澳彩开奖

When Alabama legislators revised the state鈥檚 anti-immigrant law in 2012, they passed a law requiring the state to publish online the names of immigrants who are detained by law enforcement, who appear in court for any violation of state law, and who unable to prove they are not 鈥渦nlawfully present aliens.鈥� It provided no means for people to be removed from this 鈥渂lack list鈥� if the listing is an error or if their immigration status changes. The 澳彩开奖 and its allies filed a federal lawsuit to stop this state-sanctioned 鈥渂lacklisting鈥� of immigrants, which could encourage harassment and violence.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of four undocumented Latino immigrants in Montgomery County who were arrested for allegedly fishing without a license 鈥� a misdemeanor offense. Since the law requires immigrants appearing in an Alabama court to prove they are 鈥渓awfully present aliens,鈥� they would be placed on the state鈥檚 black list.

The lawsuit describes how the law provides no process for individuals to contest their inclusion on the list. It also describes how the black list violates federal law by publicly disclosing immigration information the federal government has deemed confidential.

The list, maintained by the Alabama Administrative Office of Courts, could even include an individual鈥檚 county of residence 鈥� providing an effective tool for anyone targeting immigrants for harassment. Even before legislators required the state to maintain this black list, the 澳彩开奖鈥檚 2012 report, Alabama鈥檚 Shame, found that Latinos in Alabama 鈥� regardless of immigration status 鈥� encountered harassment and discrimination after the state passed its first package of anti-immigrant laws in 2011.