Alabama Coatition for Immigrant Justice Opposes HB 56

A new press release today from the Alabama Coalition of Immigrant Justice slammed Alabama’s upcoming HB 56 bill, saying the legislation would have a devastating impact upon the state.

The Coalition pointed out that communities and states (like Arizona) which have already enacted similarly harsh anti-immigration legislation have already seen harsh social and economic consequences.

As Shay Farley, Legal Director of Alabama Appleseed, noted:

This unfunded mandate [HB 56] carries too great a risk to not be afforded careful review and reflection. This bill will not help reshape our economy, it will not create jobs and it will increase, not cut state spending. Ask yourself: is this what Alabama needs?

Last year, Arizona passed SB 1070, a harsh anti-immigration law that gave local law officers the power to double as immigration enforcement officials and cracked down on the sheltering, hiring, and transporting of undocumented immigrants.  In the aftermath of the law, it was estimated that the state lost hundreds of millions of dollars in lost tourism costs and other boycotts.  Many other states around the nation considered similar bills, then ultimately dropped their pursuit of them.

HB 56 would be the harshest immigration law in the nation if passed.  It would make the aiding or transporting of undocumented immigrants a crime, would require K-12 schools to keep tabs on which of their students were undocumented, and would make it illegal to rent to or hire an undocumented immigrant.