Press Conference: Alabama’s Immigration Law is An Unprecedented Attack on Children and Families

Representatives from children, family and faith organizations gathered on a national press conference on October 3 to denounce Alabama’s stringent immigration law as a sweeping attempt to frighten the immigrant community and tear families apart. Last week a federal judge in Alabama refused to block the toughest provisions of Alabama’s immigration law, H.B. 56, effectively becoming the harshest immigration law in the nation. Under the law, police is authorized and to question and arrest individuals they “reasonably suspect” are in the country illegally and people and businesses—including utilities companies—are prohibited from entering into business contracts with unauthorized immigrants.  Alabama also became the first state in the nation to require school officials to ask children enrolling for the first time about their immigration status and that of their parents.

Panelists raised concerns about the negative impact of the Alabama law on women and children. The March 2010 Community Population Survey, U.S. Census, estimates that in 2009, 79,000 children in Alabama lived in immigrant families. According to the most recent KIDS COUNT data, among children in immigrant families nationally, 88 percent are U.S. citizens.

KJ