December 30, 2011
New law leads to lawsuits, battle between government and farmers
Top Stories of 2011: No. 3
By David Palmer
The Cullman Times
CULLMAN — Alabama became the focal point of national and international attention when the Legislature and Gov. Robert Bentley passed a tough new immigration bill.
The bill was passed to go into effect Sept. 1 before a series of legal challenges from civil rights organizations, churches and the federal government delayed implementation for weeks. A federal judge put portions of the law on hold to consider the challenge, while allowing some aspects of the law to move forward.
Cullman County farmers met with state Sen. Paul Bussman and state Reps. Jeremy Oden and Mac Buttram to discuss problems related to agriculture that the law was causing. The meeting was beginning of a long autumn of focus on the area by media organizations from around the world.
Farmers complained that they had for years used immigrants — legal and illegal — to harvest fields and assist with other farm duties. They said the labor was necessary because Alabama citizens were largely not interested in the labor jobs.
From those discussions and the mounting legal challenges came indications that Gov. Bentley would ask lawmakers to make some tweaks in the law to help the state’s farmers. Those proposals are expected to be ready in the new year before the 2012 term of the Legislature begins.
Leaders from religious denominations including the Catholic, United Methodist and Episcopal churches, challenged the law on religious freedom grounds. The church leaders said the law potentially prevented people from the practicing religious missions that include aiding or ministering to people without the threat of violating law.
Pleas were also made for the governor and lawmakers to look at the issue more from the standpoint of the illegal immigrants, who were brought to Alabama by business people to perform specific jobs. Some talk has surfaced of registering those who are here illegally and issuing them work permits.
Proponents of the law noted that a vast majority of Alabamians wanted to crack down illegal immigration. Lawmakers and their supporters have also noted that the federal government, which has jurisdiction in immigration matters, has done little to control immigration or even to work out a plan for those who have long been here illegally.
The law took effect just when farmers were preparing to harvest crops, such as sweet potatoes, that require hand-picking by laborers.
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