Alabama's toughest-in-the-nation immigration law, allowing police to "stop and ask" for papers, and arrest those without valid documentation, was upheld in federal court Wednesday, with immediate impact on farmers who rely on immigrants to harvest crops, CBS News reports.
District Judge Sharon Blackburn upheld the law, which is stricter than similar statutes passed in Arizona, Utah, Indiana and Georgia. It is the first to address proof of citizenship among students, and it has many farmers worried. Farmer Keith Smith, above left, told correspondent Mark Strassman that only five pickers showed up for harvest work at his sweet-potato farm yesterday, and he needs 20. He acknowledged that he hires illegal immigrants: "If they got documentation, they got a better job than working for me." (CBS video)
Others welcome the law. "Judge Blackburn's ruling is the beginning of removing the enormous financial burden of illegal immigration from the backs of Alabama citizens," said Zan Gree, a Tea Party activist in metropolitan Birmingham. Smith's reply, via CBS: "If you want to get rid of illegal immigrants, quit eating."
Blackburn's ruling may not be permanent; the law is being challenged in three separate lawsuits including one from President Barack Obama's administration, which has also challenged a similar law in Arizona. An appeal is very likely and until a final ruling is made, Blackburn's orders temporarily block parts of the law, CBS reports. Justice Department attorneys "are talking to Utah officials about a third possible lawsuit and are considering legal challenges in Georgia, Indiana and South Carolina," Jerry Markon of The Washington Post reports.
Others welcome the law. "Judge Blackburn's ruling is the beginning of removing the enormous financial burden of illegal immigration from the backs of Alabama citizens," said Zan Gree, a Tea Party activist in metropolitan Birmingham. Smith's reply, via CBS: "If you want to get rid of illegal immigrants, quit eating."
Blackburn's ruling may not be permanent; the law is being challenged in three separate lawsuits including one from President Barack Obama's administration, which has also challenged a similar law in Arizona. An appeal is very likely and until a final ruling is made, Blackburn's orders temporarily block parts of the law, CBS reports. Justice Department attorneys "are talking to Utah officials about a third possible lawsuit and are considering legal challenges in Georgia, Indiana and South Carolina," Jerry Markon of The Washington Post reports.
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