ATLANTA — The federal government asked an appeals court Friday to stop Alabama officials from enforcing a strict immigration law that has already driven Latino students from public schools and migrant workers from towns, warning that it opens the door to discrimination against even legal residents.
The Department of Justice’s filing to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also said the law, considered by many to be the most stringent immigration measure in the country, could cause considerable fallout as immigrants flee to other states or their native countries.
A coalition of advocacy groups also filed a separate appeal Friday that claims the law has thrown Alabama into “chaos” and left some Latinos too afraid to go to their jobs and reluctant to send their kids to school.
The court signaled in an order Friday that it wouldn’t decide whether to halt the law until it reviews more arguments from both sides next week.
The state must file a brief by Tuesday, and the federal government must respond by Wednesday. After that, the court could decide whether to intervene by issuing a preliminary injunction.
In the meantime, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley said he intends to continue enforcing the hotly disputed law, which allows authorities to detain people suspected of being in the country illegally and lets officials check the immigration status of students in public schools.
Those measures took effect last week after a federal judge upheld them, and they help make the Alabama law stricter than similar laws enacted in Arizona, Utah, Indiana and Georgia. Federal judges in those states have blocked all or parts of those measures.
Justice Department attorneys outlined several problems they have with the Alabama overhaul.
They worry the law is likely to expose legal residents “to new difficulties in routine dealings” and could force federal authorities to deal with low-risk immigrants rather than the most dangerous criminals. And, they say, the attempt to drive illegal immigrants “off the grid” could disrupt both diplomatic relationships and national policy.
State Republicans have long sought to clamp down on illegal immigration. Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard said the state was forced to act because the federal government ignored its responsibility to enforce immigration law.
Alabama Latinos up 145 percent
Immigration has become a hot-button issue in Alabama over the past decade as the state’s Latino population grew by 145 percent to about 185,600. U.S. census figures show the group represents about 4 percent of the state population, but some counties in northern Alabama have large Spanish-speaking communities and schools where most of the students are Latino.
