Alabama has decided to one-up Arizona in the “scare illegal immigrants” department. A new law passed in Alabama has frightened immigrants there into a mass exodus. The law, allowing police to “question people suspected of being in the country illegally and hold them without bond, and let officials check the immigration status of students in public schools” obviously directly affects the lives of all immigrants in Alabama. The minute the Hispanic migration crossed state lines, the law became a national issue. Because these Hispanic families are more likely to have school-age children, this law will put stress on the primary and secondary education systems of the states surrounding Alabama.
If those moving into the other states really are illegal, then they will be inflating the unemployment rate. However, Alabama’s new law could in fact hinder them, and help surrounding states. With new people moving into a state comes more people buying groceries and other goods, thus boosting the economy and revenue for those states (especially Arkansas, because that's where it's been reported many of these people are moving).
Original article: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2096488,00.html
