Thursday, May 17, 2012

Alabama Immigration Law Amended with New Requirement: The Scarlet Letter 'I' for 'Illegal'

Both Alabama's House and Senate passed amendments to the State immigration law yesterday to include a requirement to publish the names of undocumented immigrants that appear in court for violations of Alabama State law, even if criminal charges are ultimately dismissed. They might as well have imposed the requirement for immigrants to wear the scarlet letter 'I' for ILLEGAL.  Forgive me if I'm overstating, but doesn't this eerily remind you of the yellow badge of shame that Jews were required to wear in Nazi Germany.

Other amendments include a provision to permit individuals to present credit cards or voter identification cards to prove residency if they are unable to produce a State driver’s license.  This amendment addresses the embarrassment that resulted when a Mercedes-Benz executive was arrested for not having his driver's licence available.  Papers please.

The legislature did not remove requirements for State law enforcement to verify the immigration status of anyone suspected of immigration violations.

I wonder if the Alabama legislature's next step is to amended their State flag from the crimson cross to the swastika.

These are interesting times we live in.

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