A U.S. appeals court temporarily halted enforcement of Alabama laws making it a crime for unregistered immigrants to not have proper documentation and forcing schools in the state to track students’ immigration status.
The Atlanta-based court today temporarily blocked enforcement of those provisions, contained in legislation signed by Alabama Governor Robert Bentley in June. The court let stand the other immigration-law measures that the U.S. had also challenged.
Considering the school tracking provision was causing mass walkouts and terrified students, I can see why somebody might have wanted to reconsider the effect enforcement might have on families.
Meanwhile, the measures that continue to be enforced are doing a bang up job of wrecking the state's economy, costing thousands of jobs, and driving up food prices, which was pretty much what everyone opposed to the law said would happen if it passed.
Republicans apparently are very, very fond of job-killing regulations. Go figure. Still, the Atlanta appeals court made a strong statement. And this week a mass protest walkout in Alabama's poultry plants shuttered operations on Wednesday and called attention to the law.
The work stoppage was aimed at demonstrating the economic contribution of Alabama's Hispanic immigrants. It was unclear exactly how widespread the protests were, but a poultry company spokesman said officials were reporting unusually high absences at plants in northeast Alabama, where much of the state's chicken industry is based.
In the northeast Alabama town of Albertville, numerous Hispanic-owned businesses along Main Street had the lights off and signs that said they wouldn't be open. Mexican restaurants, a bank that caters to Hispanics, small grocery stores and supermarkets were all shuttered.
Jose Contreras owns a restaurant and store on Main Street. He said he was losing about $2,500 in revenue by shutting down.
"We closed because we need to open the eyes of the people who are operating this state," said Contreras, originally from the Dominican Republic and a U.S. citizen. "It's an example of if the law pushes too much, what will happen."
Hello, consequences. How are you doing today?
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