Alabama's new law

[baikal3]

Alabama's new immigration law seems to be considerably stricter than Arizona's:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-06-03-alabama-immigration-law_n.htm

In particular, the police are allowed to detain a person after a traffic stop if they have a "reasonable suspicion" the person is in U.S. illegally.

According to the USA Today article, "reasonable suspicion" could include "acting nervously".

I guess that's one more reason to get a U.S. passport card...

 

[sanjoseaug20]

As the article said, this is a jobs bill.
Wonder how tough it is going to get from state/immigration perspective if the US economy does go into a double / triple / perpetual dip?

 

[sanjoseaug20]

I wonder if these states do or will issue enhanced DLs containing citizenship information at least up to date from when the license was issued. If they want to check this aspect, do that ... but at least do some work for the state ID cards carry this information for the citizens, so that people are not forced to get passport cards (like baikal), because the people unlikely to carry passport cards will usually be locals.

 

[König]

I wonder if these states do or will issue enhanced DLs containing citizenship information at least up to date from when the license was issued. If they want to check this aspect, do that ... but at least do some work for the state ID cards carry this information for the citizens

I disagree. I firmly believe that a driving licence should be just that - a licence to drive. If you want citizens to prove their status, require them to have an immigration/identity document (e.g., passport book/card, naturalisation certificate or birth certificate). A person should either be licensed to drive or not - it should not depend on his/her immigration status.

so that people are not forced to get passport cards (like baikal), because the people unlikely to carry passport cards will usually be locals.

Well, if locals happen to be inconvenienced by this law, maybe then they will think twice before electing such state representatives. You can't hit hard at illegals without partially inconveniencing legal residents.

There is another concern about local police checking immigration papers - how can they be effectively trained? If the TSA which is the branch of the same department as the USCIS still cannot learn that they should accept passport card and NEXUS, I do not believe a local Alabama policeman will do a better job given that he sees passport cards even less often than the TSO.

 

[brb2]

I think this is more hot air by politicians. Very few main stream Americans understand the various immigration status's. Here in MN, they issue a driver's license for non citizens and Permanent Residents up to the validity of the immigration status. Thus, those H1Bs with annual renewals of of status due to pending AOS applications are required to get a new MN drivers license every 12 months. Luckily they don't make the applicants pay for this.
It is normal for politicians who fail to revive the economy to indulge in gay marriage, defense of marriage, abortion, stem cell, immigration and other divisive social issues to divert the attention of the public. I must say Americans take the bait and so we have Alabama type of immigration legislation which only obfuscates the issues. Here in MN they just passed a "defense" of marriage to define marriage between a man and a woman. On the other hand they failed to pass a budget and the state is slated for a shutdown in just over 2 weeks. That tells you what lousy politicians can be elected as long as they have access to lobbyists funds to drown out the opposition by saturation advertisements.

 

[sanjoseaug20]

I Here in MN they just passed a "defense" of marriage to define marriage between a man and a woman. On the other hand they failed to pass a budget and the state is slated for a shutdown in just over 2 weeks. That tells you what lousy politicians can be elected as long as they have access to lobbyists funds to drown out the opposition by saturation advertisements.

I always like the news of a red hot conservative getting caught in a sex scandal.
I wonder if there will ever be enough news of anti-immigration politician caught employing illegals, or being an illegal him/herself to start with. Yes, there have been a few small ones like "i did not know the household help was illegal", but they have been too small time. Need something big, maybe being married to one.