17 Jul 2011

Tough immigration law coming to Alabama

7:49 pm on 17 July 2011

Stringent immigration laws are soon to be introduced in the US state of Alabama.

The new legislation requires schools to find out if students are there illegally.

The law, which takes effect on 1 September, also makes it a crime to give an illegal immigrant a ride in a car or rent a room to an undocumented worker.

State police will also get sweeping new powers.

An estimated 11.2 million undocumented immigrants live in the United States, including 120,000 in Alabama.

The BBC reports the new law is aimed in part at making life so difficult for illegal immigrants they will quit the state.

Supporters say it is the product of growing frustration in state capitals with the inability of the federal government in Washington to handle the problem.

Advocates for illegal immigrants have pledged to challenge the new law in court.

Similar measures aimed at flushing-out undocumented workers have been passed in Arizona, Georgia and South Carolina.