BIRMINGHAM, Ala (Reuters) - Civil rights groups on Friday filed a lawsuit challenging Alabama's new immigration law, described as the toughest in the nation by both critics and supporters.

The lawsuit says Alabama's law will subject both citizens and non-citizens to "criminal penalties and incarceration for innocent daily activities, such as giving a ride to a neighbor, hiring a day laborer, or renting a room to a friend."

The suit also says the law will deter children in immigrant families from enrolling in public schools. Alabama's law is unique in requiring public schools to determine, by review of birth certificates or sworn affidavits, the legal residency status of students upon enrollment.

Republican Governor Robert Bentley signed the crackdown into law in June, and it is set to take effect September 1.

Alabama joins Georgia, Arizona, Utah and Indiana in defending new immigration laws in federal court. Judges have blocked key parts of laws passed in those states.

"Alabama has brazenly enacted this law despite the clear writing on the wall: Federal courts have stopped each and every one of these discriminatory laws from going into effect," said Cecillia Wang, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project.

The coalition filing the class action lawsuit includes the ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center, ACLU of Alabama, National Immigration Law Center, Asian Law Caucus and Asian American Justice Center.

The legal challenge did not come as a surprise, and one of the law's sponsors said on Friday he is confident the Alabama law will hold up in court.

"It is important to note that our law seeks to protect immigrants who reside here legally while affecting only those who break our laws with their simple presence," said House Majority Leader Micky Hammon, a Republican from Decatur.

"We cannot turn a blind eye toward those who thumb their noses at our borders and our laws," he said in a statement.

Under the Alabama law, 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 would 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 businesses to use a database called E-Verify to confirm the immigration status of new employees.



WWOOO - HOOOO GO ALABAMA!!!

Yea the fight is on. I already signed petitions and stuff.

Dominoes are falling. Does this possibly mean an end to illegal immigration being tolerated finally?

I could only hope. And the children of illegal immigrants are likewise illegal! Sorry but that IS the law BHLs!

Ok things like renting a room to a friend I think they shouldn't say anything about. I mean if own a place I should be able to rent a room if I want.

Now proving residency status for school would be ok as tax dollars pay for schooling.

Alabama's law does reach pretty deep.

I guess they thought they could get by with what Arizona couldn't...lol It will be changed too.

let 'em come to canada we have lots of room.

great idea...if only they could get there without going through the US first...

and your in Colorado?...

I never understood the discrepancy here. I am 'american born' as are my children. Yet, everyplace I have lived, I have been REQUIRED to provide my childs birth certificate and proof of legal residency. Seems fair to require this of everyone...equally

as to offering a ride(if that is true, breaking stories are often alot of hearsay and little proven fact) , I dont see how one can be held accountable for not knowing anothers legal status

as for renting a room, I suppose its logical to make sure the person has a legal right to enter into a contract in the first place(the reason we cant rent to minors is because of such a legal question)

Well if its a friend I don't think there has to be a contract. When I lived in New York I rented a room in this guys house and there was no contract.

But anyway yea I agree. I guess there is a difference if its someone you know and you know they are illegal.

In which case you KNOW YOU ARE BREAKING THE LAW!


Thank you Chazster!

Yup, Cananada loves Illegals.
A couple years ago Windsor had an influx of about 600 illegals and they started crying about having no funds to support them.
For a while, the northern border was closed.
They don't want no Illegal trash in Canada.

I'm not wild about the borders thing honestly, it just separates us further than we already separate ourselves. Not to mention it just causes headaches in terms of traveling from one place to another for people.

I know there's legal stuff involved mind you, but I'd rather we just do away with the whole thing in general. At the end of the day, no matter what country you're from, we're all still human.

So you are fine with illegals taking more jobs away from citizens and using more tax dollars but putting none into the system. That means you can't complain about national dept you know.

I think we would spend less money with a federally run bus system to send illegals to Canada then what we lose/spend in tax dollars on them. Lets write a bill for the illegal underground railroad to Canada.

I said I was aware of the legal issues, though FYI, they don't intend to ever truly fix the debt problem so you know. But I'd just as soon rather get rid of all this dividing regardless if it were possible to do so.

Florida has to be careful about making super strict immigration laws cause it will hurt our agriculture and 40% of the construction companies.There are laws here but they aren't enforced.

it will hurt them by making them pay federally required wages and give Americans jobs? Cry me a river.

the government would have to do it gradually not all at once,cause if the government decided to do a bombardment and sweep of getting rid of immigrants our agriculture would take a major hit economically,you have to also realize Hatians and alot of islanders work in the sugarcane fields in the glades which is also a big money maker for Florida it's not just oranges,strawberries and tomatoes.

Plus another factor not to many Americans want to work in the everglades with skeeters,gators and cottonmouths around for federal minimum wage.