Selma to Montgomery: A Long Walk and A Long Stretch

By Frosty Wooldridge

Each week, open borders and illegal alien advocates make outrageous claims as to why border crashers possess some kind of rights and privileges to remain within the United States in violation of U.S. laws. 

Recently,  Isabel Rubio, executive director of Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, said that Mexican migrants’ rights equal that of the African-Americans who marched from Selma to Montgomery in the 60s.  Big difference:  black Americans were citizens. Illegal Mexicans are foreign nationals living illegally within this country.

It’s a long stretch to connect illegal immigration with the Civil Rights Movement

“HB 56 has deported a lot of potential voters, and we’re pushing back against that,” said Isabel Rubio, executive director of the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama.

Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, www.fairus.org spoke about the latest efforts to derail HB 56 passed by the Alabama legislature to stop illegal aliens from gaining employment in that state.

“The advocates for illegal aliens are taking their cause to a whole new level of audacity as they attempt to identify their agenda with the African-American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s,” said Stein.  “Hijack might be more accurate.

“One of the turning points of the struggle for civil rights was a 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, during which hundreds of courageous men and women faced hostile mobs and hostile police. Now organizations like the National Council for La Raza (NCLR) and other illegal alien advocacy groups are seeking to exploit the legacy of that struggle, by staging a “reenactment of the march from Selma to Montgomery to protest Alabama’s law to discourage illegal immigration, HB 56.

“As the statement above indicates, the illegal alien activists are attempting to draw invidious comparisons between the effects of Alabama’s immigration enforcement law and the suppression of African American voters. The march itself is an attempt to promote the idea that illegal aliens are victims of the sort of injustices that black Americans had faced for centuries.

“Ms. Rubio argues that by enforcing federal immigration laws, Alabama is causing illegal aliens and their U.S. citizen children – potential future voters – to leave the state and even the country. Seems pretty weak, especially considering those U.S. children would not be in the country if their parents had not illegally entered or overstayed.

“Alabamians and other Americans who support enforcing immigration laws know that the comparisons are not only false, but an insult to the people who risked their lives to promote civil rights for black Americans. They understand that HB 56 is about protecting the rule of law and preserving jobs and limiting taxpayer funded resources for Americans and legal residents. To compare these Americans to the proponents of segregation and racism who attacked African Americans on the original march from Selma to Montgomery 47 years ago is shameful.

“Their goal is to manufacture racial division where none exists in order to coerce every politician, bureaucrat, police officer, and businessman to hesitate when attempting to fairly implement and adhere to laws passed by Congress and their state legislatures. In their relentless pursuit of amnesty for people who broke our laws they are even willing to co-opt the important symbols of those who fought to overcome racial injustice in our country.”

Alabama Immigration Law: The Facts

“Alabama Governor Robert Bentley signed HB 56 into law in June and since then those opposed to immigration enforcement have waged a campaign to distort the law’s intent and block its implementation,” said Stein. “The purpose of the law is to remove the magnets, like jobs and public benefits, which attract illegal aliens to Alabama. Luckily, a majority of the law’s most effective provisions have withstood legal scrutiny and are currently being enforced. Below is a summary of the law and its status.

HB 56 requires:

• Employers to use E-Verify.

• Law enforcement to make a reasonable attempt to check immigration status during a lawful stop when there is reasonable suspicion the individual is an illegal alien.

• Law enforcement to make a reasonable effort to verify the immigration status of a person who is arrested for driving without a license.

• Proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration.

• The carrying of alien registration documents as already required by federal law and makes failure to do so a misdemeanor under state law. – currently blocked.

• Alabama Attorney General to attempt to negotiate a statewide 287(g) agreement.

• Public elementary and high schools to determine the citizenship status of new enrollees – currently blocked.

HB 56 prohibits:

• Enforcement of contracts entered into with an illegal alien.

• An illegal alien to enter into a “business transaction” with the state or political subdivisions – currently blocked but only with regard to those seeking to register their manufactured home or obtain an identification decal.

• Illegal aliens from enrolling in public colleges – currently blocked.

• Reproducing, manufacturing, selling or offering to sell false identification documents.

• Tax deductions for wages paid to illegal aliens – currently blocked.

• Concealing, harboring or transporting of illegal aliens – currently blocked.

• Sanctuary practices by state and local officials – currently blocked.Illegal aliens from to applying for, soliciting or performing work by making it a misdemeanor under state law – currently blocked.

• Failing to hire or terminating a U.S. citizen or legal resident while employing or hiring an illegal alien – currently blocked.

HB 56 Timeline:

June 2 – Alabama Passes Toughest Immigration Law in the Nation
The Alabama Legislature passed arguably the toughest state immigration bill in the United States. House Bill 56, much like Arizona’s SB 1070, covers a wide array of immigration matters including employment, voting, education, and enforcement.

August 2 – Obama Administration Sues to Block Alabama Immigration Law
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit to block implementation of an Alabama law designed to discourage illegal immigration is a blatant attempt by the Obama administration to prevent most U.S. immigration laws from being enforced.

August 29 – Federal Judge Temporarily Enjoins Alabama Law
U.S. District Court Judge Sharon L. Blackburn temporarily enjoined Alabama’s HB 56, stating she needs additional time to consider the merits of the case before issuing a final ruling.

September 28 – Alabama Prevails with the Nation’s Toughest Immigration Law
Federal District Court Judge Sharon Blackburn upheld most provisions of Alabama’s historic immigration law, H.B. 56.

October 14 – Federal Appeals Court Lets Most of Alabama Law Stand
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Alabama may continue to enforce most of its anti-illegal immigration law.

November 1 – DOJ Demands Data from Alabama Schools
DOJ Civil Rights Division Director, Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez, requested the information and insinuated that Alabama’s actions need to be tracked in order to prevent civil rights violations.

November 21 – Congressional Democrats File Suit against Alabama Law
39 House Democrats signed onto an amicus (“friend of the court”) brief in support of lawsuits filed by the Department of Justice and Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama against HB 56. Like the lawsuit brought by the Department of Justice, the brief argues that the Alabama law is unconstitutional because it is preempted by federal law.

January 17 – DHS Halts Roll Out of Secure Communities in Alabama in Retaliation for HB 56
DHS told Alabama state officials that the implementation of Secure Communities in the State would be delayed due to cost constraints. However, in an email sent to members of the Alabama Congressional Delegation, DHS essentially admits that the decision to suspend the program was done in retaliation against Alabama’s new immigration enforcement law.

February 28 – La Raza Attempts to Blackmail Auto Companies into Blocking Law
By implementing a boycott of automakers with plants in Alabama – Honda, Hyundai, and Mercedes – La Raza, the United Auto Workers, other groups are attempting to blackmail companies into using their economic clout to push state lawmakers into repealing the law.

March 1 – 11th Circuit Court of Appeals Delays Ruling on Alabama and Georgia Laws
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta has chosen to delay ruling on the Alabama and Georgia until the Supreme Court issues an opinion in the Arizona SB 1070 case – which will be argued before the Court on April 25.

You may contact Dan Stein at www.fairus.org

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Frosty Wooldridge is a member of the board at FAIR.