Immigration Injustice in Alabama

Ala. loses workers as immigration law takes effect

"The law allows police to detain people indefinitely if they are suspected of being in the country illegally and requires schools to check the status of new students when they enroll. Those elements make it perhaps the toughest law in nation."

 A couple points jump out to me upon reading this article.

1. You can't have it both ways.
The lawmakers who pass these laws want to expel the immigrants here illegally, but keep the ones that are here legally. That kind of policy completely ignores the realities of immigrant society; that you can't target the one without affecting the other.

"We have the best law in the country and I stand by what we've done," Beason said.

2. Even immigrants who are in Alabama legally should also leave. The reasons for this are namely:

• The economic impact of these tougher immigration laws will be more strongly felt, and more drastically wound the shortsighted politicians who pushed these laws.
• It will symbolize the solidarity between legal and nonlegal immigrants alike. The United States is a country built by the backbreaking labor of immigrants. To turn our backs on this part of our history is truly reprehensible.
• No matter what the officials say, legal immigrants will never truly be safe in a state that passes such laws. They will never be 100% absolved of suspicion. To live and raise a family under such a government is a complete contradiction to the American ideals of liberty and freedom. 

3. Whether Alabama needs or doesn't need tougher immigration laws is debatable. Whether tougher laws will benefit or harm legal residents more is also debatable. What is not debatable is when Alabama lawmakers pass discriminatory laws, they and their supporters deserve the full credit for whatever consequences befall them.