News continues to flow about the impact of Alabama's anti-immigrant law and it's not looking good. Just when we thought the South was making amends for its horrid past, Alabama did an about-face. The Alabama legislature reached back into its historical bag of tricks of intolerance and racism and passed an immigration law that makes Arizona's law look almost tame. The new law passed in June, and recently a federal court refused to block most of what is the strictest immigration statute in the country. The results are taking a huge toll on immigrant families, communities and businesses.
After Republicans won a super majority in the Alabama legislature in 2010, they orchestrated a home-grown extremist attack on immigrants. Upping the ante on Arizona's draconian anti-immigrant law, the legislature passed a law that makes it a felony to enter into contracts with undocumented persons, permits police to ask immigration status (racial profiling), prohibits government transactions with undocumented immigrants and requires that schools check the citizenship status of all children (allegedly, for data collection purposes only). So, what's the practical effect? Undocumented immigrants cannot rent a home, or get water or electric service, or a job, or obtain any government service for that matter. Immigrants will be too scared to be helpful to the police. For the past several months, families have left the state because the law also required that when undocumented parents enroll their children in school (to obtain their constitutionally protected access to free, public education), they must reveal to the school that they are in the U.S. without legal status. This part of the provision was put on hold (but not yet struck down) by a federal court on October 14th. But news of this temporary block to the law is too late for many families and it doesn't correct the other wrongs in the law.
The impact has been devastating for families. Recent news reports document that Latino families are fleeing the state. Feeling unwelcome and scared, they are leaving in search of a place to call home, where they can go after the American Dream and get out of the shadows of society. Workers are quitting their jobs and packing up. Many families are withdrawing their children from school, and are being forced into a life on the run. Other families are preparing for the worst -- deportation -- and asking teachers and friends to serve as legal guardians of their U.S.-born children. Where is our humanity?
The proponents of the law claim they are merely protecting jobs for American citizens and reducing crime. What a farce! Businesses across the state are complaining that the laws are killing them. Their labor force is disappearing into the cover of night. The Alabama Farmers Federation, representing 40,000 farmers, is opposed to the new law because they need the labor. They claim to be losing 40-60 percent of their crops due to the loss of workers in the fields. According to the economic analysis of the Perryman Group, Alabama could lose almost 18,000 jobs and approximately $2.6 billion as a result of the cruel immigration law. The Institute on Tax and Economic Policy reported that undocumented immigrants in Alabama pay $25 million in income taxes, $5.8 million in property taxes, and $98 million in sales taxes, for a total contribution of more than $130 million. Even conservative-leaning organizations like the Competitive Enterprise Institute opposed Alabama's law because of the projected negative impact it will have on the economy.
Additionally, the crime argument doesn't pass the smell test. In the past 11 years, Alabama's violent crime rate has fallen by more than a third while its population of undocumented residents has risen from 5,000 to 120,000.
Despite the economic losses, Alabama will not be the last to propose a sweeping anti-immigrant law. We can expect such laws to keep rearing their ugly heads until President Obama steps up to push for immigration reform. I do not mean that he should continue what he is doing -- setting records in number of deportations after three years in office that surpass President George W. Bush's numbers during his eight years as president. (The Obama Administration boasts about the more than 1 million deportations.) No, I mean fixing our federal immigration law.
With more than 12 million undocumented immigrants in this country, President Obama's deportation strategy is not a winning strategy. We need a system that puts people on a road to citizenship. Many undocumented immigrants already pay taxes and work hard so it's time to move them out of the shadows and into first-class citizenship. We must create jobs with living wages for all so there is not a race-to-the-bottom pitting low-income citizens, especially people of color, against immigrants. Until the President steps up and fulfills his promise, Alabama and other states will have their say, passing repressive laws that intimidate and discriminate against immigrants.
Inclusion and opportunity are inherent values of any vibrant democracy. We were borne as a nation of immigrants and it is our diversity that forms the underlying strength of the American character. Alabama, Arizona and other state legislatures are engaging in a war of attrition. The casualties are immigrant families -- and the rest of us too. It is morally and fiscally expensive to us all. These laws are intended to make it uncomfortable and downright scary for immigrants to stay. They hope immigrants will live on the run and at some point disappear, i.e. "go back to where they came from." While we fight these battles one state at a time, the President must have the courage to serve as our General and move us into a period of healing and workable solutions that embrace our nation's values.
Kevin R. Johnson: Sweet Home Alabama? Immigration and Civil Rights in the "New South"
J. Richard Cohen: Note to Alabama AG 'Big Luther': Stop Acting So Small
Laura W. Murphy: The Three Faces of Racial Profiling: The ACLU Connects the Dots
Justice Department Asks Appeals Court To Block Alabama's ...
Alabama immigration law decried, applauded as some flee state ...
Is Alabama immigration law creating a 'humanitarian crisis ...
