be sure that the Alabama state government will be spending valuable time and money in making sure these laws remain on the books. It is just a terrible waste, and these set of laws have only created a climate of fear and hate against not only Latinos but against all immigrants in Alabama. Once upon a time, Alabama was a holdout for racism and the Jim Crow laws that justified legal racial discrimination against African Americans. It seems that the state government has reverted to its dark past by implementing laws against immigrants in general and Latinos in particular.
Alabama’s Black List
By: Daniel Nardini
Because of this, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the American Civil Liberties Union, and National Immigration Law Center have brought a lawsuit against the State of Alabama over this black list. Specifically, the lawsuit is in defense of four undocumented immigrants in Montgomery County, Alabama, who were put in jail for not having a fishing license. Normally, such a crime would have been only a misdemeanor where suspects simply paid a fine. But since they were seen as “illegal,” they were placed on the list. Of course, we do not know if they truly are undocumented—we only have the word of the state government. Even if they are undocumented, their rights have been completely violated by this law, and hence why the lawsuit has been filed. In the meantime, the Southern Poverty Law Center has filed a motion to a federal judge to block further implementation of this law.
Hopefully, a federal court will block the law from being further implemented. You can be sure that the Alabama state government will be spending valuable time and money in making sure these laws remain on the books. It is just a terrible waste, and these set of laws have only created a climate of fear and hate against not only Latinos but against all immigrants in Alabama. Once upon a time, Alabama was a holdout for racism and the Jim Crow laws that justified legal racial discrimination against African Americans. It seems that the state government has reverted to its dark past by implementing laws against immigrants in general and Latinos in particular.