Alabama Governor Robert Bentley has signed one of the toughest immigration bills (HB56) in the country. The bill was modeled after Arizona’s SB1070 immigration law.
The Alabama law would make it a crime to be an illegal immigrant in the state. It would also be a crime for an illegal immigrant to work in the state.
Companies in the state would be required to use the federal E-verify system to check the immigration status of workers. Those businesses that hire illegal workers would face penalties.
Rep. Micky Hammon, R-Decatur, the House majority leader, told the Montgomery Advertiser that the bill would “prevent Alabama from becoming a sanctuary state.” He said the bill would help the state reign in its finances and “would create jobs for American workers and legal immigrants.” The American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Poverty Law Center are expected to file lawsuits to stop the implementation of the law.