Alabama policy makers must confront immigration issues

Alabama policy makers must confront immigration issues
By Scott Beason
Special to The Star
02-24-2008

The number one issue in the state of Alabama is illegal immigration. What is going to be done to curb the influx of thousands of illegal immigrants into our state?

Illegal immigration is a federal issue at the border, but once an illegal immigrant crosses that line, it becomes a state issue. States have to deal with the problems that follow.

Last spring, the Legislature established the Joint Interim Patriotic Immigration Commission and stated that “the unprecedented influx of non-English speaking immigrants requires Alabama policy makers to confront a growing critical public-policy crisis and that states must exercise power to investigate, apprehend, detain, and remove illegal aliens.â€