No to Juan Crow!
On September 28, 2011 a federal judge in Alabama refused to block the toughest provisions of Alabama’s extreme immigration law, HB 56 – the harshest anti-immigrant law in the nation.
Luckily, on Wednesday October 3, the Obama administration appealed the judge’s decision. Change.org and Ted Hesson of Long Island Wins started a petition and helped these efforts by collecting and submitting over 500 signatures! The Department of Justice filed an appeal to the decision and put a temporary hold on last Wednesday’s ruling.
In the meantime, Latinos are leaving Alabama. Statewide, 1,988 Latino students were absent on Friday, about 5 percent of the entire Latino population of the school system, according to the New York Times. Farmers in Alabama are worried that they will not be able to find cheap labor to work the fields, and businesses have stated that the local economy, especially of small southern towns, will suffer. But what do they expect when they have declared war on the local immigrant Latino community? The harassment of Latinos has already begun and the police have started to stop, interrogate and intimidate people.
Say No To Juan Crow Laws!
If the Department of Justice loses it appeal, this law will be reminiscent of the Jim Crow Era (1876-1965) where public facilities, neighborhoods and schools were supposedly “separate but equal.” Except now, there is no equal. This law would:
- make it a state crime for an undocumented immigrant to not carry documents required by federal law;
- require police to make a reasonable attempt to determine immigration status for anyone they stop, detain, or arrest when they “reasonably suspect” the individual is illegally in the country;
- make it a felony for an undocumented immigrant to do business with the state of Alabama, which includes, for instance, obtaining some vital needs like home water service;
- require schools to check students for proof of citizenship.
We wait for the courts to decide on the matter of the legality of this law, but this law is racist, unconstitutional and a waste of tax payer money. The courts have already determined that undocumented children may attend public schools from k-12 in Plyler v. Doe so why bother with this legislation? Families are leaving in the middle night and are leaving behind their homes and their lives. This is the fear that Alabama has instilled in them.
My advice for Latino families would be to leave. Leave Alabama and let them pay for what they have done to our communities. If you decide to stay in Alabama and wait this out, please know that the Southern Poverty Law Center has declared that 33 hate groups exist in the following cities:
- Ashland
- Huntsville
- Montgomery
- Birmingham
- Aniston
- Jasper
- Cullman
- Florence
- Headland
- Cardif
- Selma
- Wetumpka
- Hackneyville
- Weogufka
- Tuscaloosa
- Killen
- Mobile
- Anderson
- Toney
- Lincoln
For more information or if you have been a victim of any hate crime in Alabama, contact the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama.
La Coalición del Interés Hispano de Alabama, es una organización 501 (c) 3 sin ánimo de lucro que trabaja por la integración social, cívica y económica de las familias hispanas que viven en Alabama.
Important Know Your Rights Information~Conozca Sus Derechos Call 1-800-982-1620 to make a report of police abuse, discrimination, or harassment.
Llame al 1-800-982-1620 para hacer una queja si usted cree que ha sido victima de abuso o discriminacion por parte de la policia y otros. Deja un mensaje explicando lo que paso y como se pueden comunicar con usted.
Conozca Sus Derechos sobre HB56
Conozca Sus Derechos Poster 11×17
Know Your Rights with HB56
Frequently Asked Questions about HB56 from Alabama Appleseed
Preguntas Frecuentes sobre HB56
