On Thursday, a federal appeals court blocked two provisions
of Alabama’s immigration law, known as H.B. 56.
The two provisions blocked by the 11th District
Court of Appeals include one that restricted business transactions with
undocumented immigrants, making it illegal for a business to provide utilities
or housing to these individuals, among others. The other blocked provision
forbids contracts between illegal immigrants and local and state agencies.
Last October, a court also blocked a
provision that would require public schools to check the immigration status of
children when they enroll.
Alabama is one of the several states that have passed tough
immigration laws, some of which are being challenged by the administration, who
believes that immigration enforcement is under the jurisdiction of the federal
government.
Many immigration attorneys and activists have criticized the immigration laws by state
because they believe it would lead to racial profiling and unjustly targets
Latinos. These laws have been dubbed “Papers Please” laws because it makes it
legal for local police to ask for proof of legal residency of anyone they
suspected of being undocumented.
There are millions of immigrants in the U.S., many of who
have gotten the necessary documentation aided by an immigration lawyer. But there are millions more, who are illegal,
and have unlawfully entered the country or have stayed after their visas
expired. All of these undocumented people face the possibility of deportation
so it is advisable to hire an immigration attorney to obtain the documents they need to be legal.
