CRISIS IN ALABAMA: Investigating the Devastating Effects of HB 56 [PDF]

ohhleary:

thetart:

excerpt from the report, bold by me:

At an ad hoc hearing on Nov. 21, Mary Bauer shared a “small sample of the kinds
of concerns people have raised” through the hot line, including:

A worker called to say his employer refused to pay him, citing HB 56, and stated the worker had no right to be paid under this law.

Latino workers on a construction jobsite were threatened by a group of men with guns, who told them to go back to Mexico and threatened to kill them if they were there the following day. They declined to report the crime to law enforcement because of fears of what would happen to them if they did.

A clerk at a store in Bessemar told a Latino man (lawfully in the United States) from Ohio that he could not make a purchase with his bank card because he did not have an Alabama-state issued identification or driver’s license.

A victim of domestic violence went to court to obtain a protective order. The clerk told her she would be reported to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if she proceeded.

A judge advised a lawyer that the lawyer had an obligation to report her own client to ICE as undocumented. The same judge said he might have to report to ICE any person who asks for an interpreter because such a request would be a red flag.

A local bar association has advised its lawyers that if they are asked to report information about their undocumented clients to law enforcement, the requirements of HB 56 will override the legal obligation to preserve a client’s confidences.

In Allgood, the water authority posted a sign indicating that water customers would have to produce identification documents proving immigration status to maintain water service.

In Northport, the water authority provided notices to Latino customers that their services would be shut off if they didn’t provide proof of immigration status immediately.

In Madison County and Decatur, the public utilities have announced they will not provide water, gas or sewage service to people who cannot prove their status.

Alabama Power told a family it would not be able to have the electricity reconnected without providing proof of immigration status. That family left the state.

Numerous probate offices, including the Montgomery Probate Office and the Houston County Probate Office, have published notices indicating they will not provide any services to anyone without proof of immigration status. As a result, many immigrants cannot request birth or death certificates.

HAPPY BILL OF RIGHTS DAY!