A new law in the state of Alabama that strengthens the states position on illegal immigrants has set off a wave of fear around immigrant communities within the state. Known as HB56, the immigration bill that was signed into law by Judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn allows law enforcement to legally ask anyone about their immigration status and also legally detain them before handing them over to the correct authorities.
A vast number of Alabama’s immigrant population is said to be living there illegally and this was evident in the alarming increase of children being absent from school on the days after the law was passed. 1,171 Hispanic students missed their classes on the days before HB56 was due to come into force and this increased to 1,988 on the day after; a quite dramatic increase in such a short space of time.
Many of Alabama’s immigrant population have raised fears about even leaving the house for fear of being apprehended and questioned over their status. Furthermore, the superintendent of the Alabama school system has stated that they will fully co-operate with the new laws and check each child’s status to comply with the new legal code further fuelling the feeling of panic that is spreading around the state.
A legal process is in motion to attempt to curb the power of the new laws, or at least curtail them until an appeal can be heard, however many in the immigrant communities, Hispanic ones especially, fear the worst for their future.
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