Federal Court Blocks School Reporting Provisions in Alabama’s HB 56 Immigration Law

On Monday, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta issued a ruling on Alabama's immigration law, commonly referred to as HB56.

By Jorge Rivas Aug 20, 2012

On Monday, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta issued a ruling on Alabama’s immigration law, commonly referred to as HB56. The Court blocked a provision of Alabama’s immigration law requiring schools to determine the immigration status of school children at time of enrollment, saying it violated the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. [Alabama’s WAFF has more details:](http://www.waff.com/story/19323813/appeals-court-rules-on-ala-immigration-law) > The Court has thrown out Section 28, which is the provision that required schools to collect data on the immigration status of students who enroll in school. > > The Court has temporarily blocked two sections of the law, Section 10 and Section 27. Section 10 is also known as the "papers please" section. It created a state crime if an immigrant was not carrying an alien registration document. Section 27 forbid citizens from entering into contracts with illegal immigrants. > > The Court upheld Sections 12(a), 18, 30 of the law. Section 12(a) allows police to detain suspected illegal aliens. Section 18 required authorities to make a reasonable effort to determine the immigration status of a driver found not to be carrying a driver’s license. Section 30 forbid any illegal immigrant from entering into a business transaction with the state or any political subdivision thereof. > >The Court upheld Sections 12(a), 18, 30 of the law. Section 12(a) allows police to detain suspected illegal aliens. Section 18 required authorities to make a reasonable effort to determine the immigration status of a driver found not to be carrying a driver’s license. Section 30 forbid any illegal immigrant from entering into a business transaction with the state or any political subdivision thereof. "The court today rejected many parts of Alabama and Georgia’s anti-immigrant laws, including attempts to criminalize everyday interactions with undocumented immigrants and Alabama’s callous attempt to deprive some children of their constitutional right to education. The court explicitly left the door open to further challenges against the ‘show me your papers’ provision, which we will continue to fight in order to protect people’s constitutional rights," Omar Jadwat, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project, said in a statement.