Alabama Joins Arizona and Georgia with the Passing of Immigration Law

By Linda Ripoll

Just as many civil rights organizations and immigrant groups feared, the wave of anti-immigrant sentiment has taken hold of the country and is spreading like wildfire. Alabama is the latest state to throw its hat in the ring with its tough-as-nails stance against illegal immigrants and the employers who hire them. This new law is similar to those passed in Arizona and Georgia but it also includes an additional measure in which schools will be mandated to verify the citizenship status of all of its students. With this additional aspect to the immigration law, Alabama has officially been named the toughest state on immigration in the entire US. According to a recent article on the Sun-Sentinel.com, Alabama’s Republican Governor Robert Bentley is proud of the work that the political process afforded him when trying to get this bill passed:

“We have a real problem with illegal immigration in this country," Bentley said after signing the law. "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."

For those parties who are against taking such tough measures, the passing of this bill in Alabama is a major setback. Just as in previous cases with Georgia, Arizona and Utah, several civil rights groups are gearing up to appeal the recent Alabama ruling.