ALABAMA LAWMAKERS SURRENDER TO LA RAZA DEMANDS - NO ENFORCEMENT OF LAWS ON ILLEGALS!

Alabama Lawmakers Hold Hearing to Dismantle Immigration Enforcement

Last week, the Alabama House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee held a hearing to discuss HB 658, a bill that would weaken the State's tough immigration enforcement law, HB 56. (ABC News, Apr. 16, 2012) Lawmakers introduced the 83-page bill the day before the Easter holiday weekend. (See FAIR Legislative Update, Apr. 9, 2012)
The author of both HB 56 and the subsequent bill to amend it, Rep. Micky Hammon, stated he expects the Committee to vote on HB 658 sometime this week. (Associated Press, Apr. 11, 2012)
Some of the original backers of HB 56, however, are voicing concern about changing current law. "My concern from the get-go is that if you change too many sections of the law, it gives the opponent the ability to go to the 11th Circuit and say ‘wait a minute, this is a whole new law, we need to start this through the legal process again,'" said State Sen. Scott Beason. (ABC News, Apr. 16, 2012)
The U.S. Supreme Court is already scheduled to hear oral arguments on Arizona's SB 1070 on April 25, which contains several provisions that are similar to Alabama's HB 56. The Court is expected to hand down its opinion on SB 1070 in June, meaning that parts of the Alabama law that lawmakers are currently attempting to amend could be upheld.