Maybe she could pick up the tab?
http://www.fairus.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=16739&security=1601&news_iv_ctrl=1007
http://alabamapolicy.org/issues/gti/issue.php?issueID=4&guideMainID=17
If Mrs. Dianis had done her research, she would have realized how off-track this article is.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/07/alabama-immigration-law-j_n_1000086.html
"The federal government asked an appeals court Friday to stop Alabama officials from enforcing a strict immigration law that has already driven Hispanic students from public schools and migrant workers from towns, warning that it opens the door to discrimination against even legal residents."
http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/revised-deportation-policy-focuses-on-violent-criminals-national-security-threats/
The Obama administration announced Thursday that it would suspend deportation proceedings against many illegal immigrants who pose no threat to national security or public safety.
The new policy is expected to help thousands of illegal immigrants who came to the United States as young children, graduated from high school and want to go on to college or serve in the armed forces.
Q: Do illegal immigrants cost $338.3 billion dollars a year? More than the Iraq war?
A: A chain e-mail that makes this claim is loaded with errors and misleading assertions. Published studies vary widely but put the cost to government at a small fraction of that total.
http://www.factcheck.org/2009/04/cost-of-illegal-immigrants/
If you only saw the above then click on the following to see what the email:
⬐ Click to expand/collapse the full text ⬏
I don't wonder, I know chain emails exists and I my spam filter usually catches them unless one of my contacts forwards to me.
So no, I don't have to wonder.
Because that's what its all about. They could care less about state or individual rights.
And the term is illegal immigrant btw judy
Alabama needs to pay for this economically.
- Alabama "could” (I feel “should”) lose almost 18,000 jobs and approximately $2.6 billion
The Institute on Tax and Economic Policy reported that undocumented immigrants in Alabama pay
- $25 million in income taxes
- $5.8 million in property taxes
- $98 million in sales taxes,
TOTAL contribution = more than $130 million.
I hope they are feeling it now and continue to feel it for some time.
No one ever talks about the professional jobs foreign workers TAKE from Americans because corporations use/abuse the "work" visa programs. If some would do research they would understand that the jobs that have disappeared right under their noses are jobs in IT - Information Technology (programmers, data analyst, etc), nursing, doctors, etc. All I can say is I guess no one cares that foreign companies even have facilities here in the U.S. and bring in their own employees at a lower wage after signing big contracts with Corporations like Citi, GE, and even The Nielsen Co (yes the ones that provide the TV Ratings). All these companies have contracts with TCS (TATA Consulting Services) with offices in Milford, Ohio. DISTRACTION WORKS!
Look at the Rep/TP Congress who are they trying to pass bills for? It certainly isn't you the "real" American. They all favor the very system that caused this problem to begin with - Corporations, Big Oil, Big Banks, Wealthy, Wall Street.
My point is politicians distract you from the jobs that are really being taken away from Americans. These are good paying jobs like programmers, data analyst, nurses, doctors, etc. When was the last time you made a call for customer service and you talked to a "real" American. It is very rare in this day and age.
The politicians distract you by putting focus on immigrants who are here illegally. Every year there is a political race, 2008, 2010, and now 2012, they bring up the immigration issue. This administration has deported more people than all the 8 years Bush was in office. Bush himself tried to do amnesty.
The politicians distract you very well. When was the last time you heard them say how many work "visas" they gave out each year? When was the last time you even heard them discuss the many "visa" programs they offer? They allways talk about immigration issues as if a job that pays minimum wage is what is destroying this country.
Really, Arizona and California did the same thing. They lost a lot of money. What did they turn around and do? They asked the federal government to expedite migrant "visa" programs because the "legal" citizens didn't apply for these jobs.
We pay BILLIONS for INFRASTRUCTURE in IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN, we don't need to spend it here to create jobs. CORPORATIONS should be given a HOLIDAY TAX so they can bring in TRILLIONS of $$ without having to PAY TAXES. The TAX CUTS BUSH gave them isn't enough even though they have all made MILLIONS even BILLIONS in PROFITS.
Keep listening to your candidates so they can continue to DISTRACT you from what they are REALLY FIGHTING FOR IN CONGRESS. Let them. Seems to me they are doing a good job of it. They are up there trying to pass bills that will benefit THEIR AMERICAN NOT THE "REAL AMERICAN". You know the citizen you hear come out their mouths which is the one Romney puts it this way, "CORPORATIONS ARE CITIZENS TOO". GUESS THIS IS THE REP/TP VERSION OF A JOBS PLAN. Alabama's unemployment numbers should drop significantly in November and December. I'll keep checking. BTW, schools also get FEDERAL MONEY based on the NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED. Just SAVED the rest of the TAXPAYERS BILLIONS. Thank you.
LEGAL immigrants, please come to Massachusetts. Illegals, please stay out.