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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 3, 2011
Contact:
Joseph Rendeiro
(202) 776-1566
jrendeiro@nclr.org
Federal action essential to assert authority and protect civil rights
Washington, D.C.—On Monday, Aug. 1, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit to block the implementation of HB 56, an anti-immigrant law signed by Gov. Robert Bentley (R–AL) of Alabama. Alabama’s law, which eclipses Arizona’s draconian SB 1070 as the harshest anti-immigrant legislation in the nation, provides local law enforcement with overly broad authority to investigate residents’ immigration statuses and opens the doors to racial profiling. HB 56—in clear violation of federal law—even goes a step further than SB 1070 in that it requires schools to collect information about the citizenship or immigration status of their students, effectively closing the schoolhouse doors to many of these children.
“Alabama has chosen to walk down Arizona’s failed path, and is already facing multiple legal challenges that will hurt the state’s economy,” said Janet Murguía, President and CEO of NCLR (National Council of La Raza). “The Alabama legislature chose to enact an SB 1070 copycat that exploits the legitimate frustration with the broken immigration system and fails to deliver rational policy solutions. It encourages racial profiling and discrimination against even the youngest Alabamians and cements Alabama’s long-standing reputation as an intolerant, inhospitable place, especially for minorities, undoing the efforts of so many to improve that image. DOJ is taking an essential step to assert federal authority over immigration enforcement, and we implore the courts to make the right decision by striking down this unconstitutional legislation.”
NCLR agrees with DOJ’s argument that the Alabama law could lead to harassment and discrimination, would place unnecessary burdens on federal agencies, and could discourage undocumented parents from enrolling their children in school. The courts have already blocked enforcement provisions of similar racial profiling bills in Arizona, Utah, Indiana, and Georgia. NCLR supports DOJ’s decision to challenge this unjust and dangerous law. However, this lawsuit magnifies the need for Congress and the administration to approve and enact comprehensive immigration reform.
“Our nation is frustrated by federal inaction on immigration reform, but the response to federal inaction cannot be irresponsible state action,” concluded Murguía. “Our nation will be better off if legislators focus on the real issues and create viable solutions that fix immigration at the federal level.”
NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
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