Thread: Justice Department Sues Alabama Over Controversial Immigrati

Justice Department Sues Alabama Over Controversial Immigration Law
Published August 01, 2011
FoxNews.com

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Alabama's new controversial immigration law, essentially fighting Alabama on grounds similar to its legal battle with Arizona over that state's controversial law.

In both cases, the Justice Department argues that the states are overstepping their authority by wading into something that is a strictly federal responsibility: immigration enforcement.

Gov. Robert Bentley signed the Alabama law in June, but it's not set to take effect until Sept. 1. The law makes it a crime to be an undocumented immigrant in Alabama and allows law enforcement to detain individuals they have a "reasonable suspicion" of being in the country illegally. The law also makes it illegal to give undocumented immigrants rides and requires school districts to check on the immigration status of students who enroll.

The law is modeled on Arizona's immigration law, parts of which have been blocked by federal court. It's said to be the strictest state-level immigration law in the country.

The law has already faced lawsuits from civil rights groups and others, and Alabama religious leaders announced Monday their own lawsuit against the law, saying, "the bishops have reason to fear that administering of religious sacraments, which are central to the Christian faith, to known undocumented persons may be criminalized under this law."

Fox News' Mike Levine contributed to this report.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/08 ... z1TohnvERX

Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, August 1, 2011

Department of Justice Challenges Alabama Immigration Law

Lawsuit Cites Conflict with Enforcement of Federal Immigration Laws

WASHINGTON - The Department of Justice challenged the state of Alabama’s recently passed immigration law, H.B. 56, in federal court today.

In a complaint and brief filed in the Northern District of Alabama, the department said that various provisions of H.B. 56 conflict with federal immigration law and undermine the federal government’s careful balance of immigration enforcement priorities and objectives. The brief filed today makes clear that, while the federal government values state assistance and cooperation with respect to immigration enforcement, a state cannot set its own immigration policy, much less pass laws that conflict with federal enforcement of the immigration laws.

Alabama’s law is designed to affect virtually every aspect of an unauthorized immigrant’s daily life, from employment to housing to transportation to entering into and enforcing contracts to going to school. H.B. 56 further criminalizes mere unlawful presence and, like Arizona’s law, expands the opportunities for Alabama police to push aliens toward incarceration for various new immigration crimes by enforcing an immigration status verification system.

Consistent with the department’s position in United States v. Arizona, in which the department last year successfully obtained a preliminary injunction against Arizona’s S.B. 1070, the brief said that the mandates that H.B. 56 imposes on Alabama law enforcement may also result in the harassment and detention of foreign visitors, legal immigrants and even U.S. citizens who may not be able to readily prove their lawful status. In addition, H.B. 56 will place significant burdens on federal agencies, diverting their resources away from dangerous criminal aliens and other high-priority targets. In addition to interfering with law enforcement, H.B. 56 imposes further burdens on children by demanding that students prove their lawful presence, which could discourage parents from enrolling their children in school.

“Today’s action makes clear that s etting immigration policy and enforcing immigration laws is a national responsibility that cannot be addressed through a patchwork of state immigration laws,â€

Originally Posted by Ratbstard

Justice Department Sues Alabama Over Controversial Immigration Law
Published August 01, 2011
FoxNews.com

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Alabama's new controversial immigration law, essentially fighting Alabama on grounds similar to its legal battle with Arizona over that state's controversial law.

In both cases, the Justice Department argues that the states are overstepping their authority by wading into something that is a strictly federal responsibility: immigration enforcement.

Gov. Robert Bentley signed the Alabama law in June, but it's not set to take effect until Sept. 1. The law makes it a crime to be an undocumented immigrant in Alabama and allows law enforcement to detain individuals they have a "reasonable suspicion" of being in the country illegally. The law also makes it illegal to give undocumented immigrants rides and requires school districts to check on the immigration status of students who enroll.

The law is modeled on Arizona's immigration law, parts of which have been blocked by federal court. It's said to be the strictest state-level immigration law in the country.

The law has already faced lawsuits from civil rights groups and others, and Alabama religious leaders announced Monday their own lawsuit against the law, saying, "the bishops have reason to fear that administering of religious sacraments, which are central to the Christian faith, to known undocumented persons may be criminalized under this law."

Fox News' Mike Levine contributed to this report.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/08 ... z1TohnvERX

WHAT MORE DOES ANYONE NEED TO KNOW TO BE CONVINCED THAT OUR GOVERNMENT IS NOW A ROGUE GOVERNMENT? THIS HAS TO BE STOPPED!!!!!

Totally Related:
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-245647.html

Why are they wasting money on this farce?? That money should be used to hasten deportations!