Alabama, the lawyers want to say, "thanks.
Last week, Alabama became another in a list of states rushing to pass ill-thought out and likely unconstitutional immigration laws.
Alabama's new law is being called the most restrictive illegal immigration law in the nation, wresting that title from Arizona, which took it from Oklahoma.
It has all the usual trappings and the usual, but bogus, justifications. The governor says it will withstand legal challenges. The bill's author said it will help the unemployed by preventing illegal immigrants from getting jobs in the state.
Some of the bill's provisions are familiar to Oklahomans. One would make it a crime for landlords to knowingly rent to an illegal immigrant. Another would make it illegal to give an illegal immigrant a ride. It also would require schools to check the immigration status of their students.
Proponents quickly point out that the children of illegal immigrants would not be prohibited from attending public schools. They insist it's simply to gather data on what it costs the state to educate the children of illegal immigrants.
Who's kidding whom?
Alabama is trying to make it impossible to find a place to live or get a ride to work or church, and clearly it is an attempt to intimidate parents into keeping their kids out of school.
It's the same old tricks with the same bad reasoning with the same despicable undercurrent.
Get ready, Alabama taxpayers. This one will cost you.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/opinion/article.aspx?subjectid=61&articleid=20110613_11_A11_Alabam253902
