New Alabama Immigration Law
Alabama is about to enact the most draconian piece of immigration legislation in the history of our nation—a country of immigrants. Surpassing even the cruelty of legislation now under judicial review and contested in Arizona, it will turn Alabama into a virtual police state for any person of “questionable” heritage and threatens the liberty of all. And it will do absolutely nothing to soothe the state’s unemployment problems.
Fascism and field workers
When discussing immigration and its attending racism issues, let’s not consider a few things. We won’t discuss the fact that many years ago most of the American Southwest was wrested from the Mexican Republic in a trumped-up war of Manifest Destiny. Let’s not talk about the fact that our nation’s insatiable appetite for marijuana and cocaine has practically destroyed the economies and cultures of at least some nations to our south. And we won’t even mention that fantastic fear that white folks have of becoming a minority in “their own” country that was stolen from the American Natives. We just won’t go there—to those places. Let’s just talk about fascism and field workers—liberty and labor.
Liberty – The Alabama Weimar Republic?
Unemployment is high. Economic morale is low. And what about inflation? Prices from gas to food to clothing continue to escalate. Americans are feeling a sense of dread, that they’re losing control. Alabamans may not be rolling wheelbarrows of cash to the grocery for a loaf of bread yet, but could the state be devolving into a sort of Weimar Republic that will give rise to a fascist state along with an attendant legislative xenophobia and racism used as a vent to lay blame for that devolution?
If the Republican government of Alabama has its way and soon passes this spine-chilling piece of immigration law, it’s only a small step to any police authority being able to approach any citizen on any street in Birmingham and demanding “Where are your papers?” Of course, white people will be spared this indignity—at first.
Indeed, as reported in the New York Times: “This bill invites discrimination into every aspect of the lives of people in Alabama,” said Cecillia Wang, director of the immigrants’ rights project of the American Civil Liberties Union. Though Ms. Wang’s first concern may be the nation’s immigrant population, her words include: “… every aspect of the lives of people in Alabama.”
Jobs and crime are two of the major issues raised when immigrants come under discussion. Unemployment is not an issue that will go away with the deportation of brown folks. Much as many would like to think otherwise, crime statistics in no way exhibit our immigrant populations to be a gang of thugs or murderers. Living in fear and therefore perhaps unwilling or unable to abet law enforcement, they are no more criminals than the average next-door neighbor. And this legislation will further inhibit an immigrant’s willingness to cooperate with the law.
Let’s once again trot out our old friend and founding father, Benjamin Franklin: Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.”
Whenever lawmakers start passing fascist laws pinpointing a certain class of people, especially largely peace-loving people who only want to live free and live free from harm, precedents are being set no matter the premise of the law—ven the counteraction of illegal immigration. The formulas are being made and tested, the margins are inched a little nearer to the liberties of all.
Labor – Alabama unemployment
At any rate, using their mystical, Oz-like powers, politicians are able to enact such fascist legislation by calling these acts such things as: “A jobs-creation bill for all Americans!” Thus did Representative Micky Hammon. Hoo-boy!
Micky the Republican neglected to mention that a real jobs-creation bill would be legislation that exacted a “living wage” rather than a “minimum wage” and provided affordable health care. That would be a real boon to American and Alabaman workers. Not rounding up brown people and cattle-training them to the borders.
Nor did he mention his state’s plutocratic political donors, so many of whom so very much depend on the cheap wages of immigrant labor. But he sure knew how to hit the unemployment issue in today’s news—-head on. Let’s hear unemployed Alabamans rejoice over this wonderful legislation.
If the immigrant problem is so dire in Alabama that it sees the need for such draconian legislation, something disingenuous is going on. Those immigrants aren’t living on air; they are getting money to live from somewhere. Someone is thankful for their presence. Someone thankful enough not to hire “legal” Alabamans.
Micky, let the nation know that once Alabama kicks out all the brown hotel bed-makers and all the brown strawberry field-pickers that “legal” (that is “white”) Alabamans will flock to those jobs and lift the economy of the state to ever-new heights. Let the world know what a bane immigrant workers have been on your state’s unemployment rate. Micky? Micky?
Sweet home, Alabama?
Perhaps, with its need for the labor, Alabama could become a model state unrivaled for its amnesty immigrant legislation. Perhaps it could even become a model for real protection for the American and Alabaman worker. You know—real wages that allow a home, food on the table, and adequate health care—and hope for the future. Yes, all this rather than a paranoid state rife with xenophobic, finger-pointing immigrant legislation—legislation that does nothing to address labor issues, and legislation that only threatens liberty for all.
Anyway, aside from all that and since it could be a matter of concern to at least a few Alabamans, the bill, known as Alabama H.B. 56, makes it illegal to transport an illegal immigrant.
Better just give the maid bus fare rather than give her a lift home.
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Lazaro Law Group, Professional Corporation represents immigrants all over the United States and the US Embassy in Manila. The firm’s offices are located in San Francisco, Fremont/Newark/Union City, and Sacramento, California. Attorney Johnson Lazaro can be reached at (415) 800-5775 or toll free at (855) 4-LAZARO. His email is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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This article should not be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. The information is intended to be general and should not be relied upon for any specific situation. This is not meant to create a lawyer-client relationship.
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