Many states have recently beefed up laws against illegal immigration, saying the Obama Administration hasn't done enough to stem the tide of immigrants flowing into the country. However, the Constitution specifies immigration policy as a federal matter; so technically, the states should not be involved in immigration policy at all.
Blackburn, the federal judge who allowed the ruling to take place, barred certain parts of the legislation and allowed other parts to take effect.
Passed segments of the legislation:
- Allow public schools to check the immigration status of it's students.
- Bars illegal immigrants from renewing driver's licenses, license plates, and identification cards.
Barred segments of the legislation:
- Making it a crime to knowingly transport illegal immigrants.
In my opinion, Alabama's legislation will be worthless. If upheld, it will most likely cause a mass exodus of illegal immigrants from Alabama to the surrounding states. It's easy to pick up a problem and push it somewhere else. But it's still there. Only the federal government has the potential to pass effective anti-immigration laws, because such laws would apply to all of the states.
Article - Reuters
This is my current event post for the first week.
Oh hey there :).
ReplyDeleteI have a few questions about this new legislation. First, when it says that the schools are now allowed to check the immigration statuses of their students does that mean that they are going to check everyone's immigration statuses or are they only checking people who they believe look like immigrants? If it is only those who look like immigrants, do you think it's fair to those who are legal and who happen to look like what people perceive the stereotypical immigrant to look like?
Also, at first I agreed with you in that the undocumented would simply move from Alabama, but after thinking about it for a little while, I believe that most of these people come into the United States looking for jobs and if Alabama is the only place they can find a job that is where they are going to stay. If Alabama really starts implementing these laws I believe the undocumented are not going to leave the state but rather they are going to begin driving illegally and are going to pull their children out of school, which will leave a generation of uneducated children who will have no opportunity to better their lives.
Q: When it says that the schools are now allowed to check the immigration statuses of their students does that mean that they are going to check everyone's immigration statuses or are they only checking people who they believe look like immigrants?
ReplyDeleteA: Most likely they will be checking the immigration status of everyone, regardless of appearance. Hispanics are not the only possible type of immigrant, although in this case they are the vast majority.
Your scenario is very possible. I am sure at least some, or maybe even most, will leave the state if the law is upheld. However, for those who do stay, the restriction on their abilities to drive and use an ID may cause them to go undercover. This can lead to poor working conditions and inaccurate population counts.
I do not think this law will last very long. It is currently being challenged by the federal government, and is causing many illegal Hispanic parents to not send their children to school, for fear of being found out.