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Latinos comprise at least 14.9 percent of Alabama’s population, not counting the high number of undocumented immigrants. Gov. Bentley, trumpeting his anti-immigration xenophobic bona fides, signed into law HB56 — the most draconian, unconstitutional immigration bill in the U.S., surpassing Arizona’s SB1070. The state’s businesses are bracing for an economic backlash, with several business owners saying that the law is “bad timing” and will “drive up costs.” The DOJ has called the law unconstitutional and a federal judge heard arguments on the case yesterday. The DOJ and other civil rights groups are trying to block the law from going into effect on September 1.

From Colorlines:

In June, Republican Gov. Robert Bentley made history by signing into law what the harshest anti-immigrant bill in the nation. Inspired by Arizona’s SB1070, the bill permits law enforcement to detain people they suspect to be undocumented, allows the state to revoke the business licenses of companies found to be employing unauthorized workers, and makes it a crime to transport someone known to be undocumented. Finally, and most controversially, it forces schools to determine the citizenship status of its students.

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