By Lawmakers approve Arizona-style immigration law, bill goes to Senate
Montgomery, AL – The Alabama House has passed a comprehensive
Arizona-style immigration bill that allows police to
arrest anyone who can't prove they are in the United States
legally.
The House voted 73-28 Tuesday night to pass the immigration bill
after almost six hours of spirited debate. The bill would cause
employers to lose business licenses if they knowingly hire illegal
immigrants. The sponsor, Republican Rep. Micky Hammon of Decatur,
has been pushing the bill for seven years, but in the past it was
mostly ignored by the Legislature's Democratic leaders. Republicans
won a majority in the Legislature last year and made immigration
legislation a priority.
Hammon says the bill will make more jobs available for legal
citizens, but Democrats argue it would be costly to enforce and
encourage racial profiling.