Alabama’s Illegal Immigration law called the toughest.

June 13, 2011

 Frank Osekowsky

 Alabama today became the toughest nation to date to enact Illegal Immigration law.

Republican Governor Robert Bently singed the new law into effect and expressed confidence that it would withstand any legal challenges.

Alabamahas an estimated 120,000 illegal immigrants, a nearly fivefold increase from a decade ago, according toPewHispanicCenter.

One of the sponsor’s GOP Sen. Scott Beason, said it would help the unemployed by preventing illegal immigrants from getting jobs in the state. Alabamaunemployment rate stood at 9.3 percent in April.

This law will also make it a crime for a landlord to knowingly rent to an illegal immigrant.

The law will also make it a crime to transport a knowingly illegal immigrant.

Alabama’s law also goes further in requiring schools to check the immigration status of their students.  The measure does not prohibit illegal immigrants from attending public schools; lawmakers said the purpose instead is to gather data on how many are enrolled and how the state is spending to educate them.

Alabama’s Hispanic population more than doubled between 2000 and 2010 to 186,000 or 3.9 percent of the state’s nearly 4.8 million people according to the Census.

 Alabamameasure was modeled afterArizona