An Alabama federal judge will hear arguments today concerning a new state immigration law that allegedly interferes with the federal government’s authority over immigration.
The Department of Justice, civil rights groups and church leaders all filed lawsuits in which they challenge Alabama’s new law, which takes effect Sept. 1 and is one of the strictest immigration reforms in the nation. The law makes it illegal to be in the state without valid immigration documentation, and it also allows state police to arrest anyone who they think could be an illegal immigrant.
Alabama legislators say the immigration law will provide jobs for some of the state’s nearly 200,000 unemployed individuals. However, some Alabama business leaders in the agriculture and construction industries oppose the new law because it could eliminate their workforce.
According to CBS News, attorneys anticipate a quick ruling from U.S. District Judge Sharon Blackburn. Her ruling will resonate across the country as injunctions have been issued against similar immigration laws in Arizona, Georgia, Indiana and Utah.
